Loving and Living in a Yurt

Tonight i can see beautiful things. For some reason i woke today with a buzz. Maybe it was allowing myself to sleep for 12 hours after a week of interrupted sleeping or maybe it was the meditation i did before bed listening to rain pouring (via spotify as i didn't have the luxury in this reality) and imagining warm evenings sitting with my feet up and reading a good book, who knows. It's been a positive buzz which has benefited my entire day.  Ive been organised, felt confident and best of all been inspired all day. 

Id like to dedicate this post to my love of yurts. For those of you who may not have come across this word here's a brief explanation; a yurt is a large tent like structure. More permanent than a tent a yurt tends to have wooden post on the inside or some sort of wooden/plastic/metal fencing to keep it in shape. This makes the structure incredibly strong. Yurts will usually have a wood burning stove inside for warmth and cooking. They can be used for holidaying or even living in. This summer my partner and i jumped in our camper van and visited his families land in the west coast of Scotland. We spent one of our nights in the yurt on their land and boy did i love it. Here are some pictures we took:

It got me thinking...wouldn't it just be lovely to live in yurt. It's atmosphere is cosy and warm. It encourages you to keep your belongings to a minimum and it offers an easy doorway to nature. Another major benefit of a yurt is how inexpensive it is compared to your average three bedroomed house and extremely eco-friendly. At some point in my life i will live in a yurt.

 

I wondered if this type of life could work with a family so i clicked around for someone living and loving the world of yurts and family life. I found this Three Joyful Pixies Blog. I'm hooked. I have a deep issue with this cultures way of promoting isolation and wish more people would live in smaller communities, maybe yurts, live off the land, be kinder to themselves and the earth and get that essence of community back. 

So what now. Now i explore and listen to my soul when it connects to ideas. Eventually ill be taking myself to New Zealand where I'm going to explore such communities and see what i can learn from them.

Love from this joyful pixie

xxx

Pick Your Pace and Let Curiosity flow

textured tree in the Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh

 Something i am reminding myself of daily at the moment is that the pace i pick is ok. Often i would do to much (or stress about not doing enough) with my time and get too worn out. I know my own pace and i know it varies from sometimes staying in a lot and being creative to sometimes being out a lot and very sociable. For me it all depends on where my moon cycle (menstrual cycle) is at and how deeply i retreated within myself for healing around the time i bled. Ive noticed i have less inspiration to make things happen or indulge in creative projects if i ignore the processing so needed to be done when bleeding. When im not stressed or worn out my curiosity feels heightened. I meet more interesting people, create more and have a general sense of being able to accomplish anything.

summer 2010 during secret grove project

I love following my curiosity because it takes me to such interesting places (within myself and outside myself) that i know i wouldn't discover otherwise. I always learn something valid and am flooding with new sense of gratitude. This week while taking some time to appreciate things i got an amazing sense of accomplishment for my growth over the past two years (i will post about this in my next post). The switch in perspective informed me that what i do is worthwhile, meaningful and has the potential to grow into something beautiful. Right now i feel a bit like a seedling...fresh, new and full of curiosity. The magnificent tree that will be my life eventually is making its roots and growing its leaves.

This week take a moment to tell yourself that what you do is not only enough, it is amazing.

Love and other warm things

xxx

Winter Loveliness

yummy oat biscuit

 This December we spent a lot of time indoors making the most of our cosy house. Some days it was nice to play i the snow then come home have a hot cup of tea and watch a film with flatmates and friends. I live in a communal house and it's lovely when we all gather and cook and meal. Some evenings after dinner we get that urge for something sweet and being particular about not having any refined sugar its not always easy. My partner has perfected the art of oat biscuity cake. It's delicious and massively indulgent. We tend to put in fruit and a bit of honey to sweeten it.

One particular evening i was hidden away in my den knitting when my flatmates came through and told me they had been making snow mushrooms. It felt like i was walking into a winter wonderland as i strolled into our back garden. I love it when i suddenly get a glimpse of magic. It fills my heart full of warmth and i get a big urge to create.

snow mushrooms

In the lead up the Christmas there was a lot of lovely evenings at my local vegetarian cafe/art collective The Forest Cafe. I've been volunteering at the forest for about a year and a half now and i love being part of the community. When it gets closer to Christmas the place gets very folky and becomes a great venue and dance your bottom off. We are currently working hard to keep The Forest from closing by fundraising to buy the building. If your interested in finding out more about that you can read about it on the Forest Cafe Website

forest cafe

Over the festive period i had flu. Ive only ever had flu once before so it felt a big shock to my system. I don't take any artificial chemicals so it was a purley natural healing process for me. Herbal tea kept me going when i couldn't eat, had a sore throat and was coughing the night away. Thank you herbs! After about 2 weeks of rest and healing i popped up out of poorly land and entered creative mode just in time for New Year. As im not much of a party animal (in the British sense) it was lovely to be at a quiet house party and watching fireworks on New Year. I also didn't stay up all night which my body thanked me for the next day when i woke up before the daylight faded. 

Since entering the New Year i have had a gentle buzz of excitement inside. Ive been planning in my head some projects that can begin this month and adventures that can happen later on in the year. Lets see what 2011 has in store.

Lots of new energy for an opportunity to replenish.

LOVE x

Networking in a World of Doulas

I recently discovered this great networking site where Doula's can connect and interact with each other. I urge anyone working in this field to consider signing up and sharing your opinions. Its a good way to promote events, share stories, ask questions and learn about new things. Here is the link:

Full Spectrum Doula Network

Lovely new wintery post coming soon.

xxxx

A Little About What Brought Me Here

I'm a woman on a mission. I feel it is my quest to help others and myself connect to each other and nature. My life is full of small projects and situations that help me do this. Here are just some things that buzz around in my little life that i would like to share with you...

Natural Birthing

I have recently been initiated into the wonderful world of Doula's. A Doula (pronounced doo-la) is a woman in tune with her sympathetic and empowering nature who assist birthing women. We help demonstrating to women that she has power within herself to work with her natural hormones and birth with ease and fulfillment. Birth can be an event that transforms a woman and we think it is important to make that experience as safe and supported as possible. I trust a woman to access her inner wisdom from within birthing and i will help her create the right environment to do so. Please see my Doula webpage for more information about my philosophy and practice.

Dance

Or even just body movement is something i hold in very high regard. I believe we have a flow of CHI that can build up within us causing frustration, anger, lethargy and depression. Releasing it through dance and movement, or any other creative practice for that matter, can help us connect to our true selves and be a practice we can use when our life feels a bit on top of us. I regularly dance with my partner and sometimes around the high energy of the full moon put on movement workshops.

Yoga

Like many others all over the world i practice Ashtanger Yoga. For me it feels like a meditation of rhythm that can result in a state of bliss. It also helps me be in tune with the inner workings of my body. Yoga is good for most people as it's very much up to you how hard or soft you push yourself.

Natural Cycles

There is something so wondrous to me about a cycle. I became interested in women's menstrual cycles from a very early age and used to pester my mum with more information about the details. Unfortunately in my teens my fascination was not nurtured by my peers and like most other girls in western society i was told to not talk about it, hide it and ignore the fact it was even happening. Once i got into my twenties i broke out of that oppression and began surrounding myself with women who wanted to express themselves through their menstruation. Occasionally ill hold workshops to create a comforting space for women to gather in and relate to each other through their monthly bleed. Cycles are all around us and as a women i feel extremely lucky to be able to experience a cycle through menstruation and pregnancy. We can take so much encouragement from nature who changes with ease from summer into autumn and winter into spring. Cycles help us appreciate change and show us there is good in all situations.

HERSTORY

History or Herstory?

Aiyana is a Native Indian word meaning eternal blossom.

This story is about where the idea for this blog came from. About a year ago i finished a textiles degree and planted a seed. Exhausted and confused i decided to not pursue a career in textiles and wait, that's right wait, for a sign wiggle it's bum at me so impossible to ignore. Waiting is fun if you do creative things. As i waited i thought filling my time with stuff i was too busy for during my degree would be a good idea. I started yoga again, i learnt to crochet, i started eating better, sleeping longer, dancing, playing and most importantly reading about things that had always interested me. While reading stages of pregnancy online, which i fund myself reading often, i stumbled across a midwife statement. In this statement was the mention of a Doula. Whats a Doula? Birthing companion! My eyes lit and my heart fluttered. I got the buzz. Within a few days i began my Doula journey and from then trusted and have  been blessed with interesting opportunities. This blog is a mash of all the things i have in my life that make me feel all fuzzy inside and i WANT to share that. I spent years feelings alone unable to connect to the idea of community. Adults around me were at war not in harmony. Well now i believe we all are connected whether we want to be or not and this blog is an expression of that connection. As i read blogs i feel inspired and at one with the person behind it without even knowing them. This is me showing you what makes me warm and happy so you can connect to the things that make you feel warm and happy. Enjoy reading about my wonderful little world....i hope the willow trees are swaying peacefully in yours.

WITH LOVE & WARM WISHES

plant a seed

Bree