Hello Beloved Yogis!
Happy Winter Solstice! I will be honest, it is hard for me to sit down and write right now in the midst of all the to dos, the last minute gifts to buy, to bake, to create, the house to clean. But first I will sit....join me. (Pause). Ok, that's better.
Winter Solstice is such a pivotal moment going from the dark to the light. I think most of us love it and I also think it is a great time to reflect on the year. Some of us had a really hard year and some of had a wonderful year, but what I encourage you to do tonight or tomorrow is go back in your pictures or your calendar and reflect. What I hope you find is the underlying joy, even thru the tough times. AND isn't this what truly matters? Just like when I have a hard time writing these emails, there is an underlying joy that says, "keep going. What else wants to come out?"
Winter Solstice has a particular significance for me because it was two years ago today that I opened up to this man named Ben that I feel so honored to walk the journey with. Deep down in my soul I have always wanted a romantic partner that I could share the heart work with. I didn't know what that would look like, but I did know that I had a lot of work to do around my beliefs of men and their work around the heart or my minds thought "the lack there of."
I use to abandon myself, so badly wanting to fix/heal/help my partner so he would show up for me, my mind would think "why, wouldn't he. All I am doing is loving and caring for him." Then the mind would go into, "then there must be something wrong with him and all men for that matter." There is nothing wrong with men, I just needed to learn how to show up for myself which came thru meditation. When we show up for ourselves, THEN we can hold space for another and in that space the trust is established and the healing happens. There is so much healing that can happen not only in romantic partnership, but also just in the space of men holding space for women and women holding space for men. I am witnessing it in the Men's series I am holding with Ben, the teacher trainings I am a part of and the satsangs I have led. There is something special that happens when we are held in our vulnerability by the opposite sex as well as the same sex. Sisters, brothers holding each other. All this talk of holding, it just means being present without trying to fix or manipulate an outcome. Presence. How often do we really practice presence in our relating? This is what is cultivated in a daily sitting practice and it's presence where we find the underlying joy. I was so fortunate to capture the picture above of these two beautiful men holding space for their dear, fellow sister/student. I am in awe again of another graduating class from the Wanderlust Teacher Training. They truly are incredible humans that blew my heart wide open. I think I sobbed in joy everyday of our last module. Please be on the lookout for their names and where they are teaching.
Kelly Benson
Bridget Brown
Ben Grasseschi
Megan Holland
Kachina K'ang
Marika McGoldrich
Trent Murrieta
Vanessa Slavich
Wendy Ware
So when you look back on this year, what really mattered? And in that, can you feel the underlying joy? And what do you want to cultivate more of as we go back into the light? I know for me to show up for myself is to continue offering space for the Men with Ben. :) We will be offering 4 drop in classes before we start another 6-Week series in March. Details below.
Also, question for you. I have held The Yoga for Fulfillment 8-Week Series the last three years and loved every minute witnessing what has transformed in the people that have attended. We work thru the book, The Four Desires by Rod Stryker. Does anyone have interest in doing it in the New Year or even doing it again?
Lastly, I hope you all find the time during the holiday craziness to drop in with yourselves, so you can feel all the underlying joy that is abound.
So much love to you all thru the holiday season! Each one of you is a treasure.
Namaste,
Shari
