Soul shaped with Monika

WELCOME! it’s great to have you here.

Before we begin, I'd like to tell you that I personally went from a culture of chronic neglect and self-abandonment, to a non-negotiable foundation with practical actions for honouring my body-mind-spirit's needs for nourishment. It's how I recovered my vitality from the debilitating side effects of chemotherapy and surgery for stage 3C Ovarian cancer. These principles continue to support me in maintaining balance during a stormy planetary season, so that I can ride its expansive potential instead of being captive to its chaotic nature. Prioritising Self-care is important for each one of us in these times, it's essential when we're navigating intense energies. Any steps we take in this area are precious investments in our own wellbeing, sanity and peace.

are you ready for my essential guide to exquisite, life changing self-care for nourished MIND-BODY-SPIRIT?

BREATHE AND APPRECIATE

Let's begin with a breath of appreciation for yourself. Your radical willingness and courage to be a force of balance, love and sanity in a chaotic world is inspiring. Breathe all the way into your belly. Send the breath of love into your heart, your whole body and being. It's fragrance will naturally ripple out into your world. 

Sacred space

Create an altar to connect with your higher Self. Write your desrires for growth and transformation on paper, and place them at your altar along with objects/images that inspire you. Light a candle, incense, connect, chant, and pray here daily. You'll notice a presence starting to grow in this space, and supporting you with your intentions. 

Daily practice

Have a simple, consistent daily practice that helps you to tune into the stillness of your heart - ideally in the morning before you start your day. Be near your altar. Use this time to be in silence. If you're just beginning, start with 20-30 mins. The practice can include elements of meditation, breath work & movement, as well as devotion for you to connect with your best inner feeling state.   

Nature bathing

Spend time being with nature. Immerse your senses in the sounds, smells and sights of the natural world, receive healing. Walk barefoot on the Earth when possible.   

HONOUR Your Circadian rhythms

Maintain regular waking/sleeping/eating routines to move in tune with cycles of the Sun and Moon. Rise with the Sun and relax with the Moon. Remember, an enthusiastic start to the day starts with a good night of rest. Use the daytime hours to create progress with your intentions. Start to let go of the day’s ambition after sunset, now you can nurture your inner feminine with relaxation and play. 

Mindful breathing

Pause and take 3 mindful, deep breaths before you eat or drink. Exhale completely, inhale fully. Breathe in love and trust, release anything that is not.   

Feel your feelings

Process your pain, meet your fear, hold your resistance with awareness. Befriend your emotions, they are healthy, natural and normal. Running away from them does not work anyway in the long run. Accepting our emotional selves makes us feel whole, complete and peaceful, and also allows our inner compass - feeling our way forward through situations, opportunities and challenges- to function as it was meant to be.   

Cultivate feminine flow

To experience inner harmony, temper your ambition with creative activities just for the sake of it. Honour your Moon and she will nourish you with wellbeing in return. Do whatever takes you out of the dead end of hyper-masculine mode. Doodle, draw, paint, sing, dance, move, write, self-pleasure - CHILL & ENJOY! 

Curate your input

Your diet is more than what you eat. We become whatever we expose ourselves to in terms of social media, entertainment, content, and especially the company we keep. Reduce the time you spend in needless noise and drama, cut the time you spend on automatic scrolling on social media by 20%, and craft or create something instead. You’ll find yourself less drained and more easily connected with natural joy. 

Eat well and hydrate

Take time over your meals, eat slowly and chew your food well. Eat mindfully, do not watch screens or multi-task. Pay attention to the enough signal from your stomach so you don't burden your digestive system with more than it can digest. Invest in unprocessed, freshly prepared, warm, grounding foods that are rich in Prana and easy to digest.   

Oiling

Massage oil onto your body, feet and even your head. This is very grounding for the system and settling for the mind. You can also add soothing essential oils for deeper relaxation.   

BRING YOUR SENSE OF HUMOUR

Dance, sing, laugh and don't take things too seriously. When things don't go to plan, try to see the funny side. It's not personal. Growth is non-linear, we are all weird, and life is a paradox. 

release the pressure to get ahead of yourself

Meet yourself where you are and be patient as you grow. Being uptight and beating ourselves up is the reason why we don't embrace new habits. On the other hand, if we acknowledge the occasional slip-up, and get back on track, we're bound to win eventually!

Exchange, uplevel and glow

Scrolling on devices in favour of time with nature

Over socialising with humans with cultivating solitude 

Consuming fast food on the go for mindful meals

Keeping yourself distracted for consciously processing emotions

Disrupted sleeping habits for good bedtime routines 

Sedentary lifestyle for actively moving your body everyday

Thank You

If this level of self-care seems unfamiliar, difficult or even impossible for you, I want to reassure you - that's how I felt when I started too. Once I got into it though, it became a new habit, and then it was easier to do it than not. 

Take it slow and appreciate yourself for the little steps you take. By tending to your inner garden, you set yourself up to sail through demanding challenges and growth curves without losing inner stability. 

This transformation has been life changing in my own journey, and I want the same for all of us. If you're ready to start a new habit, or are already practising self-care: thank you for being here with your love and wisdom. It's a blessing to everyone.