12 years ago I quit my career and I became a massage therapist. It had been a long time coming as the work I was doing and the people I was spending every day with, was slowly killing my soul and leading me into depression. One day while I was on a women’s retreat I received a little 15min Kahuna Bodywork session and I fell in love, I knew from that moment that I wanted to be able to make other people feel that good, to bring them back into their bodies, back into themselves through nourishing touch and deep nurturing. It was a YES moment that I could not deny, even though it didn’t feel at all logical…
A few months after quitting my job and starting my massage studies I found out I was pregnant. Within a couple of years I was a single mother, running my own business, taking care of the needs of a high maintenance child and giving physically and emotionally through my work every day. Fast forward 10 years and after years of being in survival mode, doing my best to be an awesome Mother (and Father), supporting my clients, juggling family & work commitments and still not feeling like I was doing enough or being enough, I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer…
Being diagnosed with cancer was one of the greatest gifts I could’ve received, because it made me finally acknowledge that even though I had changed careers I still had many of the same belief systems. I was still pushing myself to be a super woman every day and that just wasn’t realistic. It took this life threatening dis-ease for me to realise that NO-ONE should be doing it all alone, it takes a village to raise a child, it takes support to create a successful business and if you don’t find ways to put yourself first, to fill your cup, to self-nourish, to self-nurture then everyone loses. This diagnosis humbled me and through that humbleness a community started to form around me, a tribe began to gather. By putting my superwoman mask aside it allowed people to see me, to know me, to connect deeply with me. By allowing others to support me I realised what community actually is, how it is created and what sustains it. Instead of priding myself on always being a strong Independent Leo woman, I could find joy in my mutual interdependence with others. My life became richer, my priorities shifted, my relationships deepened, and my idea of success changed dramatically.
It is my desire now to share with others how vital it is for us to soften our grasp, to let go of control, to ease back on achieving, to change our perspective of what success is and to teach our children, our families and our friends through the example of the life we are living.
I would never of had so much spiritual or emotional growth if I wasn’t running my own business, it has taught me to trust myself, to honour myself, to find my own unique balance in every day and most importantly it has shown me the kind of life I want to be living, for myself and for those that I love.
Written by Shekinah Leigh
Founder of Honouring the Feminine
Certified Massage Therapist, Yoga Teacher & Childbirth Mentor.
www.shekinahleigh.com.au
www.facebook.com/ShekinahLeighHonouringtheFeminine
