Week 5 ~ Resonance
Hello my beautiful bunny souls. Welcome to week 5 of Reset & Re-Energize.
We’re half way. Can you believe it?
Now, if that causes any kind of anxiety, self-judgement, etc. STOP RIGHT THERE.
Technically, you’re only 1/4 of the way through your access to all this material here in the portal. And of course I didn’t expect - as stated on the Welcome Page - that you would do everything in this course. This practice is ultimately about noticing what comes in - the judgement, the impatience, the fear, the frustration, the joy, the peace… all of it - and also letting it go, so that we can be fully engaged, full available, fully present for the next moment.
Now, if it’s helpful, download the Week 4 Reflection below. If it doesn’t serve, leave it be.
If you want some help with accountability, send me your filled out form in Voxer!
What Resonates With You?
I want to check in with your heart for a moment.
Remember that thing? It beats for you all day long, so kind of it. Let’s take a moment to just reflect on the last four weeks. We’ve actually covered quite a bit!
Here in the portal, we’ve played with Breath, Intention, Focus, and Rhythm.
In the mindfulness exercises via Voxer, we’ve explored our hearts, the concept of power, our sensory abilities, and the notion of grounding.
If you’ve never heard a yoga teacher in a class talk about resonance, consider this your introduction. This is my very favorite topic in the whole wide world. Not only does it encompass what I love about music - which is very much a part of my heart and soul - but it invites the idea of the mystique of the soul. There are facts, and there is science, and there are rules, and rituals, and recommendations… but what about… YOU?
What lights you up?
What gives you a sense of purpose? A sense of passion?
What makes you feel loved, and valued, and cared for?
We are all worthy of heart fuel: love, joy, happiness, elation, desire, and yes even anguish, sadness, loss, and loneliness. Even these “negative” emotions are there to serve us. They teach us about what is important to us, showcase when we have a need that is not being met, and allow us to better understand and appreciate both ourselves, and the elements in our lives that bring us all the positive emotions. Our hearts were given to us as the literal physical place where we can process these things in the body, and send signals back to our brains that we need to make specific choices for ourselves. What a magical thing, right?
Think about if you bought a brand new car - all the bells and whistles, heated leather seats, navigation, a virtual assistant, moon roof, etc… and then never put any gas in the thing? It’s just silly. Don’t do the same thing to your dear, sweet, heart.
When we resist our feelings, we resist our humanity, and its ability to express our soul’s needs and desires. While our bodies are certainly a conglomerate of bones and tissues that need to be taken care of, it is of equal importance that we take care of our souls.
So… what does that mean? How do you even begin to release the responsibilities of life, the turmoil the COVID-19 has wreaked on our world, the uncertainty of the future? How do you settle your mind, tap into your humanity, and listen to your soul so that it can tell you what your body needs today?
The answer is different for us all.
So this week, I want to offer you some resources of inspiration to find your resonance via your feelings. Feelings aren’t everything - we also need good information, measurement, discernment, wise choices, etc…. but in a world where we spend plenty of time cultivating those other things, today let’s just focus on you, and your personal gateway to your soul: your feelings.
Finding Your Will, Drive, or Desire ~ “Iccha”
In Sanskrit there is a word used to explain the first necessary step in one path to yoga: Iccha. (Paths are many, truth is one.) Last week I mentioned that Dharma can be a verb (a doing word), or a noun (the explanation of a concept). An important part of taking a concept and turning it into action so that we can manifest that which we want to see or have or do in the world is having the will, energy, drive, or desire to do such.
Iccha is not something that can be given to you. It must be discovered from within. It’s why things like art, and music, and meaningful conversations, and inspiration are an important part of being human. All of these things give us a sense of zeal, of drive, of will to keep going.
On Sunday I read this article in the NY Times about a 49-year-old very active and healthy man was on a ventilator for 32 days from COVID-19. On a week where I was releasing the pain and tension of a migraine, I myself was in need of a good cry. This article was just the ticket, I got some goooood tears flowing from this one. I won’t spoil it, but there is a very curious component to his healing that explains this need for our soul’s will.
The Object of your desire ~ “artha”
Sometimes it takes a bit of doing an impulse check-in with what actually gets us in the gut. Desire is just a word to describe a feeling. If you need something a little more concrete to hang on to, try the following exercise.
Of the 8 concepts we’ve covered in the last four weeks, probably one of them has seemed more true for you, held more meaning, or impacted you greater than the others.
Try This:
Take ONE FULL MINUTE to take some deep breaths. Close your eyes, or let them wander around the room and just notice what is around you as you notice your breath inside of you. Then, when you feel ready, mind cleared and settled, take a look at the following list, and just notice where your eye is drawn immediately:
Breath
Intention
Focus
Rhythm
heart
power
sensING
grounding
What was the first thing you were drawn to? If you got immediately distracted, go back to breathing, maybe for 2 minutes, and try this over again. Whichever word pulled your attention, might I suggest that you allow this word to be a question you ask yourself for your 10 minutes of practice each day? What about this word is needed in your life? Where does this word show up in your life? Is it met by a person? A place? A thing? Is it being delivered to you in the way that your heart truly wants?
Be intentional with this - take the time to slow down, set aside stressors, clear out your room, light a candle, do 10 jumping jacks first… allow yourself to really spend some time with this word. Go back to the reading in the portal, or the exercises in Voxer. If you want to be bold, tell everyone else on the Voxer thread what word you are working on in your practice this week.
~ AND ~
Notice if the word loses meaning for you quickly, and you need to chose a different word. Different day, different circus. Go with the flow, my energizer bunny.
The knowledge behind our will ~ “Jnana”
If you are the type that needs some proof for buy-in, below are a list of resources that help to explain mind-body science from a Western research perspective, as we know it today.
Click image to see enlarged view
