CONNECTING TO THE SENSES: 6 Calming Acts in My Home in Italy

[Music] [Applause] [Applause] there are some subtle acts in our day simple choices that make me feel more human more whole connected to my senses when I'm sublimely aware of the fullness of My Flesh a moment when I come into contact with the elements wind water Earth sunshine and there is no recoiling there is a surrender a Harmony a trust that this feels inherently good although we can't explain exactly why you think it doesn't make a difference but all these little interactions these heightened moments of sensuality in a day must in aggregate determine our mood my sister and I were speaking this week about bird song uh we were quite fascinated by it when she was staying with us she kept her Windows slightly a jar at night so that she would wake to the sound of birds singing she said it changed her whole disposition in the warning why is it so calming to listen to bird song I thought probably on on some deeper level Birds signal to us that all is well I remember when they they spoke about the Tsunami coming and people reported that the the birds all knew in advance I remember when we were sailing when we were living on board a boat you could look to the birds and know what type of weather was coming then my sister found something which substantiated what we were suspecting which is that birds will only chirp when no predators are around so birds chirping sends the signal of safety to our nervous system janon sent me a research study confirming that in fact people hearing bird song had less depression anxiety paranoia and the positive effects could be found even hours later Al Al [Music] [Applause] then there's my favorite element water weightlessness cleansing yourself of all the thoughts that might plague your mind the aches that a your joints the fear of going literally and psychologically all in you've surely heard of the benefits of cold water immersion that's nothing new but I am still continually surprised at just how dramatically it shifts my mindset nothing seems impossible once I give myself to the water and do my 25 laps for the morning even a cold shower gives similar feelings of hopefulness instead of starting my day thinking oh my gosh was up all night with this baby I have so much to do today I have that one thing that was stressing me out yesterday that I still have to deal with I just feel rational and calm and capable like yes there are all these things on my plate but I'll handle it and as someone who hasn't drunk coffee for 3 years this natural alertness is a godsend light this is another topic my sister and I always always chat about both of us have lived alone for many different chapters of our lives and also in foreign countries and sometimes we've made good money and other times we've been on a very tight budget but both of us always prioritize light when searching for a rental apartment some people prioritize being close to work or supermarkets or stores others want to spend most of the money on travel or holidays my family have always been slightly obsessed with sunshine and its powerful effects on our well-being being you think it's obvious but then my sister and I were reminiscing about how we would have conversations with boyfriends when choosing an apartment together and they would never understand the light issue but then once living in a place with natural Sunshine streaming in they would say ah I can't believe how much better I feel our kitchen here at the the house in Tuscany is quite dark and sometimes when I come downstairs with John Franco who is crying and wanting his breakfast immediately I think oh can I be bothered setting up outside does it really matter or should we just get breakfast done as fuel and get on with the day but I often make the effort and set up outside and I see it even comes JN Franco he always says Ah when we step out into the light and we listen to the different birds together while we're eating and he tries to imitate them we Sayo to all the different flowers around us and though it requires a little more time I always end the breakfast just feeling like I'm one holiday and then there is Earth actually when I was struggling with John Franco who had colic for like a year or something in constipation and all these different things many of you sent me articles and documentaries on the benefits of grounding or earthing which involves walking barefoot to connect with the Earth's electrical energy and how they have found incredible effects on people's health and mood uh now if you've ever seen the sorry state of the SS of my feet you will know that I've always been a fan of living Barefoot even putting aside the science just on a personal level I've always loved the sensuality of feeling grass slightly damp from morning Jew between my toes the warmth of the earth that is growing the food we eat I like showing John Franco that it's okay to get dirty it's not the end of the world if one gets wet or has soil beneath their fingernails or between our toes we've been tying up our burgeoning Pomodori plants and collecting zucchini celery and salad to eat each day we've been so lucky with John Franco eating absolutely everything raw fennel celery our homemade sauerkraut pulsers herbs spices and I can't help but feel our little vegetable garden contributes to his curiosity and complete absence of fear when trying new flavors [Music] what [Music] [Applause] [Music] yeah is there one in there see to clean up want to clean up baby one it's a baby I'm just out walking John Franco for his afternoon nap and I wanted to add that if you see all these scenes and it just looks like a fairy tale uh in the countryside playing with a little Angelic toddler uh please please know that there are also many times when John Franco is screaming I'm tired uh greo is stressed with work uh there was just so many times like normal um families or like any parent especially a relatively new parent uh there are so many moments in our day that don't look like a fairy tale uh for example the other day bre was working and sleeping in Florence so I was alone with John Franco during the night and I was sick so I could barely sit up and bed and I had to try and explain that to a toddler who doesn't quite understand what I'm saying and then he was teething then I had to dry nurse cuz he was really wanting to breastfeed so there are many uh times where I can feel definitely overwhelmed and uh this video is kindly sponsored by better help if youve watched some of my videos in the past you'll be familiar with them I'm sure but um they offer over 30,000 licensed therapists and they make it quite easy for you fill out a questionnaire you can be quite specific about the type of person you want to talk to and you have the freedom to change that therapist if it's not the right bit for you if you would like 10% off your first month of online therapy then just click the link that is in the description box underneath my video and uh yeah thank you to better help for supporting my channel I'm now going to continue it's so hot I'm continue walking J Franco back to the house but it is so hot I can't believe this is men anyway when one feels debilitated by world events or some toxic aspect of social media or the office or relationships I always find making something the old-fashioned way with your hands is what brings me back to Center and makes me feel feel calm and joyful again kneading dough and making pastry or bread or pasta from scratch gardening building something with wood or in this case I decided to make a kite for John Franco we have bamboo growing wild on the property we've been using it to build structures for the tomato plants and with just bamboo string some paper and shreds of fabric we have ourselves a kite not dissimilar I imagine to something a family may have made 100 years ago I suppose once we put the paper on and then fold it in I guess that it don't need oh perfect yeah need some glue I don't suppose you have any yeah I got uh wood glue yeah perfect maybe just a bit here tomato one but just one looks what do you mean another one m no no help help please beautiful hello hello hello Mama snap my father always flew kites When We Were Young and I have such fond memories of looking up at him and marveling at how he harnessed the wind this element that most of the time irritates us but in the right circumstances can become beautiful and powerful and useful don't you love that some toys some Creations can entertain a child whether they are born in 2022 or [Music] 1922 it's backwards [Music] okay [Music] [Music] up [Music] [Music] everyone who knows me everyone who watches this channel knows I'm slightly obsessed with uh having flowers around the home I have always found that it gets me through depression it gets me through loneliness it gets me through uh the endurance of having to edit for like 20 hours straight and there was this Harvard study by clinical researcher and psychology Nancy L edof which found that living with flowers in the home makes people feel less stressed less anxiety and more compassionate towards others cut flowers in the home were even found to Boost energy levels isn't that fascinating to think that just a little object sitting in in one corner of your room can actually change how you feel about your day I um I I certainly believed this even before I read the study but this just confirms what I always suspected [Music] thank you to my sister Shannon who came up with the whole concept for this video uh she loves things like this all these elements and these little details in our day and also thank you to you for watching to those of you who subscribe to this channel thank you to my patrons I am not someone who gets hundreds of thousands of views or a million views like many many YouTubers out there and uh your support really keeps me going it really reminds me when I sit down to work each week ah there are people out there who who believe in what you're making Kylie and I can't tell you what a wonderful motivation it is so a big thank you to the names of all of these people on the screen I hope you enjoyed this little video and I shall see you next time Alima [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] w for [Music]

Channel: Kylie Flavell

Views: 39,588

Keywords: Tuscany, Italy, move to Italy, Italian, mindfulness, calming music

Id: F3DHSFADw5E

Length: 19min 22sec (1162 seconds)

Published: Fri May 24 2024