"My poems are written by a spirit on a stone, and there are many tellers, many stories, and many stones, in honor of our braided paths and solitary ways. ~ Freya Manfred
Greetings from the Pacific Northwest, and wishing you and your loved ones a heartfelt Thanksgiving! Since I last wrote, I had the good fortune of spending 10 days steeped in learning with my root teacher. The topic was far beyond yoga asana, and the teaching inspiring, confronting, and relevant. I am still in the process of digesting much of what was imparted, but the main takeaway for me was - (1) don't hanker for more than what you are willing to investigate and able to digest through your own experience; and (2) see what is arising in you as just energy, attend to it without projection, and see what lessons it has for you.
I've been since reflecting on how we often have a tendency to just want more, without truly being hungry, as if the only satisfying state is that of being full. I am not only referring to food, but also everything we take in through our senses and our intellect. And this craving for fullness can sometimes lead to a state of being too full, and often with things that do not satisfy our true hunger. Whether it's food, knowledge, or experience, too much means more than we can handle in that moment. Whatever isn't digested and assimilated will eventually add to congestion and confusion, and even rob the energy we do have for what we are able to digest. Rather, can we welcome the state of enough that can nourish our true hunger, and leave a little room for spontaneity and mystery?
This spark of understanding will no doubt beacon me forward as I walk the path that only I can walk on this personal journey of acknowledging, befriending, working through, and integrating the various layers of my unique makeup. I am grateful for this teaching, and the practices I have of working with my body, and by extension my mind, to support this journey.
I warmly invite you to read about my upcoming offerings below, and participate if you are drawn. And thank you for meeting me here, reading, and being part of this tribe. On this Thanksgiving day, I am reminded of a lovely phrase by Freya Manfred - "braided paths and solitary ways." We alone must walk the privacy of our personal inward journey, and yet, we are supported by guides who point the way, and other's reflection back to us as they are doing the same. I am grateful to all of you, whose paths at times have twined with mine in the ebb and flow of my life's journey.
In thanks-giving, and "in honor of our braided paths and solitary ways."
