Hello Human Kin –

I am having lots of conversations with folks who feel so overwhelmed by all the atrocities happenings across the globe and in our backyard. There is a deep urge to keep a breast of all the latest news, to know the details and be able to track what is going on for our own benefit and for those whom we love, whether we know them personally or not. And there is also the awareness that too much information can be detrimental to our wellness…that getting the scoop from all sides at all hours is just not the best way to attend to the issues, but boy is it compelling! And it is exactly what the power elite want…us, too overwhelmed and tired to think and act with care and clarity.

The best way I know to combat this is with the Soulful Repetition of the rituals and practices that ground us into the land we walk, our immediate relationship to the world around us, the present moment as experienced through this animal body. We in the west have a tendency to skim the surface and pick and choose the aspects of traditions and practices that we like and make a bouquet that we sometimes turn to and more often than not, ignore. But there is something potent about taking a practice or teaching and sitting with it overtime, of returning over and over again to let it work us in its fresh familiarity. This is what is meant by Soulful Repetition…to return again and again to the simple act of ritual or practice with a freshness and willingness to trust in its power to work and transform us. That it will feed our Souls if we commit to it and don’t give up the minute we are bored or think something newer and more flashy will be a better ‘fix’.

So what are the practices that feed you, that you have been dancing with for years on and off? The ones that help you settle and come back to yourself, to connect to something greater than yourself, to remind you of what you hold precious and dear. These do not need to be extravagant or take hours of your day, but they can ben tended to with constancy and love…10 minutes of journal writing, a simple cycle of movement, breath and meditation, a lighting of a candle and a prayer, the pulling of a card from a oracle deck, walking in the forest, stepping out to greet the first light of the day, saying good night to the stars, singing… . We might think that these things don’t matter in times like these. I would argue that they matter all the more for the sustenance they give us and the way they tether us back into the greater meaning of our world and life. I sing with a lovely song circle twice a week and over the eight weeks of a session we repeat the songs over and over again.  With each repetition, they become more juicy, more resonant, each of us feels them more in our bones and as a collective we sense and hear the way we become more cohesive. Sometimes we might show with grief and tears or exhaustion or jubilance and we sing from all these places in us. We become more confident and each week the notes and words sing us differently! This is an act of Soulful Repetition.

I am encouraging us all to reengage with the practices of our life and step into the potency of Soulful Repetition. What are the simple ways you can reconnect to Self and Universal Energy in repetitive and fresh ways daily? How can you replace the scrolling with a prayer, a song, anything that reminds you of the greater web of Being. Let me know what you discover.

May we endeavor to practice Soulful Repetition to spiral us deeper into presence and love

May we seek ways of connecting more regularly to the rituals and traditions that enliven us

May we trust that in deeper connection with Self and Universe we will better be able to act and show up for the heartbreak around us

May we bring wild blessings and fierce love to all we encounter

Practice Prompts:

• Pick one to three practices that you can recommit to on a daily or weekly basis. Explore what you need to be able to show up for these practices with freshness each time, with curiosity and presence and allow them to work you in their own mysterious way. Do you need to put the meditation cushion out where you see it or put a sticky note on the mirror reminding you take a few moments at your altar with a candle and a prayer or carve out an extra 30 minutes to walk outside. Refresh and see what can take priority in your day.
• Gently take an inventory of how much time you spend gathering information from all the different news feeds and information outlets and see where you might cut back and curtail the amount of input your system is being subjected to. Also, consider how much time and when you are engaging with this and see what might be a better balance with the above prompt. Don’t stop being informed, but practice titration and allowing the flow to be slower and less constant.
• I offer one to one sessions, in-person in Bend, Oregon, and virtually all over the world. These sessions are centered on supporting you finding nervous system capacity and resiliency through various practices including but not limited to Somatic Experiencing®, Continuum Inquiry, Safe and Sound Protocol and various embodying practices.  Respond to this email or schedule a free 20 minute Exploratory Session.

Practice Opportunities:

In Person:

• Continuum Playshop Series…Wednesdays, January 7, 14, 21, 28, 6-7:30pm…Continuum, School of Shadow Yoga, Bend, OR
• Embodying Presence; Continuum Inquiry & Deep Perceiving Retreat…Breitenbush Hot Springs, Oregon…May 15-17, 2026

Virtual:

• Yoga for Resilience, Mondays, 9:30-11am PT, livestream through Body of Insight (no class Mar 16)
• All Levels Yoga, Sundays… Jan 18, Feb 15, Mar 1, Apr 19, 9:30-11am PT, livestream through Two Dog Yoga
• On Demand Yoga Practices…All Levels… through Two Dog Yoga

Inspirational Wisdom

Blessing for the Journey

When days rush past in a blur,
may you pause to receive the simple gifts that life generously offers.

When you are overwhelmed,
may you rest in the gentleness of your own heart.

When you are feeling hopeless,
may your imagination hold a torch to unseen possibilities.

When your mind is drowning in details,
may spaciousness arise, connecting you to the sacred mystery that you are.

When you are exhausted,
may you be refreshed by vibrant life forces always present within and around you.

When you are overcome with grief,
may precious tears bathe your heart with salty buoyancy and comfort.

When the world brushes you with harshness,
may you realize that we’re all works in progress, and life itself is a learning curve.

When nothing seems to be going your way,
may you make room for the unknown, finding patience with your unfolding life.

When you are disheartened by the suffering in the world,
may you find the courage and strength to stand for what you know is good.

When you believe that you are not good enough,
may you discover your inherent value and place in the family of all things.

May you receive earth’s bounty to nourish your body,
kindness and wisdom to nourish your heart;
and wonder to nourish your soul.

~ Leslie Davenport