Nature’s Ambrosia

Return to Self : Put It Down

I’ve been thinking about how much we carry simply because we’ve been carrying it for so long.

Old expectations.
Old versions of ourselves.
Things people said that we never quite forgot.
Disappointments we learned to live around.
Responsibilities we picked up and never questioned.

And sometimes, without even realizing it, we start confusing the weight with who we are.

We become so accustomed to holding everything together that putting something down feels unfamiliar.

Almost uncomfortable.

Because who are we when we’re not managing something? When we’re not anticipating the next problem? When we’re not trying to make sense of what happened or figure out what comes next?

Maybe we don’t have to answer that just yet.

Maybe today, we practice putting something down.

Not forcing ourselves to heal it. Not pretending it didn’t happen. Not rushing to find the lesson in it.

Just acknowledging that we don’t have to carry every experience into every new moment.

Something can have mattered to you without needing to keep taking up space in you.

Sit with that for a minute.

Think about something you’ve been holding onto. It doesn’t have to be the biggest thing in your life. Maybe it’s a conversation you keep replaying. Maybe it’s the pressure to have everything figured out. Maybe it’s an expectation you’ve placed on yourself that no longer fits.

Notice what happens in your body when you think about setting it down.

Do your shoulders soften? Does your jaw unclench? Do you feel resistance? Relief? Maybe a little of both?

Don’t force anything.

Tonight, take a warm shower or bath. Let the water move over your shoulders. Breathe slowly. Imagine giving yourself permission to stop carrying what you don’t need in this particular moment.

You can return to the problem tomorrow if you need to.

You can make the decision later.

You can still care about something without giving it your entire evening.

Rest doesn’t have to wait until everything is resolved.

And I’d love for us to reflect on this together:

What is one thing you’re ready to stop carrying the same way you’ve been carrying it?

You don’t have to share the whole story. Sometimes simply naming the weight is enough to begin.

Give yourself a little room today. You don’t have to hold everything all the time. 🤎

Return to Self: Be Here, IN Your Body

I think we spend so much time trying to figure ourselves out that we forget to actually experience ourselves.

We’re in our heads, replaying conversations, planning the next move, trying to understand why we feel the way we feel.

Meanwhile, our bodies are right here.

Waiting for us to come back.

So today, I want to get out of my head for a little while.

Not through another exercise in self-improvement. Not because there’s something to fix.

Just because I live here. In this body. And I want to feel like I do.

Stretch when you wake up. Let your hips move without needing to turn it into a workout. Put on a song that makes you want to sway. Rub your favorite oil or lotion into your skin slowly. Notice the warmth of your hands. Feel your feet against the floor.

Let yourself take up space.

You don’t have to make the moment meaningful. You don’t have to turn it into a lesson.

Being present in your body is enough.

That’s part of returning to yourself, too. Remembering that you’re not just a mind carrying responsibilities around all day. You’re a whole living, breathing, feeling person.

You deserve to experience your life, not just manage it.

So here’s our practice today:

Find one moment to be fully inside your body.

No phone in your hand. No multitasking. No rushing to the next thing.

Just you, here, now.

And when you do, I want you to notice something.

What makes you feel most alive in your body?

Is it movement? Music? Water against your skin? Being outside? Dancing in your kitchen? Stretching in the morning light?

Share it with us if you feel like it. I’d love for us to start collecting the little things that bring us back to ourselves.

We’re allowed to enjoy being here. 🤎

Actually returning to yourself looks less like adding something to your life…

…and more like deciding what no longer matters or gets access to you.

Your time.
Your energy.
Your attention.
Your body.
Your peace.

Today, I want to practice a quieter kind of boundary.

Not explaining.
Not defending.
Not making sure everyone understands.

Just noticing where I’ve been saying yes when my whole body has been saying no.

So before you answer that text.
Before you commit to something.
Before you give another piece of yourself away…

Pause.

Take one slow breath.

And ask:

“Do I actually want to?”

Not Can I?
Not Will they be upset?
Not What will they think?

Do I want to?

That little pause can tell you a lot.

Tonight, make your ritual simple. Put your phone down. Take a shower or wash your hands slowly. Let the water be a physical reminder that you are allowed to clear away what isn’t yours.

You don’t have to make a dramatic declaration.

Sometimes the boundary is simply:

No.

Sometimes it’s:

Not today.

Sometimes it’s:

That doesn’t feel good to me anymore.

And sometimes returning to yourself means finally believing the answer your body has been giving you all along.

If you’re practicing this with me today, notice one place where you can honor your own no without guilt.

There’s a difference between being alone and being with yourself.

Today, I want to practice the second one.

No fixing.
No figuring it all out.
No reaching for something to fill the space.

Just sitting with myself long enough to notice what’s actually here.

Before the tea.
Before the music.
Before I pick up my phone.

A few quiet breaths.

Hand on chest.
Hand on belly.

And just asking:

What am I feeling that I haven’t given myself permission to feel yet?

I don’t need an answer immediately.

I just want to become available enough to hear myself.

That’s the ritual today.

Less reaching.
More listening.

If you’re doing this with me, take a few minutes today and sit with yourself without trying to change the experience.

Then come back and tell us what you noticed.

This is what we’re doing for October. 🌿

THE RETURN TO SELF.

Maybe you don’t need a new version of yourself.

Maybe you need to come back to the one you’ve been neglecting.

The one underneath the responsibilities.

Underneath the expectations.

Underneath the constant figuring it out.

The one who knows what she needs before she talks herself out of it.

The one who has desires she hasn’t given herself permission to name.

The one who is tired of being strong when what she really wants is to soften.

The one who has been asking for your attention.

October is going to be about listening.

About slowing down.

About creating ritual around the things that bring us back into ourselves.

We’ll explore what it means to return through reflection, breath, stillness, ritual, intentional action, and simply being present with ourselves.

We’ll ask:

What do I actually need right now?

Where have I abandoned myself to keep the peace?

What am I ready to release?

What am I being called to trust?

What parts of me are asking to be seen again?

This isn’t about reinventing yourself.

It’s about remembering yourself.

Back to your body.
Back to your intuition.
Back to your rituals.
Back to your desires.
Back to your own voice.

And maybe most importantly…

back to yourself.

So that’s where we’re beginning.

Before you try to change anything, fix anything, accomplish anything…

Sit with this:

Where in my life am I being invited to come back to myself?

Don’t force the answer.

Just listen.

October begins here.