Saturday, April 26, 2014

Trading emails for inhales.

A couple of weeks ago, I was teaching my True Movement class to my regulars who visit me in my home a couple of times a week. We tend to end the class the same way. They hunker down for a Savasana-style meditation, I add some Reiki to the mix, and then I return to my mat and become ready to bring them back up to seated for our final moments together.

So every session I say pretty much the same thing, which begins like this:

"Okay ladies, let's take a big inhale ..."

Only this time, I said it like this:

"Okay ladies, let's take a big email ..."

So we laughed our way out of meditation, which is plenty good medicine all on it's own.

But there was so much truth in that moment. My subconscious spoke to me and demanded I say the words out loud. "You have traded inhales for emails."

The last year has been amazing. In what could have been a lonely time, I was invited to take on a role at the Contemporary Arts Center, where I also worked 25 years ago. I started as a temporary consultant and never left, becoming a full time employee in the late summer. The CAC became my ritual, my family, and my sustenance. I let the work consume me as I am sure in many ways it was a way to avoid grief. And fear.  Needless to say, we got a lot done and I am very proud of my work there with some of the best colleagues I could ever imagine.

Punctuating this year was also a return to Cambodia to do True Body work with the clients and staff of Transitions, overseeing the work of True Body leaders I trained last year, and preparation for a second training June 7th and 8th, plus an upcoming trip to Nairobi to work with urban refugees. When I get to do this work, when I am free to listen to others and provide them resources to restore their sense of safety and confidence and hope, I am my best self doing the work that means the most to me.

I also have a novel to write and a short film to make with some incredibly talented people. Plus another play that is calling my name.

So this summer I will be transitioning back to my life as a teacher, writer and connector. I may be reaching out to many of you to reconnect. I am not sure exactly of the structure of this (and in some moments I am not even sure of the sense of it) but I have to believe that in the end, I will prefer to have focused on joyous inhales and connecting deeply with others over my daily hundred+ emails.

I look forward to dancing, breathing and connecting with you soon!