Hello Human Siblings  –

Last week I was out for a walk. I needed this walk as I had really pushed myself emotionally and psychically during a creative residency program that I am currently in. I may share more about this in another post, but suffice it to say that I was very worked up and knew that I needed nothing more than to be outside and move my body. Luckily I had ample time to do just that. So I took myself to the nature reserve a few miles away and gave myself full permission to take my time with the trees and the river and any of the other beings out there who may have something to teach me about tending both my fear and my excitement. 

As I walked, my head was full of words and thoughts and judgements, etc. But slowly my body began to settle and I could start to notice the beauty all around me. I had the whole afternoon before me and yet what I started to notice was the strong urge to get through this walk; to complete it and get home, soon, and on to the next thing. Home to what, though? Why, when it was glorious out and I had no other time commitments? Well, there’s the rub. This is the simple internalized voice of production, capitalism and demand. It overrides the place of delight and nourishment. It is the subtle expression of the toxic way we are continually driven to move onto the next thing, to make the completion of the “to do” list more important than the experience of the things on the list. 

With this demand always lurking around it fuels a continual Satisfaction Barrier…the inability to really allow ourselves to drink in the satisfaction, delight, nourishment, accomplishment that can come from showing up for the task, the person, the event and then letting it actually land in our tissue and awareness as a lived experience that is now part of us. For this to happen, we need to S L O W D O W N and pause. Not only during an experience but afterwards. To reclaim our attention from the next thing back to this thing!  To actually have some space between experiences to be able to metabolize them. To have some attention back rather than always moving forward. So there I was, walking but feeling the pressure that I need to get on with things…something else…anything else?!? So, I took myself to the top of the little butte and sat in the sun and noticed how amped up I was and also reminded myself that I could linger, that I actually needed to linger, in order to reclaim myself and my time. It wasn’t easy, in fact, I was pretty uncomfortable, but the process was important and insightful. I notice this voice a lot…especially when I am doing something ‘non-productive’…do you have a similar voice?

I invite us into the practice of breaking down the Satisfaction Barrier and opening up to more contentment and fulfillment (can’t get more anti-capitalist than that!) . It doesn’t mean we don’t have things to get done and To Do lists…I love my To Do lists, as they help me organize my time and my attention. BUT can they be slowed down and can we take anywhere from 30 seconds to 30 minutes (or more for larger completions)  to allow ourselves to bask in the completion of some of these tasks. Can we pause and break up the production cycle with spacious tending of here and now? Perhaps this is some of the nourishment we are so in need of.

May we notice when we are missing out on an pleasant experience due to the internal push of ‘get it done’

May we invite space to allow ourselves the simple delight in accomplishment 

May we find ways to be satisfied and nourished in order to stop the incessant demand for more

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

Practice Prompts:

• Practice being satisfied…take some time after completing a task or project and allow yourself to bask in that for a while. Can you let yourself enjoy the feeling of accomplishment and fulfillment, especially for the larger things on your plate. For somethings you might take a few days to linger in the delight of completion. Notice how it feels in your body…there may be some discomfort and there also may be a way this fills you in an unexpected way.
• Notice your own patterns around getting things done and moving onto the next thing. it might even be the hurriedness to clear the table after a meal, etc. Can you hold these patterns in some generous love and see how it might feel to slow down and take a few beats between things…pausing at the table, in the car, at any threshold between things for a few breaths and see what appears in the cracks.
• 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:

• Sorrow Circle, Bend, OR…Tuesday Dec 9, 6-7:30pm
• Continuum Playshop Series…Wednesdays in January, 6-7:30pm…Continuum, School of Shadow Yoga, Bend, OR
• SAVE THE DATE: Embodying Presence; Continuum Inquiry & Deep Perceiving Retreat…Breitenbush Hot Springs, OR…May 15-17, 2026…registration will open in the next few weeks.

Virtual:

• Yoga for Resilience, Mondays, 9:30-11am PT, livestream through Body of Insight (no class Dec 22 & 29)
• All Levels Yoga, Sundays… Dec 7, 9:30-11am PT, livestream through Two Dog Yoga
• On Demand Yoga Practices…All Levels… through Two Dog Yoga

Inspirational Wisdom

“What you encounter, recognize or discover depends to a large degree on the quality of your approach. Many of the ancient cultures practiced careful rituals of approach. An encounter of depth and spirit was preceded by careful preparation.

When we approach with reverence, great things decide to approach us. Our real life comes to the surface and its light awakens the concealed beauty in things. When we walk on the earth with reverence, beauty will decide to trust us. The rushed heart and arrogant mind lack the gentleness and patience to enter that embrace.” 

~  John O’Donohue, Beauty: The Invisible Embrace