Hey wonderful
Some years ago, early in my yoga journey, I attended a masterclass for a complicated asana (which I can’t remember), but I do remember the wisdom teaching the instructor spoke about before we started the physical practice. (Perhaps that was always her intention, and the asana was simply a distraction.)
You don’t have to make the place you are now bad in order to move on.
I didn’t think a lot of it at the time.
I didn’t think i was in the habit of making something wrong to move on.
(Although I did have a record of messy relationship break ups, where I made myself the bad person)
Since I’ve been thinking about writing this post, I have an earworm to share with you to remind you of that lesson
Last night, while I was scrolling Instagram, avoiding writing this post, I saw this image, from @inspiredtowrite , which actually propelled me off my phone and into putting words on the page.
After that, I still couldn’t get the right words out, so I walked up and down the hall and eventually decided It wasn’t going to happen tonight and so had a long hot shower (it’s freezing cold here at the moment)
When I got out of the shower, I suddenly remembered a quote about unexpressed creativity turning bitter.
I thought it was Elizabeth Gilbert, in her book Big Magic, so I looked that up and found some great content, but not the quote I had come for.
So then I googled the quote, and discovered that it was Brene Brown,
“Unused creativity is not benign. It metastasizes.
It turns into grief, rage, judgment, sorrow, shame.”
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
I remember reading – inhaling – this book in preparation for Yoga Teacher Training.
How could imperfection be a gift?
Years later, I found that Yoga asanas didn’t have all the answers i needed. I drifted away from the physical practice.
Don’t make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better.
Not all my departures have been so mature or spacious or graceful.
The word Yoga more or less means “union” – of body, emotion, mind, conscience, spirit.
Asana more or less means “seat” – so the practice is to find a physical edge and remain mentally and emotionally calm, rested, seated there with an open mind and heart.
Patanjali outlines eights limbs of yoga, of which asana is the second.
There are at least five ways of yoga.
One of them is the way of the householder.
Domestic
Dao-mystic
After opening our hearts to love and support last week, often the first thing that arises in that space of love is something that’s hard to love.
Bitter, lost and abandoned creative energy.
Once Beautiful, ingenious, revolutionary attention seekers. No wonder we don’t want to see that.
Disrupt and disturb, destroy the carefully constructed life? Not in a hurry.
What does need my attention though is those unexpressed revolutionary, creative urges.
Right here is the answer. I love us, I see you, I am paying attention.
The process is the same as opening your heart. Stay with it, at the edge. Feel the love, allow and even welcome the discomfort as much as you’re willing and able.
Breathe
Don’t make it bad.
Find curiosity.
What possibility is here for me?
It doesn’t have to have a story. The feeling, the sensation is enough.
Be with.
Take a sad song, and make it better.
Ask what it needs.
The answer is often surprising. Simple. Achievable. Desirable!
Here you’ll often find permission to prioritise something enjoyable you were putting off – plus an easy way to begin.
We are so habituated to over servicing, complicating, exhausting ourselves.
It’s refreshing to be reminded that often what is NEEDED from us is very little, and something we kinda wanted to do anyway.
Unconditional Positive Regard is what make this possible.
Witnessing self.
Inside Freeing the Invisible Woman embodiment coaching program, I support and guide clients through this exact process in the second 1:1 coaching session, transforming tension and fear into meaningful liberating action.
Freeing the Invisible Woman participants will also have the opportunity to practice unconditional positive regard, both offering and receiving, during the optional bonus group session of Sensual Embodied Dance (SED).
The signature SED structure, created by my teacher Holly Wodetzki, weaves guided and intuitive dance sequences into an ecstatic natural flow of body, heart and mind opening physical expression.
Move in a fresh, fluid, immediately experiential way.
Sink into wordless movement, evoking effortless communication and understanding.
Shift the things that are beyond thinking out of your headspace.
Rest into the radiant responsive presence and aliveness that is your human birthright.
Dance to be an artist.
The upcoming August cohort of Freeing the Invisible Woman is open for enrolment now
Learn more at Freeing the Invisible Woman. Book your free Discovery / Wake up call here.
I look forward to seeing you on the inside.
