Hey all! I just wrapped an interview with my lovely friend Jo, whom I met in Bali, for her online summit called Sharing Soulful Stories. It'll be out next month (I will gladly post links!) and I share basically my life story, so buckle up. Some of it I've never shared publicly before, and I trust the great Goddess of vulnerability will wrap me in her arms in gratitude for allowing myself to share it. Prepping for this interview had me journaling and reflecting on my early church going years, the greater mystery that unfolded after my divorce and miscarriage, and the pure magic of being present now in this life, rather than waiting for Sunday morning or a crisis or when I'm knocking on death's door. Spirituality to me means being embodied, reverent care for our own needs as a devotional … [Read more...]
Why I really went to Bali
Hello loves, Allow me to unfold, to unfurl. You're welcome to do the same, so get comfy. This is a tender little telling of my mothering journey. Thank you for being here. Bali rekindled power and magic within me that was lost when Fern was born (more writing on that to come in the future). I hold this photo near and dear to my heart because it reminds me of how important it is, and how soul-level nourishing it can be, to make space. To practice being fully present.To be able to hear our own inner voice amidst the noise.To be able to sense and feel ourselves, in a chaotic world. Can you find that for yourself right now?What helps you be fully present, alive, aware?It made me curious to hear so many interpretations of why I went to Bali. Most people assumed that I went … [Read more...]
Leadership means Love (and sometimes offending others)
I used to try to not get political on my social media accounts, and lately it feels so wrong not to share when human rights are clearly on the line, especially here in the US. When we're embodied, it means we feel more. I realize this can be quite...hard. Especially at first. Our practice helps us sit with that discomfort, digest what's happening in the world and take right action. We can learn to be with more suffering, more muckiness and find our way back to our core truths and step forward. Embodied practice is my jam, and enables us to lead skillfully, wholly. If we're privileged, we have even more responsibility to act. Leadership is love in action. Using our voices and behavior to create a world the feel fair and free for everyone. I want my work to reach more … [Read more...]
Sage Hayes Talks about Embodied Liberation
I found this video when researching Somatic Experiencing trainings...something I've pondered taking for a few years now. Especially since I've always wanted a graduate degree (achievement driven, yes yes). Yet finding a master's program that seems to ask the right questions, or provide the right framework, or blend the disciplines I am drawn to has found to be elusive. My intuition has always whispered, "That's not the right path. No, not that one, either." And so, I continue to study, practice, integrate, teach and ask questions. Embodiment is an ongoing practice and choice, and my devotion is unwavering. In Somatic Experiencing, the body is recognized, tracked, and inhabited in a way that allows trauma to unfold and potentially, resolve. It's requiring us to show up, be present … [Read more...]
One Year, Unfurling
This is, in part, how my daughter got her name. Unfurling. The ever expanding awareness of self, life, love. My love of nature, the rich black earth, springy under my feet mile after mile on the Superior Hiking Trail, and the ongoing process of growth, reflection, maturation, an unfurling into who we are meant to be. Becoming. Embodied. Life worth living. I didn't realize until after we named her that ferns were recognized as a symbol of fertility, and often used as an 'old fashioned name' however long ago. Oh, how I've discovered that 'Suffering is fertile.' If we choose, anyway. Creativity takes on many forms. My work, I'm sure, will never be the same, although birth and motherhood have intensified my devotion, depth and specificity of my teachings and … [Read more...]
New Beginnings: Free Audio Lesson
Did you know? February 1 is the New January 1. At least, I'm calling it. After the bustle of the holidays, and deep in the heart of winter (at least for us here in the Northern Hemisphere), it can feel a bit too early to go raring into January full speed ahead. We need more space. Back a couple years, I began really listening and taking the full month of January to reflect and get clear on what I desired for the year ahead. I meditate, clean house, and get my spirit and schedule in order. And besides, so many people with grand intentions on January 1 end up bailing on them by February. Let's not do that again this year, shall we? What's the alternative to "I'm going to change everything this year, starting now!?" Making a deep commitment to ourselves, our body and … [Read more...]
EQ: The Many Faces of Fern
I've been studying her emotions as they rise and fall and shift instantaneously - doing her best to express her needs. She definitely has her own opinions already and her language is nonverbal, embodied. She's doing her best. Perhaps the emotional body is our first way of being embodied. Not yet in control of her limbs and locomoting, but fully in the present moment with her whims. Using sound, her eyes, her face. My emotional body, too, has risen to the surface through these past 2 months, and I ride the waves as they come. Sometimes gracefully, and other times being thrown overboard and pummeled into the ocean floor (metaphorically, although if you've felt that sensation of sand-in-your-everywheres and tumbling disorientation you know what I mean!) . . I keep studying myself, … [Read more...]
Relational Wellbeing: The Yajna Model
Hey everyone! Today I'm going to quickly teach you about a model used in Yoga philosophy that helps an individual see where and how they are supported by aspects of life and a variety of relationships. What struck me is how different this view is from a western biopsychosocial model - often referred to as the Six Dimensions of Wellness. This model focuses on the individual's needs, with limited attention given to relationships (in the social and perhaps environmental pieces of the pie). The Yajna Model really looks at the individual functioning within an ongoing study and appreciation for relationships of different types, to meet different needs. If we think of either of these models like a table, each aspect is a leg on the table providing support to the individual. One leg … [Read more...]