Part III: Rejuvenate ~ Bona Dea Journal Series

Our bodies are a vessel, an archive animated by where our attention has rested. They are shaped by what we return to, again and again. What we listen to. What we tend to. What we consume. What we resist.

The body is a master at translating repetition into form and often, we repeat unconsciously. What we surround ourselves with in terms of the food we eat, the people we spend time with, the art we absorb, the environments we inhabit, becomes the raw material from which our thoughts, sensations, expressions, and ways of being are built.

To nourish our vessel, then, is to deliberate our attention, and in doing so, consciously gather the experiences, foods, rhythms, and spaces we wish our body and mind to be shaped by. In this sense, rejuvenation is a gradual returning to conditions where the body can remember how to repair, regulate, and respond.

Many people are nourishing their bodies in ways that look “healthy” on the surface, yet still feel inflamed, reactive, or depleted. Clear skin protocols, supplements, and even high-quality food can fall flat when the nervous system is rushed, digestion is strained, or the body is constantly overriding its own cues. Rejuvenation cannot take hold in a system that does not feel safe.

A simple place to begin

You might notice signs that your body is asking for more support if:

– Your skin fluctuates despite doing “all the right things”

– You feel bloated, foggy, or fatigued after meals

– You rush through eating or care rituals without real presence

– Your energy dips sharply across the day

– You feel disconnected from hunger, fullness, or intuition

The skin is an organ of expression for what’s going on internally with our digestion, hormones, stress and environment. When we support the internal terrain alongside topical care, the skin has the resources it needs to repair, rejuvenate, and glow.

One of the simplest, yet most effective tools is the pause. Before meals, before movement, before checking your phone, take a moment to tune in. Feel your body, notice your breath, consider what is truly needed in that moment. This pause signals safety to the nervous system, allowing digestion, repair, and regulation to occur.

On a physical level, this practice can begin with how we eat. Meet food with awareness, noticing texture, flavour and the origins of what you are consuming. Recognise that every meal is an exchange of energy between you and the food that will eventually make up your cells, your muscles, your energy. Holding a conscious connection to what we consume is the first step towards good digestion as the body knows how to prepare when we’re truly present.

In my clinical work, I support people in understanding why their body is responding the way it is, whether that shows up as skin concerns, hormonal shifts, digestive symptoms, or chronic depletion. Together, we look at the patterns that have shaped the current experience and gently build sustainable, personalised ways of nourishing the body back into balance.

What we practice becomes what we inhabit. The body remembers where attention has lingered, where nourishment has been reliable and where rhythms have been honoured. When what we consume, how we move, and how we listen begin to align and tell the same story of safety and care, the body responds by softening, reorganising, and restoring its innate intelligence.

And in the end, it is this body that will carry us home.

By Ebany Holloway

Clinical Naturopath & Founder of Bona Dea