Hello Fellow Body-Mind-Hearts –

What are some of the little things that bring you moments of joy or ease? For me it can be sliding into fresh sheets, warming my feet in the sun, having a kitty curled up on my lap, paying an extra tip with my takeout food, and more. With so many demands on our time and attention we often don’t pause to actually let the sensations and satisfactions of these moments land into our being. But it’s important to notice these things and even cultivate them for our healing, especially when there is so much agitation and angst in the world.

Recently someone shared a great image with me. The title was  “Knowing your happiness triggers can be just as important as knowing your anger triggers” and below were simple pictures and texts with some ideas for what these might be…sunlight or time outside, a hug, moving your body, your favorite music, clean sheets (YES…I love that someone else put this on their list!), your favorite smell or meal, acts of kindness, a hot cup of tea or coffee. These are different for everyone and yet there are many common themes…nature, sensory delight, movement.

A big part of our healing is becoming aware of ourselves…our body, our reactions, our habits, our nervous system and more. Basically bringing attention to ourselves in order to understand why we might do certain things or how certain things impact us. And from that awareness, being able to see what serves and works and what needs to shift and change in order grow in the direction of wholeness. So knowing when our nervous system is activated into a sympathetic charge is helpful so we can know, first,  if the response is warranted and, second, how to work with it so we don’t stay stuck there. It is important to be able to identify the challenging places and ways we get charged up, sometimes unwittingly, but it is just as important to be able to identify when we feel ease, pleasure, joy or happiness. And this is sometimes forgotten when we are deep in the work of rooting out our pain and healing our wounds.

I am not crazy about the term triggers. I prefer the term sparks. What sparks you into an activated place? Remember, activation is not always negative, we need activation as the charge for getting stuff done. Sometimes we might intentionally want to spark ourselves up and sometimes we get over-sparked and need the antidote of pleasure and ease. What sparks you into a place of ease? We may have many small moments of joy in a day but do we notice them? Do we take time to actually purposefully bring them forward and bathe in them? We need to invite these moments in as nourishment and sustenance.

We have been in an intense time for the past year and it will continue for awhile. There is a lot happening that can spark us into any manner of agitation, frustration and overwhelm. Part of what can help is to notice and tend this and another part can be to actively cultivate the sparks of joy and pleasure.

So this is my invitation to you…continue leaning into your wholeness by noticing what sparks you in either direction. And place extra attention into the happiness sparks, we need a regular infusion of simple pleasures to help buoy and balance us. 

Please share with me your sparks…I would love to know.

May we notice the simple things that bring us moments of joy and pleasure
May we our presence be a spark for someone else’s movement of ease
May we know that we are worthy of happiness and ease
May we trust the natural cycles of activation and settling that are the rhythm of wholeness 
May we hold our joy and pain with equal grace and gentleness 

Practice Prompts:

• Sit down and make a list of the things that spark ease, joy or pleasure in you. Keep this list out and grow it. Notice when these things simply appear in the trajectory of your day and pause to let the joy rest into you more. Perhaps, play with purposefully sparking your joy several times a day.
• Consider how you might offer simple sparks of ease or joy for another. Make a point to do this daily for at least one other person.
• Honor the ups and downs of life by bringing a simple open attention to what is present in the moment. When you notice you’ve been in one place for an extended period of time, perhaps its time to spark yourself.
• Although I am not currently accepting new clients, you are welcome to schedule a free 20 minute Introductory Consultation to learn more about what I offer. From there, you can decide to be put on a wait list for a future opening or receive a referral to a colleague.

Upcoming Live Streaming Practice Opportunities:

• Mondays 10-11:30am PDT All Levels Yoga live stream through Seattle Yoga Arts
• One Sunday per month, 10-11:30am PDT All Levels Yoga live stream through Two Dog Yoga Studio
• Yoga Nidra Practice, Sunday, April 18, 5:30-7pm PDT, live stream through Two Dog Yoga
• Full Moon Mandala Practice, Thursday, April 29, 7-8:30pm PDT live stream through Seattle Yoga Arts
• Continuum Moving Inquiry Playshop, Monday, Apr 12, 6-8pm PDT live stream through Body of Insight
• Yoga Nidra: Holding Space for Healing and Ease, A Yoga Teacher Practicum, Sunday, April 25, 1-7pm PDT live stream through Seattle Yoga Arts

Inspirational Wisdom:

BENEDICTION
by Bernadette Miller

May you taste the colors of sunset,
may you touch the chorus of dawn,
even when it’s gone.
May you weave a path of blessing
through ecstasy and grief.
May you tend the flame within you
may you feed it with belief.
May you find yourself in strangers
and meet them within you.
May you trust that we are windows
the world is peering through.
May you linger in each moment,
receiving with your heart
the gift of possibilities
that presence can impart.
May you become a portal
to the love behind your toil,
may you become a silence
within the world’s turmoil.
May the prayers that grow within you
bloom in many lands.
We are woven of connections
and peace is in our hands.