Will The Center Hold?
I’m a little shell-shocked. I’m not surprised by the events of the past week in Washington or by the rising Covid numbers (according to the New York Times, we are up 75% in Salt Lake County over the past 14 days). And I’m not surprised by the suffering I witnessed on a walk in my community past homeless encampments and individuals clearly suffering from addiction and/or mental illness. And while it may not be surprising it is hugely disturbing. I fluctuate from angry to disappointed to outraged to deeply, deeply saddened.
And however much I want to play a role in the unfolding we’re experiencing in the world today, I know that without finding my center, I have little to offer. And finding my center doesn’t mean being okay with it all. It doesn’t mean accepting the state of affairs or feeling nothing but gratitude and love. It means feeling all of it without moving into fight, flight or freeze. It means, turning towards both the suffering and the beauty while staying grounded. That’s where next week's webinar and window into Your Brain on Mindfulness come in.
Will The Center Hold? Mindfulness Practices To Find Calm Amidst The Chaos
Tuesday, September 19, 6 - 7pm (MST), A Free Webinar
This is a combination stand-alone class and sneak peek into my 8 week online course, Your Brain on Mindfulness. In it, I’ll be sharing a few practices that I turn to that remind me that yes, my center will hold.
We’ve all been waiting for 2021 to arrive, as if we could magically leave 2020 and all of its difficulties behind. And yes, there is some magic to a new year - that inexplicable feeling of possibility that the fresh start of a new year brings. So let’s take advantage of the doorway that this new beginning offers us, not by imagining that the deep divisions in our society will disappear or that the pandemic will go away but instead by finding our own center and building inner strength and resilience.
From that space of calm, we can feel what’s wonderful in our lives, and we can face what isn’t as a challenge to overcome rather than an obstacle that overwhelms. I don’t want to turn away from the suffering - my own or others. Instead, I want to turn towards with feet firmly planted on the ground and a compassionate heart. Frankly, that’s not possible when I’m in the stress response. It’s not possible when I’m feeling disconnected and alone and it’s not possible when I’m feeling a lack of compassion for myself or others. That’s what Your Brain On Mindfulness is all about; growing states of safety, connection and compassion so that we can turn towards ourselves and the world and still see beauty, feel wonder and experience deep joy.
I hope you'll join me next week as we dip our toes into a few mindfulness practices that can help us all dissolve stress, build resilience and thrive.
And as a thank you for coming, webinar registrants will receive a big discount when registering for Your Brain on Mindfulness!
Your Brain on Mindfulness: 8 Weeks to Dissolve Stress, Build Resilience and Thrive, begins February 1. Click here to get on the early registration list.
Sending love and wishes for a healthy new year.
Rachel