Hello Fellow Body-Mind-Hearts –

Words are unable to capture all that I am sensing and experiencing these days. When this happens I tend to go quiet and inwards.  As a result, I didn’t post a blog entry/newsletter last month. I kept thinking about it but didn’t. I kept pondering what words could convey the complexity of my feelings let alone touch the pain of the world and those around me. And how could anything I share be of use in this time?  In any given moment, I might feel complete and utter dejection and exhaustion and then something or someone would conjure a sense of hope and possibility. I know I am not alone in this wild ride. It is quite something to be consciously living through a pandemic and a revolution and consider my role in healing and holding life. 

One of my meditation teachers once encouraged us to endeavor to put words to the ineffable experiences we may have in meditation. He suggested that although we know that language is limited and can’t totally express the limitless nuances of our internal experience, the practice of exploring and trying to put it into words is an important exercise of reflection and insight. It can help us refine our understanding. So I am putting some words on paper, so to speak to see what I discover.

Just as important as expressing ourselves is our ability to listen and listen deeply. This is the life affirming act of turning our internal awareness practices outwards to hold another’s pain, anger, fear, hope and longing with generosity and presence.  This is what is required of us at this potent time of reckoning in our world. We need to hone the capacity to pause and reflect in order to speak and listen from a place of deep personal presence that respects the interconnectedness of every living being. No small task. But one that starts with little moments of listening in our personal lives. Please take the time to read/listen to the words of my friend Horus in the Inspirational Wisdom section below.

So part of my quietness has been a deep pause of listening inwardly. As a result of that listening, the confluence of circumstances and to be quite honest, privilege, I have made the decision to move. In mid July, my beloved and I will be moving our home base to Bend, Oregon. This is something we have wished to do for over 5 years and now things have converged to allow us to make it a reality. I am blessed. I am humbled.

You will still be able to work with me in various ways…online Resiliency Sessions, weekly live streaming yoga classes, monthly live streaming practices like Full Moon Mandala, Yoga Nidra and Continuum Inquiry. And I am envisioning more possible ways to connect (stay tuned)! And now, even if we are no longer in the same neighborhood we can meet and practice together regularly. I so hope you will join me. See below for my current offerings…

This wild and crazy time has brought immense heartache and loss along with unprecedented opportunities. May we take these opportunities to listen deeply and serve the world in our own unique way and contribute to the healing and unfolding of ALL body-mind-hearts.

May we listen with our whole being, even to that which is unbearable
May we speak with compassion and patience, saying only that which is truly necessary 
May we find the capacity to hold the terrible beauty of life as it unfolds in and around us
May we be present to each other in our pain and our joy, over and over again 

Practice Prompts:

• Take five minutes and allow your ears to open to the sounds around you. Soften your inner ear to allow sounds to arrive and leave with no agenda of labeling or managing. Simply listening. How does this impact your inner space?
• Seek out those with different perspectives and life experiences and listen to them just as you did to the sounds around you. No agenda or management…simply open awareness to their experience.
• Take time to listen to your body…learn it’s unique language of sensation that speaks to you and urges rest, activity, connection and withdrawal…this is particularly hard for some of us so be gentle with yourself and reach out to me if you want some support or guidance.
• Book an online Resiliency Session with me. Sliding scale available upon prior agreement. Please allow me to support you in this wild time with gentle awareness and guidance for settling and nourishing your nervous system.

Upcoming Live Streaming Practice Opportunities:

• Monday 10-11:30am All Levels Yoga
• Sunday 10-11:30am All Levels Yoga
• Full Moon Mandala Practice…Thursday, July 2, 7-8:30pm
• Continuum Moving Inquiry Playshop…Monday, July 13, 7-9pm
• Yoga Nidra Practice…Sundays, June 21 & July 26, 5:30-7pm

Inspirational Wisdom:

Shared with permission from my friend Horus Alkebu-Lan: 

From Horus’s heart 

I feel shell-shocked

I feel despair

I feel pissed off

I feel scared

I feel betrayed

I feel exhausted 

I feel speechless

I feel confused

I feel cold

I feel at risk

I feel misunderstood

I feel feared

I feel the imminent death of militant activism

I feel the apparent ineffectiveness of peaceful activism

I feel the growing voices of those in uniform waking up

I feel the concern that it’s too little too late

I feel the constant vigilance on how I appear to strangers

I feel the empathy and safety of those that know me

I feel the world churning in a way that no one can control

I feel hope exactly because of that fact

I feel I am here in this time and place for a reason

I feel living, guided by my heart, will show me the way

(Thank you for listening. I had no idea when I sat down to journal I would write these words. They came to me and I am sharing them with you. In the moment, I don’t have the capacity to dialogue on any parts that you agree or disagree with, so I will simply respond with love. It may not sound like it from my words, but I truly do feel under a layer of hopelessness, a conviction that love will win. Period.)