Go to content

On Boxing Day it clicked, the donkey island that is. A hectic end of the year and a wonderful but busy Christmas took their toll and then I couldn't take it anymore. You have to be able to read the signs and you have to listen to them, otherwise you'll be in trouble. So we called ours a self-care day.

Our motto, Harri's and mine, has for years been the invigorating effects of fresh air and exercise. Whether it's a leisurely walk with the dog, ideally in the woods, or a good romp in the garden or snow-covered cave, sometimes even a run or a ski. But as I've got older, I've started to realise that just doing things isn't enough anymore. You also need to just be, to be in a space of non-doing. A time to just listen to yourself, without having to perform or force yourself.

But listening to the body is a skill in itself. When the noise in your head is really loud, there is no way to free up space for being with your body. Even though that's exactly when it's important. The relaxation methods used at Myllytalo have been chosen with this in mind. We deliberately set out to find tools for self-care and tools that work for us. That's why our day of recovery was built around those very elements.

This is how our Thanksgiving Day went (without much planning):

Slow breakfast, silence.

Body-conscious breathing in a dimly lit loft.

Yin yoga by candlelight, listening to your body and its needs.

At the end of yin yoga, a long restorative yoga asana, just staying there for about 20min..

Outdoors with the dog and snow work.

Good food.

We took turns to do a body-paced singing bowl relaxation treatments, which lasted about 45min..

Immediately afterwards we did the peat pad treatments, where we stayed under warm poultices for about 20min listening to relaxing music.

At the end of the day we went to the quiet sauna.

And yes. It worked. Harri even got a bit too relaxed, the talking was getting so restless :D But it's strange to see that when you give yourself permission to just be and receive, your brain sort of revives, ideas start bubbling up, creativity awakens. And that's why this blog came out of this.

If you feel that any of these ways we can help you recover would be useful to you, feel free to get in touch. We can build your (or your) self-care day just the way you want it, listening to your needs. You can book a personalised wellbeing day or holiday planning appointment directly on our website.

And because Hämeenlinna allows for a wide range of self-care activities, it's also worth checking out what else the city has to offer to promote your wellbeing.

By taking care of yourself, you take care of others <3

Breathe.

Myllytalo 27.12.2022, Kirsi