“Abide at the center of your being, for the more you leave it, the less you learn.”
~Lao Tzu
Dear ,
Note: Our next zoom gathering to share sacred space is Wednesday, August 11. Click here for details and to register. I'd love to see you there!
And just scheduled—a weekend intensive, August 27, 28, and 29. Details here.
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If you’re waiting for perfection in your life, then you may be waiting for a very long time.
It’s part of the human life to feel hurt, disappointment, stress, grief, and frustration. We get sick, feel stuck, lose people we love, and change, grow, and age.
We react to the news we read and experience all the ways the pandemic affects us.
How do we meet these challenges?
This is the question I would like to bring to your awareness today…as an invitation to contemplate finding your inner ground of presence in the midst of chaos, the calm center in the storm.
If we’re not aware of our own experience, it’s easy to get drawn outward, away from ourselves, into the energy of the people and events around us.
We tell ourselves stressful stories about what’s going on. We lose connection with ourselves, getting triggered and reactive. We feel anxiety and overwhelm.
Do you know what I mean?
I’ve found that a moment of conscious awareness can change everything. That’s how we begin to find our calm center. Simply by taking a breath, we become aware of what’s happening and our reactions to it.
- Yes, my father is dying and there is sadness...and tears;
- Yes, my friend is struggling with a break-up, and I feel compassion for her;
- Yes, I feel pressure inside thinking of all the things I think I need to do;
- Yes, I feel anger toward my partner right now.
There’s a sense of sanity that comes with opening to things as they are. We find space from our thoughts and feelings and honor that they’re present.
Now, with more awareness, we can ask ourselves, "How do I really want to show up? What is important to me right now?"
We discover a new perspective as our attention moves from the mind and emotions, scrambling to figure things out, to compassion, love, and care for everyone involved, including ourselves.
It’s human nature to get caught up in our reactions to what’s going on around us. And it’s always possible to find the calm center...right here...at the heart of this breath...
Gail
Notes: Our next online conversation, Embodied Awakening in Everyday Life, is coming up on Wednesday, August 11 from 9-10:30am Pacific. A recording of the call will be sent out. For details and registration, please click
here. All are welcome just as you are with your fears, doubts, shame, and questions—and simply to share sacred space together in community with like-minded friends.
And I'm excited to be with you at my upcoming retreat intensive on August 27, 28, 29, 9am-noon Pacific each day. Please consider joining... Click here for details and registration.
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