on presence | autumn 2024

Hi all,

Last month I made my move to Cincinnati in an apartment right around the corner from the hospital I was born in. Last week I celebrated my 33rd birthday by taking the day off to loaf in my apartment, look at books in the bath, and eat dinner + cake with my sweetie. It’s been lovely to be here, a place that feels both familiar, as the nearest city to where I grew up, and also compelling as I’ve only ever lived rurally (before the last 10 years in Yellow Springs, I was back and forth between my Ohio hometown and an eastern village in Germany). The opportunities feel comparatively extravagant to me, and I’m curious to see how I will continue to grow, learn and explore here. Among the city’s offerings include my favorite bakery and Burnet Woods on one end of the block and a German Language School on the other, frequent Precision Neuromuscular Therapy seminars about 20 mins north, and a good swimming river 20 mins south. I feel situated well for a flow of nourishment of all kinds, and eager to find a wide enough birth in the vortex of the Schedule to allow for its slow, steady drip.

Time can easily feel like a scarce amenity, but I’ve been thinking lately about how, even more than a lack of time, I feel a lack of presence of mind. Luckily the work I do provides me with a built-in, necessary outlet for being present. But outside of client work, I can feel like my brain is being pulled by multiple threads. To have all of those threads neatly wound up long enough to focus with 100% devoted, curious attention can feel harder than making the time to be there for it. It’s that feeling of not being fully here, which really cramps a sense of aliveness—sort of the juice of life! My goal is to start noticing when the pull is happening and give myself a bitty mantra:

”It’s okay, you’ll get to that.”
”Why are you glad to be here?”
”I’m so grateful for this quality time with my partner/friend/self.”

Other things that have consistently worked for me include doing morning pages, forms of vigorous or focused body movement, and forgetting my phone somewhere. All of these things relieve or put some slack into the threads, which actually makes noticing when they’re the culprit of my anxiety much easier. There are so many trivial and also very salient threads our minds are tracking all the time. Wishing each of you ease, dignity and love through the brain fuzz of both our current moment at large and the micro-moments of your hours and days.

All that said: I love Cincinnati, and I’m really happy to be here! Thanks for following me in the process.

work by Alexandra Duprez

BIZ NOTES

LOCATION + SCHEDULE UPDATES
As of September my books have been open to receive new clients at my private office in Cincinnati located in Clifton’s Gaslight District Sunday-Tuesdays and some Saturdays.

Starting at the beginning of the new year, I plan to be at my Cincinnati space every Saturday. The rest of my usual Yellow Springs work schedule of Wednesday-Friday will stay the same into the new year until further notice.

If you are one of my consistent YS Saturday clients, firstly, I will very much miss working together! And secondly, I’d love to help you find a good fit for the future. At one of your upcoming appointments, I can offer an LMT referral for you to try out and help you feel prepared for this shift.

I L L U M I N A T I O N S

All Salve by Fat and the Moon
Dry seasons are upon us! Here’s a fix packed with Calendula, St John’s Wort, Yerba Mansa and Comfrey for gentle yet dynamic support and proliferation of cells. I’m excited to use this for my palms post climbing and constant hand-washing during client work. Use my code IMBOLC at checkout for a lil discount to try it out! 
…

The Book on Fire Podcast
This is such an extraordinary free resource for studying weighty topics around the state of our ecological systems, human history and, as it is inextricable, the body. The hosts discuss books that can feel academically dense to move through on your own, and they break things down, chapter by chapter. Without having read the book, I just finished their series on Caliban and the Witch, and it was super approachable and informative!

Janet and Dave are North Carolina-based herbalists—among the many who were directly affected by Hurricane Helene, so also sending them thoughts of care in the midst of grief and shock.
…

via @unownedspaces

community investment

Financial aid this season is going towards Buckeye Birth Coalition and Mutual Aid Disaster Relief in support of people impacted by Hurricane Helene in the southeast US.

“May it come that all the radiances will be known as our own radiance”
—Tibetan Book of the Dead

yours in health,
Zoey Bryant, LMT