”What can you let go of?” The yoga instructor asked at my friend’s brunchy birthday.

Restorative morning yoga, followed by brunch with friends, is the PERFECT birthday party in your late 40s - just say’n.

In yogi bliss, I gazed out at the snow-capped mountains and green fields, wishing that Monday would never come.

It hit me. I was in a space with 10+ other women all over the age of 40.

No one cared what anyone was wearing - except the seriously cool under-the-sea themed leggings Jenn rocked 😎

No one cared what anyone else’s yoga pose looked like—no comments about bodies.

And when it was time for brunch, there were no comments about diets, good foods vs bad foods, or intermittent fasting.

There was a variety of savory foods and baked goods. Everyone ate what they wanted, and some went back for seconds without question.

The only comments made were: “How delicious everything was” and “Can I get the recipe?”

Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? How was this possible?

Two words. Attunement and community.
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What’s going on in your life these days, [NAME]?

What can you let go of?

This season of life is full of attument disruptors…

Political shit shows, kids growing up, empty nests, relationships ending, parents passing, new relationships starting, work stress, menopause symptoms, body changes, etc.

Attunement disruptors make it difficult to notice subtle hunger and fullness cues, or know what food sounds satisfying.

We forget to drink enough water and find it hard to carve out time for exercise.

And many nights we want to escape from our lives with the last season of Outlander or The Pit, just to have an hour or 2 for ourselves.

Attunement disruptors make us live on autopilot just to survive one day at a time.

Unfortunately, autopilot mode leaves us vulnerable to critical body image self-talk and marketing schemes that promise how amazing and free life will be if you take the supplement or drink the green chia seed water while doing a yoga headstand.

You can’t live in survival mode forever!

Here’s a quick self-kindness meditation we did at the end of our brunchy yoga session.

You can do it in 5 minutes or less anytime you need to reconnect to your body’s needs.

Find a quiet place to sit:

• Place a hand on your heart.
• Take 2 deep breaths
• Take a 3rd deep breath. On the inhale, say to yourself, “May I…”
• As you exhale, say to yourself, “…find peace.”
• Take a 4th deep breath. On the inhale, say to yourself, “May I…”
• As you exhale, say to yourself, “…hear what my body needs.”
• On your 5th inhale, say to yourself, “May I…”
• As you exhale, say to yourself, “…find nourishment for my body and mind.”

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What's 1 thing you can let go of this week, Reader?

Hit reply! Let’s support each other in letting go.

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Have a great weekend savoring food and body,

Amanda

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​PS: Attument disruptors like…political shit shows, kids growing up, empty nests, relationships ending, parents passing, new relationships starting, work stress, menopause symptoms, body changes, etc, can send you into a body image downward spiral. Scroll up for a 5-minute meditation to get you and your nervous system back on track!