Hey friend,
We’ve been back in the States for a few days now, and today I’m feeling a bit more human as I’ve been catching up on sleep and adjusting to the time difference.
Overall, it feels nice to be back in our cozy home with our comforts, especially our king-size bed (a toddler takes up more space than one would think…lol), and routines. And with the temperature warming up and the sun shining more, you can tell spring is right around the corner…yayy!
You all know by now, that I LOVE some rhythms that are simple, seasonal, nourishing, and of course, sustainable. Now that we are back home and the season is changing, it feels like a great opportunity to check in with myself, subtract habits that no longer serve me, see what *I* need and *we* need as a family, and create some new rhythms for the season ahead.
Intuitively, I have been drawn to ancestral living WAY before even labeling it as that. I have been leaning into a slower, simpler, more natural way of living for years now, and I believe it’s because deep down I know this is how we were designed to live.
By learning from how our ancestors lived (and how some indigenous cultures still live), we can learn how to live + work with meaning, build community, foster relationships, do motherhood with other mothers, nourish our body, mind, and spirit, live in optimal health + vitality, prioritize time in nature, sync with our feminine monthly cycle, and SO much more.
I hope to reintegrate this lifestyle gradually and practically by bridging the ancient traditions with our modern lifestyle. Over the years I have been taking baby steps in this direction, but I want to be more intentional about it this year. Inspired by raising Aidan has definitely helped with this push and desire!
Now, I am no expert and have lots to learn, but I thought I’d share some simple ways I plan to reintegrate these practices in hopes you’ll also feel inspired!
Here are 7 *categories* or aspects of life that I plan to focus on this year (and beyond):
Light: As the sun goes down, we’ve been dimming the lights and lighting candles to have more *natural* lighting and mimic what’s going on outside. I also have changed many of the lamps to lightbulbs that have a softer amber glow.
All of this can help with your hormones, improve circadian rhythms, prepare your body for rest and sleep, help the kiddos to unwind, and simply create a more peaceful and calm atmosphere. The next step will be to finally invest in a pair of bluelight-blocking glasses. And of course, continuing to be as screen-free as possible!
Nutrition: This category we have implemented pretty well already, but there are always tweaks and changes you can make along the way the more you listen to your body and gather feedback.
Overall, we will continue to nourish ourselves with nutrient-dense foods focusing on grass-fed meat, wild-caught seafood, raw milk, raw cheese, eggs, fermented foods, cooked veggies, bone broth and gelatin, ripe and seasonal fruit, greek yogurt, honey, mineral-rich herbs, and sourdough bread.
Basically, REAL, wholesome food that our ancestors would’ve chowed down on as well :)
Motherhood: A few months ago, I read the book Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff (highly recommend it…SO good!). In it, she shares her experiences traveling around the globe with her daughter and spending time with indigenous cultures.
Doucleff observed how these cultures included their children in all the household activities and didn’t feel the need to “entertain” their kids. Rather they created a family of team players who actually WANTED to help and contribute to the family’s activities and housework.
This idea completely resonated with me and I was already kinda doing this. But sometimes we need permission, a gentle nudge, or someone else doing it differently.
Since reading the book I’ve taken the pressure off of organizing and planning activities with Aidan, and have been even more intentional to involve him with what I’m doing around the house. I don’t feel the need to keep him busy with extracurricular activities or crafts/projects. Instead, I invite him to do what I’m doing or just let him “free play” (guilt-free).
Nature: No matter what the weather is like I’ve made sure to get outside with Aidan every day (even in the cold winter days here in Michigan!). I want to spend even more time outside with him. I know I’ve shared the idea of 1000 hours outside before as it’s such a great intention to make sure you aim to get plenty of time outside in nature.
We all know the benefits of being outdoors and I’ve been learning even more about them lately. I have a dream of Aidan attending a forest school and being outside all day every day. I also hope to have a backyard one day soon, so we can frolic barefoot, get dirty, pick wildflowers, build forts, read books, enjoy our meals, chase after our pet chickens, air dry our laundry on a clothesline, and plant a garden. Ohhh gosh, doesn’t that sound heavenly?!
Community: *It takes a tribe.* We all have heard this saying before, but the way we live now couldn’t be further from how we used to live. I had been fortunate and always had a close-knit community no matter where I lived. For one reason or another, I have not yet found (or created) this community since moving back to Grand Rapids and becoming a mother.
Last year, I did create a local natural mother’s meet-up but haven’t been consistent with it. This year, I plan to create more meet-ups and make more of an effort to cultivate more friendships in this season of life.
It is SO important to spend time with other mothers and their children and not to feel isolated in motherhood. We are designed for fellowship and aren’t supposed to do motherhood alone. Imagine how fun and life-giving it would be to raise our children with others :)
Movement: I think of this as *primal* movement. Considering how sedentary we are and how we learn to move by watching others, it’s no wonder we are not using our bodies optimally. The good news is we can *repattern* our movement and bodies (currently enrolled in this life-changing course Rooted Families that addresses this very concept).
Here are some of my favorite ways to do this:
Barefoot (or wearing barefoot shoes) walking/hiking.
In Bowspring classes, we repattern our bodies, fascia (where we store our emotions), and even our minds.
Strength training using bowspring alignment principles.
Feminine Cycle: I have been tracking my monthly cycle for a long time now, but it amazes me how many women haven’t learned how to do so. I get it though, considering I really didn’t learn how to until my early 30’s. Crazy huh?
Sadly, it goes to show how disconnected we truly are from our bodies and therefore, how disconnected we are from our *power*.
There are 4 phases of our cycle (just like nature!) and in each phase, there are certain foods we should eat, herbs to take, appropriate exercises, and even more suitable tasks to accomplish. Incredible, isn’t it?
We can learn how to WORK WITH our uniqueness rather than going against it. One amazing book that goes into depth about this topic is In the FLO by Alisa Vitti.
I realize there is a lot here and I share this not to overwhelm, but to encourage and inspire! I’ll be sure to share and write more about my experiences and what I learn a long the way.
Remember it’s all about baby steps. Take what resonates with you and leave the rest. We can return to our soft, slow, feminine ways one wobbly step at a time….
Lots of love,
Kelly xo
Very good read. Lots of good positive information to focus on.
Really interesting to read! Some great tips in there x