Let the creativity flow

A surefire sign that I am well regulated in my nervous system has always been when my creativity returns to me. And this summer, I have felt inspiration in abundance.

Each time I get on the mat, exploring movement with joy fills me up. And as I've worked toward connecting with more and more yogis and yogi-curious like you, I have enjoyed giving myself permission to explore those creative bursts. I know I'm living my life in alignment with my values and my purpose because that creativity flows now more freely than it has in a while - for great things and small.

Last week I was harvesting lavender from my garden and was trying to think of a way to use it, and I had the idea to make gently weighted eye pillows stuffed with natural ingredients that would absorb the aroma.

A good friend of mine had told me she loved using her buckwheat pillow to gently heat her neck and back when sore, and I was struck with the compulsion to create the perfect lavender eye pillow to use in savasana.

I have always loved making things with my hands, but never learned how to sew, so I enlisted the help of a talented and experienced sewer - my mother.

With her on board, I sourced out some high quality linen (LAVENDER coloured!) and cotton and golden flax for the stuffing, and we met up to work out the process.

She taught me how to use her vintage trusty sewing machine, how to sew a straight line, set seams, and work with the different fabrics. After only a few amateurish blunders and her patient instruction, we managed to figure out a simple yet aesthetically pleasing design that could come together - even with an unskilled hand like mine.

All in all, it was a lot of fun and only took a few hours to figure out how to make them just as I wanted them: soft and pliable, with just the right amount of stuffing to gently weigh down your closed lids, and enough lavender to waft into your nostrils - heaven.

I have to say, there's something uniquely satisfying about stirring a massive bowl full of grains and lavender buds, with each turn of the spoon casting waves of the glorious floral scent upward.

With our prototype sorted, we set to work making a small batch because now that we had figured it out, I knew I'd be asked where I got it from. I am so pleased with the result This small batch is now up for grabs in my shop, but quantities are very limited so grab one while you can.

I'll also be selling these in person at the Haney Farmer's Market on my last day - August 16th! Scoop one up while you're there and your savasana will never be the same.

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I am also thrilled to share a sneak peek of the studio space I have secured to host my upcoming workshop, Nurture Your Nervous System.

Located in Langley, this cozy space has everything we will need to enjoy the 4 hour immersive experience I have planned. I can't wait to move in it and share the space with workshoppers on September 21st. Launching this workshop is the culmination of many many months of vision, patience and action, and there are no words for the satisfaction of seeing it all finally come together.

I first had the idea for this workshop 2 years ago. I was only a few months postpartum with my daughter, and was struggling with my own nervous system dysregulation. It was during this time that I attended a mental health awareness night for spouses of first responders - because my husband is a paid on call firefighter right here in Maple Ridge. The information session did a fair bit to destigmatize what I will term mental health, but I felt there was something lacking. The "what now" for spouses who are aware that first responders are at risk of operational stress injury? The "what now" for the first responders themselves?

I knew from my own personal practice and interest that neuroscience research has increasingly provided evidence that techniques derived from yoga promote better nervous system regulation and prevent maladaptive nervous system patterns - i.e. operational stress injury. I knew that talking about mental health isn't enough - because stress lives in our bodies. To quote the illustrious Bessel Van Der Kolk, The body keeps the score.  Healing from stress and nurturing our nervous system doesn't just come from talk - it comes from moving our bodies and tuning into what our nervous systems are saying to us.

So the seed of my idea was planted, and many months later I began researching in earnest, pulling together source material, sketching out the outline, scouting out venues, applying for my business license, connecting with my community and building my website to support it all.

Finally we're here. And I couldn't be more thrilled to share it with you. This workshop is designed to support not only first responders, but busy professionals, moms, dads, high achievers, worry worts, workaholics, and anyone who has difficulty slowing down.

If you think you might know someone like that, I'd be humbled for you to share with them the news about this very special workshop. And, to show my appreciation for your continued support, you can feel free to pass on the savings to any friends or family who you think would benefit from this curated immersive learning experience. Tell them to enter the following code at checkout for 10% off.

FriendsOfOMNYNS10

I am so excited to see what these next few weeks bring.

All my love,

Britt