Hello to my Human Kin –
“How are you?” used to be simpler to answer. The complexity of these times and the inundation of information on our beleaguered senses is asking us to reclaim simplicity, don’t you think? Our over-culture celebrates continued and ever increasing complexity and push. But the natural rhythm of life is not one sided. We cannot always have a bull market, increased profits, go bigger, more energy, etc. Pulse, back and forth, expansion and contraction is nature’s way of things. Dynamic opposition that feeds each other just like the seasons. Opposites are really only different ends of a continuous spectrum. Life and Death. We need some uncomplicated moments where we can relearn to be with the undemanding and the no-thing-ness of open time and space.
And so here we are the northern hemisphere feeling the shift of seasons into a slower and cooler time. A time that asks us to harvest and reflect, to slow and ponder, to move towards the dark and the quiet. What simple ways of being are being called forth in you? Where can you make space for nuance and softness? There is so much harshness and demand being aimed at us that we must find ways to reclaim and revision how we move through the world, how we speak to ourselves and what we give our efforts and our quiet attention to.
I am making a case for simplicity and nuance; for the beauty in the singular color of the red leaf, the arc of the river, the moment between appointments, and the easy. What? Opting for the easier choice, path, option? Choosing not to make it more complicated than necessary? This seems so challenging and yet is critical for a life of spacious pulsing aliveness. I invite you to join me in an exploration of simple and easy and let me know what you discover.
May we seek the simple and easy in our days
May we allow space and time for the simple to come forward and teach us about beauty
May we offer simple acts of presence and kindness to all in our path
May we bring wild blessings and fierce love to all we encounter
Practice Prompts:
- Practice slowing down and being more present with the simple acts of your life…making tea and drinking it, getting dressed, bathing, walking, petting a fur baby or fellow human. These are daily activities that can become rote and hurried yet can open us to simple pleasures and deep nourishment when attended to with open attention.
- Where is one place you might simplify your life? Is there one day you can do less, is there a way someone else can share in some of the burdens? It can be as simple as finding 5 minutes to sit and be, without looking at a device or listening to the news. I highly recommend Tricia Hersey’s Rest Deck as an inspiration. (I pull a card from this deck daily!)
- 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:
- Kirtan with Shantala…Bend, OR…Saturday, October 25, 7:00pm…Get Advanced Tickets HERE
- Sorrow Circle, Bend, OR…Tuesdays, Nov 11, Dec 9, 6-7:30pm
Virual:
- Yoga for Resilience, Mondays, 9:30-11am PT, livestream through Body of Insight
- All Levels Yoga, Sundays…Nov 16, Dec 7, 9:30-11am PT, livestream through Two Dog Yoga
- On Demand Yoga Practices…All Levels… through Two Dog Yoga
Inspirational Wisdom
I Like Your Costume
I like your costume,
the woman said, and I said,
Thank you. Thing was,
I wasn’t wearing a costume.
I was dressed as me,
a middle-aged woman
in tall black boots,
black yoga pants,
a long gray sweater
and my dad’s gray hat.
It wasn’t till after she left
I laughed, delighted
to be called out on
dressing up as myself,
a person I’ve been
trying to be my whole life.
And where, I wondered,
does the costume end?
Does it include my hair?
My skin? My name?
My stories? My resume?
My voice? All of it
a costume of self
worn by whatever
is most alive inside.
This human frame
is just some get-up the infinite
has slipped into for a time,
even as it slips into other
costumes, one that looks
exactly like you. And hey,
I like your costume.
