Nurturing Intention
Exploring late summer’s bounty and inner nourishment
I love late summer, when fruit lies heavily in the trees; the earth is baked golden brown and we squeeze the last out of the dying days of summer. Gone is the excitement of the high days of summer when we feel giddy with the returning heat and our summer plans lie ahead of us. Late summer is the time to step back, acknowledge what we’ve achieved, what we’ve done, how far we’ve come; to enjoy the lazy, hazy days where autumn begins to whisper through the breeze at dawn and dusk. This year I made a conscious decision to cut back on my teaching engagements over August. I wanted to take time to spend on the things that nourish me. As August has unfolded, I’ve found myself spending more time on good conversations and catching up; on the idle chatter that is a lubricant to easy friendship; on stepping forward only for those things that I know will make me feel brimful at the end of the day rather than running on empty. Taking time to think about not only what would feel good in the immediate moment but what would do me good in the longer term. It is a luxury that is not always easy for us to come by. We can get so caught up on consuming - whether it is the latest food trend or experience that sometimes we forget about the simple joys and pleasures.
With a more spacious mind, it is a pleasure to begin to start planning for the weeks ahead - whether it is thinking about creative projects to launch, my qigong and yoga classes, writing arts evaluation or tutoring English, I have nourished myself deeply enough to draw from the well once more. In Qigong, the earth element is strongly associated with the season of late summer: a time of harvest when nourishment is abundant. It is worth noting, however, that the element of earth isn’t restricted to the transition between summer and autumn but rather is the centring, connecting force in the middle of the other elements and is a useful stabilising and steadying support during any transitions. In this way it is similar to the element of earth or prithvi in the yogic traditions. In the yogic traditions the earth element is associated with a sense of root and of grounding. The emotion associated with earth in the Chinese tradition is anxiety or worry. Sending our attention towards our ‘roots’ and ‘rooting’ ourselves into the earth can support us in alleviating anxiety. When our energy is high and we allow our thoughts to spiral out of control particularly when thinking about the future, it can lead to feelings of uprootedness. Sending our attention to our feet or the feel of our ‘foundation’ on the earth and breathing from low in our belly, can be supportive in these situations.
Earth in the Buddhist traditions is associated with a feeling of density and of the material realms. By meditating on the element of earth, of feeling our solidity we can also deepen our relationship with the earth. We often think of ourselves as apart from earth and nature rather than leaning into a sense that we are a part of the earth, a part of nature. Meditating on the earth element offers us a path to deepening this connection.
Most of all however, I have been thinking about the link between the earth element and true, deep nourishment. In Chinese medicine the organs of the spleen and stomach govern the earth element - it makes sense then that nourishment is such a central component of this element. You might want to think during this season about how you nourish yourself and use this as an impetus to nourish yourself throughout the year. When I ran an arts organisation, I was adamant that everyone should take a break at lunchtime and step away from their desks and screens and spend time eating together. I still have an aversion to ‘eating on the run’ unless I really have to. When thinking about nourishment, it is worth also considering what nourishes not only our physical bodies but also our emotions and our mind. Are you giving yourself enough time to digest what you ingest? It can be easy to become overwhelmed. I realised recently that I have a tendency to over-schedule myself and burn the candle at both ends. I have been using my intention to find more balance so that true nourishment is what my body, my mind, and my emotional state need - whether that is to do more or do less.
I wanted to share five things that are nourishing and supporting me right now and hope that you find inspiration in them too:
Spending time outside with conscious awareness
This one sounds obvious but it can be easy to not spend ‘quality’ time outside. Outside can sometimes merely be what we travel through to get somewhere else. This temperate season offers us the perfect opportunity to spend time, with our bare feet on the earth, or by lying down on the earth and gazing at the sky or merely pausing, breathing and drinking it all in.Being disciplined with my ‘to-do’ list and limiting feelings of overwhelm
As August draws to a close, I inevitably get drawn into the energy of hitting the road running as a busier schedule beckons. My intention currently is to break my ‘to-do’ list into bite sized chunks and to be realistic with it. I have a lot of new projects that I’m excited to get off the ground and new classes to plan and get off the ground and participants to meet. There are all sorts of other elements to be mindful of but I’m taking it steadily and being realistic about how to fit it all into the day. I had begun to feel frustrated that my reading had seemed to have slowed down so much - and then I realised… that was because I wasn’t really reading - not much. I have now made some space for reading - for me it’s less screen time and more time with a book before bed. This might not work for everyone but it works a treat for me.Reflect on the year to date, plan for the transition to the next
I was reflecting on this time last year - it was not long after I’d moved and I was trying to map out what I might do, where connections might be made, what work would bring me joy and more importantly contentment and connection. Recently I came across huge sheets of paper stuck over with post-it notes as I tried to figure out the lay of the land and to see where useful connections could be made. I’d stuffed the map in a cupboard and coming across it, I was interested to see how much I’d already achieved and to be reminded of other ideas. That particular map has gone but I’m drawing up another. It helps to see my ideas broken down into something that I can implement. In fact, I like this idea so much, I’m wondering about working in this intentional way with other things that I want to explore.Reconnecting with creativity
It can be easy to get into a rut with what we eat and I find that when I am less inspired in the kitchen, I don’t eat as well. Finding fresh inspiration in the kitchen and once again building in the time into my routine to cook and eat well has meant that I am able to eat better. I am now extending this to other areas of my life and rekindling my enthusiasm and then finding ways to sustain this.Digestion and overwhelm
I have noticed a recent tendency I have to binge. I don’t mean necessarily on food or drink but on everything. The result is that I can feel overwhelmed - a kind of mental indigestion if you like! I am now allowing time to digest, determine what I find valuable. Sometimes I have too many plates spinning at once - whether this is too many ideas or a tightly packed schedule. I have realised that rather than worrying about this, the best thing is to make time and take action.