Weeks Four & Five: Moods & Meditations
Ah, lavender.
Lovely lavender.
As I make my way
down this path of
natural body care
I've stumbled upon
the fact that
self-care
is closely linked
To be clear
I am a learner on this
journey
a true newbie to the world of
essential oils
their uses
their properties
that go far beyond just
smelling good
They have the power to
heal
kill bacteria and viruses
clean
alter mood
and, yes...
smell good while doing it.
With this knowledge
one becomes somewhat of an
alchemist
combining ingredients
while mindful of
the power they hold.
Lavender
has held a prominent position
this past week
as I prepared to do the one thing
that most people dread...
public speaking.
Or in my case
public singing.
When I was asked if I could
lead worship
at church on a Sunday
while the rest of the group
I grappled
for an excuse
hoping to have pre-existing plans
but found myself nodding my head instead
and saying...
yes.
I sing and strum for
God alone
in my living room and He
is always happy with my songs
but
people are...
well,
that's when it hit me
and I told myself
"these are my people...
and they will be forgiving and understanding
if I mess up"
Those words
that thought
continually crept into my brain
reminding me
reassuring me
that I could do this
In those moments
when the butterflies threatened
to flutter in a panic
I would say those words and turn to
yoga and lavender
meditation and breathing...
prayer.
It is nearly impossible for me
to separate
meditation and song
from my
prayer life
When on the mat
the asanas
the breathing
the rhythm
come together in much the same way
and as I lie in corpse pose
with a lavender eye mask
to block any light
and enhance the effect
positive thoughts
flow in
negative out
and I leave
feeling calm and refreshed
I knew the calming effect of lavender
but recently learned of
Stephanie Tourles
recommendation of taking several
deep inhalations
directly from the bottle
to calm nervous jitters
I went a step further
the day of praise
dabbing it on my wrists
for a sniff as needed
and a reminder
that
all would be well.
Peaceful.
The best way to describe
my state of being
on Sunday morning.
Not only leading worship song
with Heidi, the keyboardist
and Dan, the backup singer
but being
in
worship.
And so this journey
takes me to
wonderful destinations
down interesting side roads
discovering unexpected gems
along the way.
To which I am compelled
to say...
Amen.
