Reintegration: A Few Questions to Ponder
Spring has sprung and vaccines have opened up new possibilities. These transitions are a wonderful time to reflect on what we want our lives to look like.
Here are a few questions to ponder:
What are you ready to leave behind?
What do you want to hold onto?
What will "un-distancing" look like for you?
How do you want to reintegrate?
These are the questions I’ve been asking myself lately and hearing from many others.
A part of me is ready to jump in head first (at least once I’m fully vaccinated on May 1:) and another part is pulling back on the reins. I know I have a tendency to say yes to everything - there’s just so much to do and see! That’s actually one of the reasons my family and I moved to Spain for 2 years. Yes, we wanted to experience a new culture together, but we also wanted and needed to take a step back. We were in a serious “doing” cycle and we needed to shift into a “being” cycle. So we chose a culture that moves slower, preferences family time and still honors the siesta:) And it worked! Our pace slowed way down, our calendars went blank, space showed up for spontaneity and creativity and learning and long lunches and slower walks. Life felt less linear and more meandering and our relationship to time changed.
And then came Covid and time really changed. And then we moved back to Salt Lake last August and Covid actually supported some of those shifts we were hoping to integrate - fewer plans, less busyness, more family time, and less running from point A to point B. That said for the last 8 months, point A has been our kitchen and point B the yoga room. And my inner wanderer is itching for more varied scenery.
Which brings us back to the questions:
What do you want to be mindful of as things begin to open up?
What do you want to integrate from this past year?
I see this time as an opportunity to reflect on the silver linings of this difficult period and preserve them. I’m not glossing over the many struggles we’ve all encountered; the heartbreak of separation from our loved ones, watching people get sick alone, juggling work and children at home, financial struggles, boredom and on and on. But let's move forward with an awareness that it’s been more than that. Let’s acknowledge the changes that have really served us and commit to protecting them.
And then there’s the issue of reengaging with more humans - of nourishing both close and casual relationships. I’m aware of this tiptoeing towards reconnecting. Once we feel physically safe, how do we get back to feeling emotionally or psychologically safe? How do we “un-distance” ourselves?
I definitely don’t have all of the answers, but I do have tools to cultivate an internalized sense of safety, tools to calm our nervous systems in a way that allows for baby steps back to the kind of physical and energetic intimacy that nourishes us.
It’s so important to remember that we are all experiencing a collective trauma. And trauma of any kind, involves fear, which triggers our fight/flight/freeze response. It does not matter whether you’ve “suffered” physically during this last year. The experience has been and continues to be really difficult in one way or another for every one of us. Warmth and care are called for. Tending to your nervous system is called for. Respecting new boundaries is called for. And as with all traumas, we have an opportunity to heal while growing resilience.
So my gentle encouragement is simply this:
Take a pause.
Nourish your nervous system.
Ask yourself the questions, particularly, around what you've learned about yourself and how you want to reintegrate?
Create a flexible plan to move intentionally into this next stage with self-compassion and self-agency.
As always, I’m here to support you. Scroll down to explore a few ways we might connect including this workshop to help you with my "gentle encouragement ".
Offerings and Ways to Connect:
Workshop - Reintegration: Guided Reflection, Conversation and Mindful Movement Sunday, April 18, 4-6 pm
First Tuesday Taster - Beginning on May 4, I'll be offering a free monthly class that highlights the foundations of Your Brain on Mindfulness. More info coming soon.
Your Yoga: A Virtual Community - this the sweetest online community ever. We practice on zoom 4 times a week (vinyasa, restore and meditation) and all classes are recorded.
Individual Yoga Therapy - I have a couple of available spots. If you'd like to talk about whether yoga therapy is a good fit, you can set up a discovery call here.
Virtual Coffee Date - I'd love to say hi. Reply to this email and let me know if you'd like to chat.
If I can answer any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d love to connect and/or help you decide if one of these offerings is right for you!
With so much love,
Rachel