Welcome to the marvellous month of May. There is a certain fragrance that hits the air in May that’s unique and delicious. My mum’s birthday landed when Lilac was in full bloom and as a child living in the countryside, I loved nothing more than gathering huge bunches of cow parsley or ‘free’ wildflowers to present to her. To this day I have a love of fresh and colourful produce either growing in pots or littered around the house to bring life and joy to our home, and at head office we put flowers on each desk which is a daily reminder of creation, freshness and growth.
May is the month Mark and I commence our Monday evening ritual of a barbecue on the beach (weather permitting) even if we have to put our chunky knits on! We do this after work and the anticipation of this end of day treat fills us with joy and anticipation.
There’s nothing more beautiful than escaping outside and being amongst something ‘bigger’ and embracing the wonder of creation. Problems seem to get smaller; worries get weaker and dreams get bigger and whether that’s the green space of a park, hills or forest, my personal favourite are the blue spaces found by a lake, waterfall, or even better the sea, of which the therapeutic benefits on mind, body and soul are well documented.
If you live near the sea, lucky you. If not, seriously plan a health restoring visit very soon. The salty air, a bracing walk, ditching the shoes and enjoying some acupressure from toes in the sand rooting you to nature, braving the sea for a cold water dip, arranging a picnic complete with checked tablecloth, dusting down an old blanket, maybe even hiring a beach-hut for the day, beach-combing for shells to display in a shiny Kilner jar and fish & chips eaten out of the paper, I promise you it will breathe life into you, shake off the winter blues and welcome the joyous spring & summer months.
We have a group of TEMPLESPA customers in Northern Ireland who meet in a beach sauna, they slather PURIFICATION on their face, an amazing mud mask that contains all the wonders of the ocean and then they run into the sea and remove it with seawater! It’s going quite viral and even if you can’t quite imagine that you can do the same before a steamy bath and your skin will be glowing, revitalised and super-clean!
Finally, if you love the sound of the ocean and the waves, this is a wonderful way to calm the mind, soothe the soul and get you ready for the slumber of sleep, so find one of the many apps that offer you the rhythm and sounds of the sea.
Have a wonderful May and maybe run into you at the seaside!
Love Liz xx