I guide seekers, space holders, healers, and social change-makers through their inner terrain with shame-free embodied practices rooted in timeless wisdom and science. Let's connect - sign up for my free Monthly Letter below and check out my other free resources.
[April Dispatch] Don't forget wonder
Hi Reader,April here in the mid-Atlantic epitomizes the old saying "April showers bring May flowers." But all this rain and the swings between cold days and warm days are so worth it because the trees and perennials are well and truly waking up. As I type this, my office window is open and I can hear one of my neighbor's honeybees buzzing outside. We've also been watching robins and chickadees building nests. I just love this time of year because everything feels so fresh and alive. And... there is a lot of turmoil in the world. A lot of big problems to tackle. I have a part that believes it's not right to feel joyful when there's so much suffering in the world. Maybe you have one like that, too? I've also got other parts that don't want to forget what we're living for. "In fact," they ask, "how could we get through a day without remembering... Puffy white clouds in a blue sky. The smell of wet grass. Iced tea on the porch at sunset." Lest my progress-minded parts forget, the purpose of mindfulness is to help us attune to the present with the wonder and awe of the beginner's mind. The beginner's mind is spacious and curious. It's judgement-free and filled with experiences, not thoughts about experiences. Shunryu Suzuki famously wrote, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few." Suzuki isn't saying that we should forgo wisdom and knowledge. But rather, the expert mind approaches life with preconceptions. The expert mind expects, predicts, compares, and judges. The expert mind holds us to impossible stands of success and happiness. And in so doing, the expert mind narrows our perspective and limits our options. It forgets what it's like to be available. I have been paying attention to how my expert mind creeps in. What does it feel like in my body? My eyes squint, my arms cross, and the energy is cautious. What does my expert mind feel? It doesn't want to play because it doesn't want to seem childish. It doesn't want to hope because it doesn't want to be disappointed. It's hiding behind skepticism, vulnerability, and perfection. What does my expert mind say? "I've been here before. I know what this is about. I'll be embarrassed. I'll look ridiculous. I should be more ______ (fill in the blank) instead." When the expert mind turns up, I offer it a seat in my inner circle with all my other parts. "There you are, friend, sit here by me. Let us breathe together." Each in and out breath counts as one. We breathe and count to 20 together, then I invite all my parts to remember... The exquisite luminescence of a Rembrandt. A children's chorus singing "Imagine." Belly laughter with tears streaming down the cheeks. This simple exercise awakens the beginner's mind. By remembering what it's like to marvel, we reclaim perspective. All those problems we're worried about? Our only hope of solving them lies in letting go of the tension and constriction of the expert mind. In other words, the answers are hiding in our joy and all the human things that bring us together. What do you find wondrous? Have you had a moment today to soak that in? ~~~ In-Person Event in the DC AreaHolding Space for Big Feelings During Tumultuous Times Practice Yoga With Me VirtuallyYin Yoga & Mindfulness With Metta, |
Dispatches from The Wilds
I guide seekers, space holders, healers, and social change-makers through their inner terrain with shame-free embodied practices rooted in timeless wisdom and science. Let's connect - sign up for my free Monthly Letter below and check out my other free resources.
Hi Reader, The qualities that become more alive in us when our inner life is more collaborative are referred to as the 8 C's in IFS lingo. One of my teachers likes to divide them into yin and yang qualities. Yin encompasses the more receptive qualities that lead us to greater understanding, while the yang qualities help us orient toward change. The following is how I organize them. Yin Qualities CalmnessCompassionConnectednessClarity Yang Qualities Curiosity CreativityConfidenceCourage Our...
Hi Reader, Happy New Year! 🥳 Yeah, yeah. I know we're way past the point of saying that to each other. But here I am, more than a week late getting this Dispatch out. I'll spare you the details, but this year has already revealed its spiciness. 🫔 And I feel like I have way more on board to handle it. (Unlike last year, which was...uhm... not great) There's a lot of talk in the wellness world these days about post-traumatic growth. This is really a clinical way of saying, "Hardship seasons...
Hi Reader, If you've been with me for a while, you know I'm not much of a New Year's resolution person. In my business, I prefer quarterly planning to stay nimble and responsive to all the changes these past few years. In my personal life, I get inspired when I get inspired. Forcing goals on myself just because the calendar turned over doesn't match my energy. And as a parent, much of my life revolves around the school calendar anyway. And if I can be candid, how much fixing do we really...