Go Within to Discover Empowerment
Deep breaths.
Things are not as they once were. Change is all around us. The planet has changed, our lives have changed, and the energy has clearly shifted.
How could we not feel vulnerable right now? As well as unsure, unstable and a bit (or a lot) fearful of what has happened and what is still to come.
So what CAN we do? The answer, my friends, is that we don’t push those feelings away. We accept our vulnerability, as it’s a part of who we are and the experience we chose to have at this time in history. Vulnerability forces us to awaken. It’s a feeling state that holds no barriers and exposes our sensitive heart, and above all, it is humbling. However, I truly believe this was meant to arise for many of us, and our job now is to embrace vulnerability, release it and become present again to our higher self, which never changes even at the centre of this, or any, turmoil.
Remember, through this change your individual essence is unchangeable. You are naturally radiant, peaceful, steady and all-knowing. I believe that our call right now as individuals and as a collective is to go within and strengthen this truth.
When we begin to trust what we feel, we open new doors. We begin to see that everything contains a gift. Every heartache, every ‘mistake’, every ‘failure' and every change has a silver lining that will reveal itself to us when we have experienced and accepted the lesson that was put forth.
Closing the Glow Yoga and Wellness Studios at the onset of the pandemic was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. I felt that the community needed a safe place of connection and trust so I considered implementing new measures such as smaller class sizes and tape on the floors to keep people at safe distance. To be honest, my head was spinning with ideas! The last thing I wanted to do was close the doors of this sacred space for myself and so many others.
As I grew to accept this decision and proceeded with the difficult task of closing the doors to Glow—for the first time EVER in more than 10 years—I didn't know it yet, but a new opportunity was being born. The evolution of Glow into an online yoga academy was an idea I'd been playing with for years. I knew that it was possible to provide a community of teachers, students, classes, workshops and so much more that could meet the needs of everyone not only during our isolation, but at all times.
You see, energy is real and we don’t need to physically be in the same space as others to experience it. You can feel the vibration of your fellow yogis who are participating in these live online classes. For example, a simple energy test could be: speak with a very negative person or someone who complains a lot and then a very positive and optimistic person and see how you shift internally—that, my friends, is their energy affecting you. The energetic experience is one of connection, within you and all around you. Even at a distance, even online.
The temporary closing of Glow and the launching of an online yoga academy is an example of contraction, expansion and using vulnerability to evolve. The restrictions that were imposed produced a contraction in my business, and I could have left it at that. However, I chose to pivot and grow, which led to an expansion of my business that provides an even greater service to more people.
Our lives are filled with examples of this. We are constantly moving through cycles of contraction and expansion, and while the contraction may leave you feeling vulnerable (and that’s okay!!) breathe, regroup and focus on the expansion that is sure to come. Take some time to reflect on this in your own life; journal about the experiences of feeling small or having to make difficult choices that resulted in a gift that you could only realize as you continued further down your path.
If you contemplate examples of this dynamic experience in your own life you will see it is a constant.
Mediation for a Calm Heart
This is a beautiful practice that is meant to relieve anxiety and bring about calmness and mental clarity.
Find yourself in a comfortable seated posture.
Place your left hand at the centre of the chest at the heart. The palm is flat against the chest and the fingers are parallel to the ground pointing to the right.
With the right hand, touch the tip of the index finger to the tip of the thumb (Gyan Mudra). Bend the elbow and raise the right hand to the right side as if giving a pledge. The palm faces forward and the other three fingers are pointing up. The elbow stays relaxed by the side.
Close your eyes.
Inhale deeply through both nostrils, suspend the breath for as long as is comfortably possible and raise the chest slightly as if you are leading with the heart, then exhale smoothly and gradually. When you feel you have emptied the breath completely, hold it out as long as is comfortably possible.
Continue as long as you can, but try for at least one to three minutes.
In order to finish this meditation, begin to slowly return the breath to normal.