Octavia Hill 

Are we all in recovery in some way? Recovering from patterns and learned behaviours we absorbed before we even knew we had a choice.

 

This past month has felt a bit… Heavy. A kind of seasonal limbo, mirrored quietly in life as well. My body and nervous system are feeling it a little.

 

Recently I was confronted with a simple (and pretty uncomfortable) realisation: I needed to be more me again. Not by “carving out extra time” (eurgh, what does that even mean), but by returning to a quality of presence. So that even amid the  charm-filled challenges of a busy little life, l still makes space for a sense of self. Beyond being a mother, a solo-entrepreneur, a wife and everything else in between.

 

Perhaps this is what recovery really is. A coming back to ourselves. A remembering of what we need in order to nurture our true nature. 

 

I think that's the ikigai. A quieter, stiller, centre point - the heart of it all. And the work we do, the people we love, the habits we choose, they are consequences of this, not the actual ikigai itself. Does that make any sense?

So let's get to the heart of it.

 

Our hearts follow where we place our attention.

Attention shapes awareness.

Awareness leads to devotion.

And devotion, quietly and steadily, builds a life.

 

Do you really want your heart and life to be ruled by endless to-do lists or other people's expectations of you? Whilst I don't exactly know what “being more me again” really entails, I know I don't want that. And I think that's enough to start directing the meaningful devotion, the ikigai.

 

Gift yourself the grace of recovery by tending to your soul through choices that make you feel more like yourself. Listen carefully, soaking yourself with the light of your precious awareness, as you see where your devotion starts to take you.

 

It's not an overnight fix, but I do think it's important, because our devotion tells the story of our life. 

I recently filmed five 10 minute healing practices for my lovely friend, who is in slow recovery from knee surgery. These are intended to offer small, gentle moments of connection. They can be done from a chair, and are all completely free. 

 

 

If you are interested in going deeper, have a look at my coaching offering. It feels like the fruit of my soul at the moment: Business and mindfulness, recovery and devotion, rolled into 12 weeks of ikigai.