Back to community....

After spending 2 years in Spain, I decided that when I returned home, I'd direct more of my energy towards community building. Living in Cuenca, I experienced firsthand, the reciprocity of community. One where the underlying assumption is that we all need support, whether we ask for it or not.

Unlike in the U.S., where the messages are more focused on taking care of yourself, hard work, going it alone, and projecting strength, in Spain, there is an honestly around the truth of the matter which is that we are stronger together, we are happier together and we are healthier together.

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A few notes on community:

• People who feel connected to others are happier, healthier and live longer. The Spanish are the healthiest people in the world and my experience of community in my two years there was life changing. (I'll dive deeper into that little tidbit soon!)

• Doing hard things is easier with a friend by your side. We learn better and feel stronger and more capable when we have support.

• You are more likely to successfully develop a new habit when you have an accountability buddy. Being in the soup with a partner helps keep us motivated and on track.

• Feeling connected and supported lowers your stress level and helps regulate your nervous system. It turns off your stress response (fight/flight/freeze) and turns on your relaxation response (rest and digest).

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I have two offerings to share with you but first let's start with one of my favorite Rumi quotes:

There is a way of breathing

That’s a shame and a suffocation

And there’s another way of expiring,

A love breath,

That lets you open infinitely.

~Rumi

Consider taking a moment here to settle into your breath, re-read the quote and breath again. What do you notice?

Have you ever experienced a love breath, one that leaves you feeling deeply nourished, deeply connected and infinitely open to the beauty and wonder of the world?

Can we consciously breathe in a way that opens the door to this way of experiencing our breath and our lives?

How do we find this "love breath"?

Like all things, it begins with attention….

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Breathing. It’s automatic. It’s second nature. We don’t have to think about it. Or do we???

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Pura Vida translates into "pure life". Similar to words like aloha or shalom, it can be used in different ways and have different meanings. Costa Ricans use it as a greeting, an exclamation, a way to describe a state of being, and likely 5 other ways that I haven’t caught onto yet. But my best description is a deep-down, soul-level feeling of aliveness.

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I’m in the thick of packing for my Costa Rica Retreat and am beside myself with excitement (and details and lists and next-level organizational what-not). I can feel how close I am to deep communion with the natural world and this beautiful group of adventurers. And I have been on enough retreats to trust that it will be exactly what we need - to trust that this pause from daily life will offer a doorway into something new in each one of us. And should we choose to walk through that door… well, anything is possible.

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Last Sunday, I taught a workshop on how to keep your bones healthy and strong. As I was sorting through an immense amount of information, what I was most struck by was the connection between our bones and mindfulness.

But let's bookmark the mindfulness part for a moment - I’ll make my way back to that in just a bit.

The primary reason to keep our bones strong is to avoid fractures as we age.

But how do you know if you are at risk?

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Last week I wrote about The Language of Choice and the importance of not bossing ourselves around - of giving ourselves options and making space for curiosity and exploration. I explored choice through the lens of self-compassion. If you missed it, you can read that blog here.

This week I want to talk about another reason that language of choice is so important:

Choice Supports Agency

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