#SmallChangesSunday features a guest spot in the form of a local producer or sustainability hero, bestowing handy reuse tips, mindful changes in perspective, or how to make steps towards being more sustainable.
This Small Changes Sunday post is by Jen from thenaturewave.ie whose ethos is all about connecting with ourselves in order to realign with nature. And how this can bring you full circle and guide you on your true path.
JEN:
From a young age I felt so connected to nature and I was deeply impacted when I came to learn about the reality of the mistreatment and ill health of the environment. I remember being 8 years old when I first heard about climate change and I had to take a day off school because I was so upset about it.
For years then I wanted to be an environmental activist in order to try make a difference in somehow protecting the earth and helping the environment but I found it really hard to find my place within activism and also mentally and physically kept finding myself burning out.
I realized that if I was burnt out then I could not be of any help to the people around me nor to Mother Earth. Through this journey I saw that activism comes in many different shapes and forms and two years ago I began running ‘Swimming into Connection’ with a group of friends which is my small change to the world and my form of activism.
Swimming into Connection is a gathering I created to connect people back to nature by literally immersing people within its beauty and magic. The gathering begins with a chat about the sea and our connection to it. I then guide people through a yoga & movement based practice on the beach to connect us all back to our bodies, breath & inner nature. I work with incredible musicians whose music helps to land everyone deeper into their bodies and the nature around. We then enter the sea as one big tribe and I share various exercises to help people connect in with the water deeper and then we return to the beach for lots of salty sea chats, laughs & tea!
The more we connect to spaces in nature, the deeper our relationship is to them and the more we care about something, the more we then protect it. My hope for SiC is to continue to create ripples of connection, awareness and change 🌊
I deeply believe that in order for us to connect and protect the nature around us that we have to first connect to and protect our own inner nature. We are one and the same and if we disconnect from one, then we disconnect from the other.
This has led me down many paths searching for where I land and can be of service within it all; from training in many forms of yoga, working on many organic farms, completing a permaculture course, working in many health food stores, including the wonderful Small Changes ❤️ and creating and running Swimming into Connection. Finally then coming to training in Herbal Medicine & Naturopathy three years ago which is all about connecting people back to their health, their bodies and the earth through herbs, diet and lifestyle. I qualify this summer and am very excited to begin my herbal medicine practice and start to work with people.
So after many years of searching, feeling lost at times and searching some more, where I’ve very happily landed at this stage in my life is into a space where I help connect people back to themselves, the earth and guide them in how to best nurture both as they are one and the same ☺️🌿🌊
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