The Shakti Shine - October 26th, 2020
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.
This season feels like a season of realization, healing and processing.
For me, that's looked like a lot of journaling, talking things out, indulging in simple pleasures, thinking, leaving space, doing the least, listening to a lot of music, dreaming without action.... and Notes to myself in my phone.
Here's a Note from earlier today:
This morning I woke up and I realized -- I don't feel stressed. At least, not in the day-to-day way I am so accustomed to.
I’m not sure what happened exactly. I think the pressure cooker of 2020 seems to have really formed and shaped things. For that I’m grateful.
I think I’m further along in some ways from this year than I could’ve been in what would've taken me probably, I don’t know, at least five years. That’s something.
Something that's come with this kind of pressure-cooker-full-speed-ahead growth is a closer look at my priorities and asking myself: What does it feel like to be me?
And part of that is that I didn’t realize how stressed I was until I wasn’t stressed
I think sometimes we do that to ourselves like...
I’m not that stressed
I’m not not happy
It’s not that bad
... and then one day, if we’re lucky, things shift and we realize just how much pressure we’ve been putting ourselves under and how heavy the load had been that we were carrying.
The funny thing is that even if the people around us see it, we aren’t listening. There are some things we have to figure out for ourselves. No matter how long it takes. It’s our load to carry. It's our choice to make. It's our journey to unfold.
I think it would do us well to not be so hard on ourselves, right?
It just makes sense that we have to do things in our own individual time. And the most beautiful thing happens when we have people around to support and see us through without pushing, without forcing, without judging, without 'I told you so'ing'... We get to figure out what 'me' feels like.
I feel grateful for those people in my life who hold so much space because I know that I like to be right and I like to do things my way. And I know that the people around me often have been able to see things that I couldn’t quite see yet. But even still when I see what I see when I see it those people celebrate with me -- for that I am so grateful.
I guess I just wanna remind you that you’re not alone.
...that your path is your choice
...and that you’ll get where you need to go and perfect time.
You don’t need to be so hard on yourself.
Maybe today try soft.
Take the time to slow down enough to notice what needs to shift or, if you’re shifting, notice how much you needed that exact shift.
Take notice. Get clear. Thank yourself.
You did that. You created space for yourself in a brand new way.
....
Sometimes a simple realization-- or a simple Note-- is exactly what it takes to heal and process that lingering thing that you didn't even know was still there.
xx
Ruby
The Weekly Work
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GRATITUDE MONTH IS COMING
November is Gratitude Month at Shakti!
- Join us for 30 days of THANK YOU -
follow along on instagram, pre-order a journal, & practice gratefulness every day
2020 PRE-ORDER - IN THE PRACTICE OF GRATITUDE/ HARDCOPY
Gratitude Journals are BACK!
We’ll send you the revamped, full color & UPDATED 2020 journal written and designed by Ruby.
Join us daily for November in discovering and sharing our gratitudes.
You can use this journal for any 30 day period- no excuse to not dive in!
*2019 version also available as a PDF download now for $10
*Images are from the 2019 version - updated 2020 preview coming soon
Inquiry Corner w Emily on IGTV!
Emily takes a dive into the Yoga Sutras and how to live yoga off the mat!
Stay tuned!!!
SHAKTI TEAM LOVE NOTE <3
INTUITION VS. EMOTION: ARE THEY THE SAME THING? BY JENSEN TONEY
Lately I have never felt closer to my body, my surroundings, my friendships, my partner, my community…. You get the point.
But an area that is usually my driving force at the center of it all: my intuition, feels all out of whack. Instead of streamlining every sensory input it is now acting as a mangled mess in the middle of my life. I’ve never had to define intuition before and upon attempting to, I realized that I couldn’t form words.
What does any average Joe/ Jane do in this situation? They turn to the Internet.
Intuition, according to Wikipedia, is defined as “the ability to acquire knowledge without recourse to conscious reasoning. Different fields use the word “intuition”; in very different ways, including but not limited to: direct access to unconscious knowledge; unconscious cognition; inner sensing; inner insight to unconscious pattern-recognition; and the ability to understand something instinctively, without any need for conscious reasoning.”
Intuition can definitely be simple and immediate at times, but after reading the definition, I realize that it defies human biology. The brain’s job is to actively use cognition and conscious reasoning 100% of the time. There is a constant absorption of information and a constant output of thought. So then, I chock intuition up to emotion recognition. Does it feel true in this instant? Does it feel right? Is the current moment safe and kind? If I was constantly driven by emotion that feels good and warm I would lay naked in the sun all day eating sweet foods and having sex. The ultimate emotional goal must be pleasure and “goodness”.
So what other emotions play a role in intuition? For me it’s a feeling of grounding, openness, assuredness, and love. Contradictory, it is a lack of anxiety, apprehension, fear, and tension.
Emotion may be part of intuition but I find it hard to believe that it is the only answer.
As indescribable as it may be, that is exactly what I am challenging you to do.
How would you describe intuition? How does it feel in your body? Where is it located? What feelings does it elicit? What does it offer you when you use it?
Some things to consider the next time you go with your gut.
PLAYLIST OF THE WEEK
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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