is it warm and pleasurable? 2-9-22
I remember a moment just like this years ago: Oregon coast, feet-in-the-sand. Out of the blue, a notion to sell the physical therapy clinic. It dawned all over me. A need to bust out of confinement, something expansive demanding space for expression. Eventually the sale came to pass.
But that dawn all over me feeling? I heard it described by Martha Beck in a recent podcast. I hope you know this feeling, too. It arises when we get quiet, go inside, rest into our bodies. Take time to sense what’s warm and fuzzy and full of pleasure. Feels peaceful, tastes like freedom. What really lights us up. Because, Martha Beck says, every lie makes us tense and every truth makes us relax. And that’s precisely how it came down that day on the Oregon beach.
Last week in Yosemite, dallying in a snow-covered meadow, sky other worldly blue, snow-blinding brilliant, air nostril sharp, I had a moment that felt like that one years ago in Oregon. There was that tell-tale warm, fuzzy inside. Truth instinctively generating full relaxation. Body opening to a wave of freedom and possibility and curiosity. It dawned all over me that I really did not have to do anything or go anywhere or be anybody. It felt radical.
Seriously, it feels like some deeply ingrained childhood program got hacked. Perhaps I do not have to be successful or channel ambition or push through to the next thing. Perhaps at 70+ it's age-appropriate to have nothing to prove. What? Maybe this life chapter asks for something else. Simply being and bearing witness and opening to love. This truth makes my whole body melt.
And one might ask…so Bella, why are you writing this newsletter, why are you teaching, why are you still seeing patients? The things I am doing, the ways I am working, the ways I attune to serve community…none of this is required. And perhaps that’s why I love doing these things. Because I choose them. Because they emerge from the authentic well of my being and give me great joy. Mostly…some days more than others! No Pollyanna here. Just like you I’m on this pandemic ride and continue to experience deep dips. Just like you I’m riding the hills and valleys of aging.
And even though I do not have to do anything or go anywhere or be anybody, here’s a couple offerings on the horizon that might be of interest to you:
Moving Outside
3 Thursdays March 3, 10, 17 12:30-2:00
I wrote about nature deficit disorder last time. Spring is emerging in this garden on the Sacramento River…come experience body and land as one being. Earth, sky, everything in between. Outdoor practice is a natural health-boosting opening to receive this energy. I’ll be collaborating with the owner of this property, Judy Tretheway Speaking of aging, we’ll combine many decades of embodied wisdom—Qigong, 5Rhythms, chakras, forest bathing—to guide this journey through dance, movement, connection and breath. Let’s feel the lay of the land…outside together.
Core Strength
Saturday February 12 9:30-10:30
The basic power I experience at my core is life sustaining. Vital. This strength allows me to be active in ways that would not be possible without quality tone down deep. It can be yours with 15 minutes on your mat 3-4 days a week. This short video is my invitation to join me in creating that vitality:
[embed]https://vimeo.com/675265291[/embed]
So I hope you can get quiet, go inside, rest into your body. Take time to sense what’s warm and fuzzy and full of pleasure, what really lights you up. It's one reason I come to the mat and the dance floor. Let's move together somewhere soon....❤️Bella