Belonging, Flattering Headwear and Doing Weird Stuff

May 15, 2019

When we moved to our new place (almost a year ago, so I guess it's not that new), one of the things I was most excited about was living right across the street from a huge sportsplex. There's simply no excuse not to use it and I've been loving it.


I anticipated that I would increase my fitness, which has happened, but I didn't realize it would help me in unpredictable ways. Here's a hidden benefit of spending time at the gym.


You can do really weird stuff and feel like you totally fit in.


Want to know some of the weird stuff I've witnessed?


• an athlete running on a track while pulling a giant heavy contraption fastened to her body with some sort of harness
• a guy making his way around the track by throwing punches in various combinations
• a dude running on a treadmill breathing very loudly, moaning intermittently and also yelling encouraging phrases to himself (and anyone else nearby)
• a contest to see who could balance the longest on a foam block on one foot with eyes closed
• water polo uniforms (in case you haven't had the pleasure, here's a visual for you)

I know that totally just made your day, right? That's the flattering headwear, in case you were not quite sure.


The great thing is that I've been experimenting with doing weird stuff that I wouldn't necessarily do out in other parts of the world and it's either gone unnoticed, or people have approached me to ask what I'm doing.


In today's yoga class, I arrived early and had some time to do a meditation I usually do at home at night by myself. It involves some chanting, some waist-rotating and some breath-holding. (It's specifically to heal the liver.)


I felt like I fit right in because the people around me were doing things such as rolling like a ball (guy on the right), laying face down on the mat with all sorts of helpful props (lady on the left), or checking a cell phone (actually, that lady looked really out of place... there are no cell phones in yoga!). The majority of us were just people doing things to enhance our well-being.


The point I want to illustrate is that it can be lonely when you set out to become the best version of yourself. Your family might think you're crazy. You might lose friends as you set boundaries and complain less. 


It's super important to have at least one sacred space where you feel like you can totally be who you are in all your glory (and in all your challenges) and you'll be loved, supported and heard. 


I hope with all my heart that you have a sacred space like that.


I've been working on creating such a space. It's called the Courageous Self-Care Community. 


For the last few months I've been filling it with all sorts of experts who teach about topics that relate to self-care. They each have their own featured expert day once a month and members of the community can ask them anything and get a personal answer. 
For example, I asked our resident holistic nutritionist what snacks she recommended that were healthy, quick, easy and seasonal, and I got a fantastic answer.


In addition to the expert support, the Community is a place to share your wins so that you can be celebrated. It's also a place to reach out and ask for help when you need it. Those are both skills that could use some practice for most women (celebrating your strengths and asking for help). 


I'm doing some personal coaching in the group as well as teaching about some new Courageous Self-Care strategies that I've been experimenting with over the last few months. They are EFFECTIVE!


I'm inviting you to join us. This community is where I'm spending the majority of my efforts these days. It's so fun to connect with like-minded women and be yourself. You can even wear your running harness contraption and no one will ask you to leave!
The price point is very low and it's a month to month thing, so there's no long term commitment.


Click here to get the full shpiel (Is that how you spell that word? Is it a real word?) I couldn't find the right way to spell it. Google let me down.


Whether you join us or not, I encourage to really reflect on where you feel like you fit in and belong in this world, where you can be all versions of yourself and feel loved, where you can ask for support and receive it with no ulterior motive and where you can consistently get information that gives you more energy, more self-love and more permission to be the radiant being you are. It's so important to have that place you can go to whenever you need it.


With a boatload of love and a generous helping of courage,
Christina

PS- Here's the pretty image I made for the Courageous Self-Care Community. Click on it to find out all the details.