Welcome to the second half of our 'Self Care For Self Isolation' blog! In this piece, I have some recommendations for yoga, seeds to plant and books to read. Sounds pretty wholesome to me.
Online Yoga to Practise
Those who practise know that yoga is hugely beneficial to quietening the mind in stressful times as well as boosting your mental health. For those who might be curious, now is the perfect time to see what it is all about.
We love yoga at WBCo and we definitely love our yoga teachers! Yoga Therapies are a bunch of lovely human beings who have taken their relaxing, energy-centering and downright magical classes online during the ongoing pandemic.
They have sunrise and sunset sessions, pregnancy classes, kids yoga and some really cool rituals to have you moving your body with purpose, setting your intentions and quieting your mind. Not to mention they have the most gorgeous yoga clothes!
Indoor Seeds to Plant
While I would love to say that I am green-fingered, despite all of my efforts, it can be quite challenging to grow and keep indoor plants alive. However if you are up for the challenge, here are a few examples of seeds that you can start to plant inside now. Good luck.
Cleome
Also known as spider flowers, this plant is purple, pink or white in colour and has a lovely fresh scent. The flowers should last from late spring to early autumn so you can enjoy them for a while! The seeds can be bought from lots of different stores online.
Basil
There is nothing better than a sprinkling of fresh basil on your mozzarella and sun-dried tomato pizza, or in a homemade meatball pasta. Sound pretty fancy? Imagine if you had grown the basil too...
Note! You can also start to repot your existing indoor plants before they start actively growing again.
Books to Read
Reading is good for the soul and there is nothing better than disappearing into a good book for a few hours, with a nice cup of tea and some biscuits. Okay the whole pack of biscuits, but no one is judging.
> It's Not Okay To Feel Blue And Other Lies by Scarlett Curtis
This compendium of essays written by the likes of Davina McCall, James Blake, Matt Haig and Scarlett Moffat, is brilliant for helping you to gain perspective on mental health as a whole and understanding that you aren't alone. Ideal, particularly in these circumstances.
> Women Who Run With Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Ladies this one is for you! I haven't read this myself yet, but it come highly recommended by a good friend. Clarissa Pinkola Estes tells us about the 'wild woman', the wise and ageless presence in the female psyche that gives women their creativity, energy and power. Something you can definitely benefit from discovering at any time.
> Literary Wonderlands: A Journey through the Greatest Fictional Worlds Ever Created by Laura Miller
Not only is this book gorgeous to look at, it has some extremely interesting chapters on historical context and inspiration for books like C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. I don't know about you, but a little bit of literary escapism is very welcome right now.
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We hope you found something interesting in this blog, or it has led you to discover your new favourite pastime! If you find any other good online yoga classes or book recommendations, please let us know in the comments below!
Did you catch the first blog? Check out Self Care For Self Isolation Part 1: Podcasts, Instagram and Netflix