“You and Me baby ain’t nothing but
mammals”
“Your body is your temple. Keep it
pure and clean for the soul to reside in.” B.K.S Iyengar.
Thanks for the reminder Bloodhound Gang! It's
2018, and we've forgotten who we are. At a time where, here in the Western
world, we have the privilege of warm safe homes, fantastic employment
opportunities, endless clothes, food and coffee shops, and technology galore,
we've lost our roots. Children and Teenagers of the modern technological age
have lost touch with nature, with their bodies, with their gut instinct, with
their spirituality. Life in the fast lane has plucked us out of our natural
habitat and plonked us in front of screens, advertising and selling, all
telling us who we should be.
And this picture of who we should be is taken
as the measure of success: We should have a semi-detached house with a garage,
two cars, 2.5 children and a dog. A TV in every room, a mobile phone and laptop
for each family member, including the dog. Designer clothes, sunglasses and
handbags. Both parents with high profile jobs but who also share the parenting
and household chores. A disposable income that allows for a holiday abroad
every year and for both kids to go off to university. This image of a
successful life is sold to us everywhere we look from birth and subconsciously
it seeps in until we are striving for this perfect life. We want to keep up
with our friends, we want to have the Facebook posts that make our friends
jealous. My husband and I have certainly had times in our marriage where we've
looked at other couples and thought "We should have that" or "We
should be doing that." We’ve become frustrated with this feeling that our
home, our marriage and our family life should look a certain way. The pressure
of keeping up with the Jones' has become too much.
What if we step back from this life that's
being sold to us and think about who we really are? That's exactly what I've
been drawn to do since becoming a mum. The more I ponder, read and research,
the more it becomes obvious, and in the words of Bloodhound Gang, we ain't
nothing but mammals!
“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt” Margaret Atwood, Bluebeard’s Egg.
Just as other mammals, my natural environment
is outside - I find a sense of calm and balance when at the beach or walking
through the woods. I love feeling my bare feet on the ground and gloriously
warm sunshine on my face, I love running my hands through sand or up and down
tree trunks - Yes, I hug trees! I love listening to waves crashing, the wind
rustling through the trees and birds singing. I love smelling earthy mud,
freshly cut grass and honeysuckle. I love to see how alive each member of my
family become when outside, and how peaceful they are after a day spent
exploring our natural environment. In my ten years of working with children, I
notice how being outside makes children less tense, less anxious and more joyous.
I want my daughter to grow up at one with the outdoors; I want to become one
with the outdoors.
 |
| Miri loves the beach |
“I know body hair bothers some
women, but a lot of men like a fluffy partner.” Barry Humphries.
Just as other mammals, my natural body is
hairy. I have arm pit hair, pubic hair, leg hair, toe hair . . . I even have
three little hairs growing out of my chin mole! The hair on our bodies is there
for a reason, it has protective and cleansing properties. Women, and men, feel that in order to be
socially accepted, they have to shave, wax and pluck until their bodies are
totally bald and smooth. Our bodies were not designed to be bald! We are being
sold an image of a perfect hairless body because it keeps us buying beauty
products. We live in a consumer-based society, which makes us feel bad about
our natural normal bodies to make us consume, to spend money! Let me tell you
something, its completely normal to have hair around your genitals! It’s
completely normal to have hair under your arms! Let's talk about shampoo, a
product most of us use every day. Do other mammals continuously use a chemical
rich product on their hair to keep it healthy? No! We have been sold the idea
that our hair needs to be cleaned with chemicals everyday by the beauty
industry. I have been a lifelong daily shampoo-er. But this journey I'm on to
live a more natural life has led me to the no-poo movement. Our bodies are
designed to clean themselves and are perfectly equipped to do so. I trust my
body’s natural process. I want my daughter to be completely comfortable with
her body in its natural normal state; I want to be comfortable with my body in
its natural normal state.
Just as other mammals, my body needs vitamins
and minerals from the Earth to be healthy. Our bodies are designed to eat
natural foods from the Earth. For around 9 years I've been drawn to eating as
naturally as possible, which to me means fruit, vegetables and meat in their most
natural forms. Any kind of processed, preservative & sugar laden food,
although highly advertised and readily available, are not good for our bodies,
souls or minds. Mammals in the natural world do not eat food made in a factory,
they eat what the Earth gives them seasonally. I am addicted to chocolate, and
although I made the switch from sugary milk chocolate to dark chocolate, I
still eat it every day! I give my daughter processed foods, which are quick and
easy for me to have ready for her, and I feel incredibly guilty about it.
Before having children, on seeing premade baby and toddler snacks I'd turn my
nose up and say "Why don't you just give your child a piece of
fruit?!" Maybe it's not as simple as that, but maybe it is! We've already
started eating and feeding our daughter more intentionally and, thank goodness,
she absolutely loves nature's candy - fruit! I want my daughter to have a
passion for real whole foods; I want to have a passion for real whole foods.
When I turned 21 9 years ago (9 years, how
did that happen?!), a couple of seeds were planted when I started yoga. Little
awakenings which led me to making non-toxic household cleaner, using a
menstrual cup for the first time and experimenting with going vegan; I even
started a blog about it which is probably still out there lurking in the depths
of the internet. Over the years, those seeds turned to seedlings, but having to
battle against the norm, the influence of social media and life's up and downs,
they stayed deep down beneath the surface. Now, in the year I turn 30 and
having been through the wild experience of becoming a mum, I am ready for my
seedlings to blossom into fantastically vibrant blooms. I am ready to fully
embrace my natural instinct and calling to reconnect with nature and live in a
more natural way.
Do you live closely with the natural world? Do you make your
own beauty products or grow your own veggies? If so, I’d love to hear from you.
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