Healing Is a Practice, Not a Concept

Recovery and healing are not passive experiences. They are lived, embodied, and practiced. Healing happens when we show up consistently and do the work especially when it’s uncomfortable, slow, or quiet.

For me, Mondays are devoted to this practice.

Mirimiri: Releasing What the Body Holds

My week begins with mirimiri, a traditional Māori bodywork practice that works holistically with the body, mind, and wairua (spirit). Trauma does not only live in the mind it is stored within the body’s tissues, nervous system, and energetic field. Mirimiri supports the release of this stored tension by creating safety within the body, allowing it to let go at its own pace.

Rather than forcing release, mirimiri invites the body back into balance. It honours that pain, stress, and emotional experiences are interconnected, and that healing must address the whole person, not just isolated symptoms.

Kawakawa: Medicine of the Heart

Alongside this practice, I make my own kawakawa oil, using fresh kawakawa leaves. Kawakawa is widely used in rongoā Māori and is known for its anti-inflammatory, soothing, and restorative properties.

Kawakawa leaves are shaped like hearts, a reflection of the plant’s gentle yet powerful nature. An important teaching I learned is that the leaves with more holes created by insects feeding on them are often the most medicinal. The plant increases its healing compounds in response to being eaten, making these leaves especially potent.

This mirrors healing itself: what has been impacted, stressed, or wounded often carries the greatest capacity for restoration.

Holding Space Through Ritual

This weekly ritual is a space I intentionally hold for myself. It is time set aside to regulate my nervous system, listen to my body, and reconnect with myself without distraction or urgency.

Afterwards, I spend time in connection with other women grounding together, sharing presence, and anchoring into community. Healing is not meant to be done in isolation. Connection is a vital part of regulation and recovery.

Setting the Tone for the Week

These practices are how I prepare for the week ahead not by pushing or over performing, but by returning to balance. Healing doesn’t happen all at once, and it doesn’t have an end date. It happens in the doing, the choosing, and the consistency.

Healing is not something you think your way through.
It is something you practice again and again.