The Shakti Shine - July 8th, 2019
Shakti Love Notes
We are always growing. I love that! And the more I grow, the more I recognize how important it is for us all to share what we're going through-- even (and especially) me.
So these Love Notes are a space for me to share with you each week-- about the studio, my life, how our community is growing.
My pain is my superpower.
This morning I came across this passage by Rainer Maria Rilke:Do not believe that the person who is trying to offer you solace lives his life effortlessly among the simple and quiet words that might occasionally comfort you. His life is filled with much hardship and sadness, and it remains far behind ours. But if it were otherwise, he could never have found these words.
Pain comes in many shapes and sizes. Sometimes it looks like grief. Sometimes it looks like frustration. Sometimes it looks like misunderstanding, sadness, separation, resignation, or physical hurt.
If it feels painful, it's pain. You don't have to justify it. You don't have to prove it. You don't have to defend it or figure it out or know why.
All you have to do is feel.
The biggest lesson in my life over the past decade has been this:
My pain makes me human.
My pain makes me real.
My pain connects me to you.
My pain expands my capacity for faith, love, understanding, joy, compassion, & even sorrow.
My pain is worth recognizing.
My pain just wants to be seen.
My pain is my superpower.
If I hadn't lost my dad, I would have never had the capacity to be with you when you've gone through your losses.
If I hadn't ever felt misunderstood and been heartbroken, I would have never been able to let my heart break for the state of the world that we live in right now.
If I hadn't ever had to go through the frustration of having my car totaled by a tree & figuring out how to buy a car on my own, I would have never been able to empathize with my sister last week when she had to buy a car.
If I hadn't ever experienced pain, big and small, inexplainable and obvious, I would have more shallow connections, an inability to do my job & a ceiling on joy.
Pain is part of our purpose.
Yesterday I did a guided meditation for Tarpana, a Vedic practice of ancestral relationship healing. A part of this practice is choosing to recognize the pain of your ancestral past, the ways you see that you have inherited that same pain, & coming to forgiveness. Here's the gateway...
Forgiveness creates the capacity for joy (through love), and without pain there would be nothing to forgive.
My pain is my superpower because it has taught me to see. It's taught me to see that my experiences of pain are real, but the pain itself is not mine to hang on to. Sometimes it wasn't even mine to begin with. Pain has taught me to trust, to see that I am okay, and to choose hope. Pain has taught me how to forgive.
If it were otherwise, he could never have found these words.
I see you, and I consider it an honor to be so human.
xx
RubyBeyond the mat...
We love Athens.
And we love you.
So let's have more of that-- together.
Here's where you can see what we're up to outside of the studio.
Have ideas about where we should be / what we should check out / how we can show up?
Reply to this email to let us know....in JULY
Down dog days of summer. 7.22.19. the foundry.$10 donation to the get comfortable fund.
little lights yoga camp. LLYC is a 5-day exploration into yoga, creativity, connection, and self. your child will experience meditation, yoga practice, creativity, journaling, fun connection games, and space to ask tough questions. July 29-August 2, 2019. $175.
sign up
Coming Soon…
August is Meditation Month at Shakti!
Every class will start with a 5 min meditation, we will have challenge cards & prizes for everyone who meditates 20+ times, instalive meditations every day...
AND we want to come to you to lead a meditation.
Email Hello@Shaktiyogaathens.com to schedule a 10 min meditation for your work, team, friends, or organization. This is our gift to you during the month of August!Inquiry Corner w/ Emily: The Chakras
Hi everyone, Emily here! If you’re new to inquiry, this looks like moving through questions, prompts, activities, and conversations that help you learn more about yourself. I’m excited you’re here!
For the next eight weeks, we will focus on the chakra system, or the subtle/energetic bodies. The chakras are seven energy centers that sit along the spine of your physical body. The chakras start at your tailbone and move to the tip of your head: Root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and crown. Each chakra has a specific location, energy, theme, action, color, texture, sound, and *quality*.
~ The Heart Chakra ~
(Anahata)
Anahata chakra, or the heart chakra, isthe essence of who you are. Your heart chakra in balance is vulnerable, open, safe, and connected.
Out of balance looks like closed off, unreceptive, fearful, and walled.
All of us have been in and out of balance, that’s normal and part of being human. Bad things happen that force us to shut down, mask up, and retreat inward. It’s a self-defense mechanism that is necessary and good... And...
In my life, I responded naturally to fear, trauma, sadness, and hurt by closing myself off and displaying a mask... And. I’m safe now. I’m loved, cherished, and valued.
Shouldn’t I be able to move past those walls? Isn’t it time to turn those defense mechanisms off? Hell ya! And, it’s a lot of unlearning.
Here’s some questions I’ve considered that might help you, too:
+ Are you still operating out of a place of scarcity and fear even though you are safe? Why?
+ How can you remind your body that it’s loved, safe, and respected?
+ List three self-care practices that you can commit to daily.
+ List three positive affirmations (“I am...” statements.) Say them to yourself whenever you need.
+ Next time you get on your mat, practice in a way that honors how much you deserve love and kindness.
If you don’t believe that yet, fake it till you make it with repeating your affirmations. Or ask a friend for a kind and loving word. They’ll have no problem sharing all the things they love about you. <3
(If you'd like more information on the chakras, check out Shakti's IGTV.)SHAKTI @ HOME
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