Freedom.

Hi there, yoga community~

How are you doing today? I hope you're taking good care of yourselves-mind, body, spirit!

I thought I'd share a question for you to contemplate in July: When you think about freedom, what comes to mind for you?

For me, whenever I think about the word "freedom", I feel such a rush of responsibility and honor. The number of ways I am afforded to live my life in the way I want-where I live, who I marry, how many kids I have, to voice my opinion socially, to vote, to work (or not), etc.,-is what makes me feel this magnitude of societal duty. I think of all the humans that have fought throughout the years, all over the world, to ensure my various privileges, and I feel quite an emotional tie to humanity. That rush of feeling, it seems important to hold onto. It seems important to remember where we've come from as a world, and to keep a clear perspective of the mistakes we've made along the way, and why change has persisted. When I notice that I'm feeling judgement towards how others are reacting, and the choices that are being made impulsively, and how it clouds my connection to others, I turn to my yoga practice for support.

This is one of the times the yin perspective supports me best. In the yin style of yoga we reconnect with ourselves again and again, using what we find-physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically- to help us make informed choices both on the mat moving forward in the practice, and in our lives off the mat.

I remind myself that it's important to FEEL what we are feeling. The amount of strong emotion I note permeating the issues currently-COVID 19, stay at home orders, wearing masks, Black Lives Matter, our current President, the future of the presidency, border closures, immigration/deportation/holding camps, etc.,-is what is driving the openly shared opinions, the need to protest, the destruction, the fighting, the needless deaths. Our individual experiences with what freedom means to us naturally brings with it strong emotion, and the strong need to protect what we know as our rights. All of that being said, while it's important to FEEL our feelings, it's equally important to consider the "why's" and use the information we discover within ourselves to make responsible choices moving forward. As my daughter's therapist reminds her often, "it's okay to feel bad, it's not okay to act bad." No matter how angry or frustrated we might feel about the state of the world right now, our freedoms never permit us to act from that place.

And there's another place yoga supports us-reminding us that all things change. So that anger and frustration will move out if we can be patient and compassionate with ourselves. And that will allow us to move forward from a similar place, which is way more beneficial to all of humanity.

Thanks for reading:)

May we all be safe, may we all feel loved, may we all find peace,

see you soon on the mat, love~Heather