"Listen to yourself and in that quietude you might hear the voice of God." Maya Angelou
Village Sis Doula strongly believes in self-care to gain strength physically, mentally and spiritually. It is even more significant to be in tune with your body, as you nurture the life in your womb. People may ask…..WHAT IS SELF-CARE? Practicing self-care is the process to intentionally dedicate time for yourself to rest, recharge and do the things you enjoy. Do you truly know the things your enjoy? If you only had an hour to yourself in a day, what would you do? Our society is so focused on being busy, BUT REMEMBER THE SIGNIFICANCE TO SIT YOUR ASS DOWN. Savor those moments to sit still and simply breathe , while embracing your surroundings through sound, touch, scent and sight.
What is Mindfulness?
The art of mindfulness is to simply live in the moment. As stated earlier, our current fast-paced society often inhibits our ability to live in the now. The University of California, Berkeley’s Greater Good Magazine, states that their studies has shown that mediation (a tool for mindfulness) has the potential to improve various areas of your life, such as: “compassion, ability to solve problems, attention span and resiliency to stress.” Another tools to assist with mindfulness is yoga, which is another service that will soon be offered by Village Sis Doula, LLC. Currently, Village Sis Doula enjoys the art of Kemetic Yoga to improve physical strength, breathe control and awareness of how to simply enjoy the moment. Therefore, Village Sis Doula encourages her clients to incorporate mindfulness activities into their daily routine. If you have not tried mindfulness activities, try to be consistent for a week and record what personal changes you noticed.
THERE IS POWER IN YOUR SMILE! THERE IS ALSO POWER IN KNOWING WHEN YOU DO NOT FEEL YOURSELF. KNOW THAT YOU HAVE SUPPORT THROUGH MANY RESOURCES. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO ME FOR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.
Another tool often used by Village Sis Doula is forest bathing. Forest bathing is the action of being surrounded by trees, nature and yourself. There is also evidence-based research that spending intentional time in nature improves your physical and spiritual being. This activity allows you to be a HUMAN BEING, NOT A HUMAN DOER, as stated by Shawnee Gibson. Therefore, allow yourself to simply be with no guilt. As you enjoy the time for mindfulness activities, embrace the power of your womb and the life your nourishing. The life in your womb is also connected to your emotions and thoughts. Therefore, it is especially significant to embrace the power of your womb, along with mindfulness activities. Please feel free to contact me if you would like more information. These are also tools you may be able to use after your baby enters into this world. The links for some mindfulness activities is attached below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stuZaKB9j7I A brief overview of the evidence-based research for the positive outcomes for forest bathing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeC2EIrJbCY Please take the time to dim the lights, sit in natural light and/or sit outside while embracing the sounds of nature. It is also important to be mindful of your breathing. Therefore, breathe deep within your belly and slowly exhale from your mouth to the count of 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTuRC1od9NY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHCl6b9K25Y Embrace the power of mediation to bring you INNER PEACE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVMRCH5CpGA PLEASE ASK YOUR DOCTOR REGARDING YOUR EXERCISE LEVEL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeFUuWY4Tec https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeFUuWY4Tec https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWOHIOZslvs
BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF AND JUST ENJOY SIMPLY BEING IN THE MOMENT WITH NO GUILT…..TAKING TIME FOR YOU EVERDAY IS ESSENTIAL…STRIVE TO SCHEDULE ME TIME FOR EVERYDAY!!