"No" Means "No"vember: On Rest + Recharge
“No”thing personal, but my default in “No”vember is, “No.”
2019 has brought so many blessings and new opportunities and we have enthusiastically replied, “Yes!” to every one. My personality is prone to push for “just one more thing,” and as Ivor and I work to manifest Sága in the Monadnock Region, I have pushed harder than ever (well, at least on par with my New York City ‘grind’ years).
But as the clocks fall back, and our daylight hours get shorter approaching the winter solstice next month, I am overwhelmingly called to rest, recharge and turn inward. And for once, I’m supported enough to listen to my intuition.
As October wound down—a month filled with so much fun and excitement, including our first Brand Visioning workshop (that was technically at the very end of September), the inaugural Peak into Wellness event during Peak into Peterborough (check out the photos here), Boo Fest Trunk or Treat in Depot Square, and of course, Halloween (x3, thanks to the rainy weather!)—I declared the month ahead, “No”vember.
I am feeling spiritually pulled inward to check in with myself, and physically pulled inward to my space to be still and quiet.
“I just want to clean my nest, and then rest in it,” I explained to a friend after arriving at a recent event late and empty-handed, exhausted and projecting my stress and overwhelm from overcommitment.
So, that’s what I’m doing. My final push this weekend has been a deep seasonal clean to our home (a spring and fall effort for me that involves purging and donating, moving and dusting/vacuuming everything, rearranging furniture to change the energy, making piles for snowy winter day projects… the works!). And from this point forward this month, I will be resting in my space with my family.
But my “No”vember doesn’t mean that “no”thing is happening in Sága-land. Here’s what’s up:
Sága Circle Goodness
While I won’t be taking on any new Sága Circle members until 2020, I will be excitedly sharing what’s happening with our current Sága Circle members for the remainder of the year. And, there’s a lot coming up (have you seen this packed calendar?)!
Family Yoga with Ditteke Ederveen at 10 a.m. on Saturdays throughout November
Mindfulness and Meditation for Teens with Sarah Aborn and Ditteke Ederveen at 11:15 a.m. on Saturdays throughout November
Jocelyn Brown’s Reiki Level One Certification on Sunday, November 17
Sarah Aborn’s next Uplevel Mystery School Chakra workshop, also on Sunday, November 17
Emily Dexter’s “It’s Not the Cow, It’s the How” Workshop on Friday, November 22
Alex Murray-Golay’s first TIMBo workshop will be wrapping up this month (next session beginning In March!)
… and more to come…
New Classes!
Ivor will begin three new classes in Peterborough in November (beginning next weekend on Sunday, November 10). We are excited to have SOUL Yoga (next to the Green Grocer) as our host space for:
Healflow Yoga: Sundays at 9:30 a.m (60 min.)
Reiki Meditation: Sundays at 10:45 a.m. (60 min.)
Qigong (senior-friendly, but beneficial to all): Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. (60 min.)
Plan to attend with a friend – the best way to keep yourself accountable and committed to your self-care. (Or consider me your accountable friend, on Sunday mornings, at least!)
There are plenty of things to say “yes” to this month – and through the Sága community, plenty of ways to fill your tank going into the holiday season. But, for me personally? In celebration of “No”vember, I hereby, and very publicly, commit to:
Movement
Though it’s “No”vember, I will be saying yes to moving my body each day. Whether it is Ivor’s Sunday classes, a short walk or hike on a nearby trail, an at-home Pilates practice, a yoga stretch or a foam-roll, I’m committed to getting out of my head (Plan! List! Do!) and into my body (Feel!) throughout the month. It’s the first thing I let go of when things get busy, and it’s the first thing I need to bring back. With movement will come sanity, better sleep, better digestion and so much more.
Rest (Zzzzzzz)
I’m an 8-hour minimum kind of lady. But this fall, I’ve been working until 1 a.m. and then waking up by 7 a.m., groggy, grouchy and running on adrenaline. Not ideal in any form or fashion, so I’m aiming to sleep by 10 p.m. throughout “No”vember. I’ll be employing my friends chamomile tea and magnesium to help me in this regard (I drink a glass of Natural Calm and within 20 minutes, I’m counting sheep).
Baths
Mama Medicine—my neighbor and yoga teacher in Brooklyn before her M.M. days—is a huge proponent of the Ritual Bath, though she by no means invented the age-old concept. Those who know me personally, know I took on an unavoidable bathroom renovation last year and the number one thing I was looking forward to was a bath in my new soaking tub. However, I’m nearly always too lazy (or prioritizing other things) to run the water for a good soak. Not in “No”vember. I’ll be winding down before chamomile and magnesium with Epsom salts and rose petals (oh yeah, I’m not playing with this self-care thing) all month.
Good Food
I’m looking forward to a new series on the Sága Blog called, “Ask a Nutritionist,” where we will share the wisdom of the nutrition consultants in the Sága Circle. I will be heeding their words. I will also be taking advantage of the ritual of Sunday mornings, meaning: after yoga and reiki meditation, I will be popping in to the Green Grocer (next door) and then prepping a few meals for the week when we get home. Given the season, I’m excited to get some soups on the stove and root veggies roasting in the oven. I’ve also given up sugar and all store-bought dairy (excluding yogurt from Farwell Farm – learn more about Jodi and her family during Emily Dexter’s November workshop).
Family Time
We’re also going to start a new ritual of Sunday afternoon “dinner” at my parents’ home in Dublin. They have a regal fireplace, and my dad is a chef in his own right, and I’m looking forward to setting aside special time for my family each week that is not a kid pass-off, fly-by request for help (of which there are many) or text exchange. I’m also re-employing some of the traditions that my daughter and I had when it was just she and I for a few years to fill her tank. And, of course, finding time for Ivor and I to connect that doesn’t only involve discussing all of the exciting things we want to bring to life for Sága.
Reading
Not online. Not articles. Not Facebook statuses or Instagram captions. Printed paper books, like the good old fashioned kind that the library slings. I just don’t prioritize it anymore, but I’d love to spend the month immersed in a new book or two. (I won’t get overly ambitious here, given my recent track record – if I can finish one book this month, I’ll be pleased!) Growing up, reading was my favorite pastime and I devoured books, so it’s a bit tragic how little I sit and read now. So, I’m bringing reading back, yuuuuuuuup! Any recommendations? Drop them in the comments below.
Accepting Care
This is why Sága: when you recognize that you need some care, we can recommend those who can provide it to you. And I will be leveraging this network during “No”vember to recharge my batteries. I am looking forward to a massage with Sarah Aborn, therapeutic tuning forks session with Marybeth Hallinan and a reiki session with Jocelyn Brown. This is more care than I typically seek or accept in any given month but again, I’m listening to what I need to recalibrate and shift into the year 2020 ready to give my all and receive what’s mine. I’m really looking forward to this support – I find the offerings of a healer and hands-on care to be the greatest gift in the world.
You in?
“No”vember doesn’t mean there are no yeses. Nor does it mean the luxury of laying on a velvet couch being fanned and fed grapes while I shirk all responsibility.
Life goes on as usual. But “No”vember means I won’t default to “yes” out of pressure or guilt (‘I have to’ go because…). It means allowing myself to slow down, listen to and trust my intuition, and prioritize my needs, even if that’s a walk, a bath and an early bedtime. “No”vember means saying “yes” to myself.
Going into the busy holiday season and the end of a decade, “No”vember is just the thing I need. If you feel the same, I welcome you to join me.