The first step towards having a fabulous Christmas is Self Care! #ChristmasinAustralia #harvest #mindfulmoments #mybackyard

Our 2014 harvest finishes with a shower of rain and a sigh of relief. Everything ticked along very smoothly this year, including dry summer days and machinery that behaved itself. We are now preparing to bale the straw hopefully before the next storm, they say is on its way.

The town of Young is coming to life with the Cherry Festival and Christmas shopping moving into full swing. I meet with my dear friends the ‘Rainbow Warriors’ for our annual Christmas lunch. These are the ladies I met when first teaching Deep Relaxation for the Cancer Council. These days we come together for a big old catch up and laugh, sharing gifts, cards, good food and lots of stories.

We make plans for getting together regularly again in 2015, with a special request for yoga to be included in our time together. In a funny way, I like that the women are feeling so well and getting on with their lives that they don’t need a weekly relaxation class. It is similar watching my children grow and become more independent. Sometimes you just want to wrap the people you love under your wings but deep down the best kind of love is the care that encourages others to grow their own wings and fly.

I believe very strongly that women have to know how to care for themselves. We are the nurturers and our radar of love spreads far and wide. We have a lot of people on our mind but guess what happens if our own needs are not met? We get tired, emotional and sometimes even resentful of our role of chief ‘carer’.

But its not always just good nutrition and a full nights sleep that we need. It’s food for the soul to meet a friend for coffee, to get the old paints out and to start being creative again, to cook from the recipe book and to put our favorite music on. Knowing what fills our tank is important because running on empty isn’t fun.

Go to the grocery store and buy the ingredients for your favorite meal. Get out the camera and see if you can photograph what this season is showing off. Slip into your busy schedule, a glance at the detail this day has to offer. The sky, the trees, the birds, the sounds..all so delightful. Move into this delicious moment, for a moment. Smile and be free, in this moment.

The best nurturers are the ones who set an example and take charge of their own well-being. We can all find excuses to forget self-care and it can all be too hard. What are you having for breakfast? When do you have a stretch? Are you drinking lots of water? Do you stop and notice your breathing? Try adding one new habit a week prior to Christmas. We should never loose sight of the value of this simple day and how we can put ourselves in the best position to embrace it.

I went out into the back yard to take some photos for you today. When I saw the cricket set lying out from our game last night I thought of Phillip Hughes. No backyard cricket match nor professional game will be played without a thought to this incredible young Australian who set an example to us all of how to reach for the best in ourselves. He will be missed. 

It has been a year of highs, lows, challenges, achievements, fun, work and play. Each of us leads different lives and yet on many levels we are the same. From what I can see,  we all want to be loved and to love well. to be happy and to make others happy. We all want to have a good life, a full and abundant life. And the hope that this is possible is the greatest gift of all. To strive to enjoy life and to be greatful, content within our selves and aware, awake, alive…not a day to waist I say ……

Yes Christmas is about giving but remember to give from a full place not from an empty warn out frame of mind.  Refresh, renew, reward yourself....and everyone around you will benefit xx

 ps. included in the photos is Redgie our new puppy. The galah Howard found caught in the fence, wing recovering, and other backyard findings...