Nourish Together - Weekly Newsletter - 4/21/23
Recipe of the Week
My daughter, Emma, asked me to make her spaghetti with chorizo for dinner. I did a quick Pinterest search and found this easy Chorizo Carbonara Pasta recipe.
I had never made carbonara before, so I watched this video by Jamie Oliver to learn the basics.
The recipe turned out so well, even with our dietary-sensitive ingredient substitutions. It was creamy, flavorful, and all-around delicious!
Enjoy!
Inspiration
The Joy of Stretching
I’ve always loved fitness. Stretching?! Not so much. I really just thought of it as a “thing-I-was-supposed-to-do” at the end of a workout. And, frankly, I thought stretching was an inefficient use of time that could have been more effectively spent on the elliptical machine. Or, lifting weights. Or, pretty much anything else.
Yoga helped me change that mindset.
In practicing different poses, my teachers encouraged me to slow down, ground into my body, and “find what feels good.”
Leaning into bodily enjoyment was a new thing for me.
I lived in my head and disassociated from my body for a long time. If I’m being totally honest, I believed that my body was for other people’s pleasure. That it didn’t so much matter how my body felt, only that it looked good.
Now, I’m getting curious about what it means to be embodied.
What I’m learning is that embodiment is feeling at home in your body, and feeling connected to your body in a safe manner. It’s an increased ability to be in your body in the present moment and to feel all of its sensations, both emotional and physical. It’s the safe and healthy expression of needs, desires, fears, and wants through the body.
Right now, I’m practicing embodiment through stretching.
No longer just a thing to cross off the list, I’m stretching as an intentional means of self-discovery and enjoyment.
What does my body need? What feels good? Where does it feel good? If I move just a little to the left, does that feel even better?
I’m learning to tune into my body more. I’m learning how to feel more pleasure. I’m learning how to safely return to myself.
Here are my absolute favorite stretching videos, all by Mady Morrison. I invite you to try them and practice embodiment. Let’s give ourselves permission to feel good.
Stretches for Lower Back Pain Relief & Tight Hips
Live well. Be kind.
Jamie
