Month? Year 20...?

As I begin writing this message today, I'm not entirely sure where to begin.  I'm not even certain what day it is.  In fact for the past several months, I haven't been too sure where to start. As I have mentioned before, I believe we are all in a phase of evaluation and self-reflection while doing our best to manage the ins-and-outs of daily life. So it's difficult for any of us to know where to begin or know how to answer the question, "How have you been?".

My answer to this question often changes from day to day or even hour to hour.  Yours probably does too.  And I ask myself as a teacher - not just as a yoga instructor but one of self-awareness and personal development - what kind of wisdom I can impart without intruding upon your real teacher: your inner-self. 

I have so many stories and lessons from my own life  - from having it all to losing it all; from being lost to being found; from debilitating heartbreak and grief to healing - that I can use as a mirror for your life and this moment in our collective experience.  And yet I sit here overwhelmed by the circumstances I see so many now facing and underwhelmed by any tool I could possibly "sell" to you.   

But if I may indulge with you for a moment, I offer a few thoughts: 

The external reality we see now (and at any given time) is ultimately the predominant energy/emotion/frequency originating from enough individual experiences that it appears as if it's a collective issue. The truth is that this is an internal journey that takes great courage to face ourselves.  To know, for example, ways in which we've looked the other way to see another's humanity is to also know that we've ignored our own.  And to see ourselves in our fullness- in kindness as well as our ignorance and lack of compassion - means we have to adjust our self-perception beyond duality. No one and no one situation is merely good or bad, right or wrong, beautiful or ugly.  It is all of it. We are all of it. You are all of it. 

So if you, for instance, consider yourself as loving and kind and open to all walks of life and are now uncomfortable not just by the injustices you see but the not-knowing how you can be both a good person and have sub combed to a system that allows us to go on autopilot, you are in the exact emotional space needed to shift reality.

The question is, can you commit to your awareness? Can you observe, for example the ways you talk to your family or to yourself? Is it understanding and forgiving? Or is it impatient and critical? Do you pay attention to how often you make meaningful eye contact with strangers of all skin colors and socio-economic conditions? Or do you stick your face in your phone because connecting to another's humanity seems unimportant or dull or meaningless?

My point is, there is an importance of looking at whatever path you choose for growth and action not as a one-time gesture, but rather as a practice. One that sustains and evolves over time. My practice has been catalyzed through yoga and energy work. Yours might be through other means.

Regardless of the mechanism, it's about a focus on the importance of doing the work, no matter how early you are in this journey, no matter the size of the gesture, whether public or private, individual or collective, every moment matters in the quest to lead toward a true tipping point that might, for the first time in generations, lead to change.

But that change starts on the inside of each person. It starts with you doing the work with you, regularly and consistently.

This is not a small task. And it might feel insurmountable, maybe even elusive and too esoteric to begin.  But that's where I come in.  If there is anything I have that can be in service to others at this time, it is the gift of already having walked this journey and having the ability to teach others how to be with difficult emotions and how to see their nervous system in a way that will bring greater self-awareness and access to heart-centered beingness.

Currently I struggle with how to present and frame this in a succinct and consistent manner, but I'm stumbling through with as much trust, grace, and humility as I can muster. As life continues to roll on, you may see me trying something out - "beta testing" if you will - and then quickly switching gears or expanding upon something that resonates. Or you may see me go a bit silent for awhile so I can do my own internal navigating.

In the meantime, you can feel free to join me at Yoga Revolution Cleveland Monday evenings at 6:00pm or Tuesday & Thursday mornings at 9:30am. You can also find me on social media or my virtual studio which will soon have day passes available (I hope).

May you all see the beauty in the mess and live in a space beyond duality. 

~love