I had a lover's quarrel with the world.
— Robert Frost
It's been a long, hard year. I know, love.
We've all been through the wringer. Each in our own spin cycles of worry, doubt, and fear. A laundromat of loss. (lost opportunities, lost possibilities, feelings we can never get back again)
Things won't always be this way.
I don't know if those words even help anymore. Things have been this way for so long…
I've been searching for the right words for so long, too (we need to sit on the rim of the well of darkness and fish for fallen light), and I keep hearing other people's words.
I am drowning in thoughts, drowning in words. I use words and thoughts—my own and everybody else's—to help me make sense of the chaos. I consume too much news, and I too readily take other people's advice. I grasp onto prose written by the greats. I keep their art nearby—close to my heart, stuck in my head, scribbled across my notebooks.
Things won't always be this way.
This, too shall pass.
(what matters most is how well you walk through the fire)
Words that used to soothe begin to feel toxic. Words that I once loved are now gaslighting me.
But if I stop thinking long enough to be still, I remember.
(And every day, the world will drag you by the hand yelling, this is important! And this is important! And this is important! You need to worry about this, and this, and this! And each day, it’s up to you to yank your hand back, put it on your heart, and say,
no, this is what’s important.)
I remember a moment some years ago. I don't know where it was or when, but I remember the feeling.
I remember feeling free. Fully content and satisfied with life without constraints. After years of doubt and worry, and depression, here I was, somehow, simply happy. Nothing more, nothing less. I remember that feeling like it was yesterday.
And I remember thinking to myself at that time:
Things won't always be this way, and that's okay. That's the name of the game. Look how far you've come. Enjoy this space and hold onto it.
Remember it, always.
For there will be a time when you'll feel like there is nothing to be hopeful for. Let this moment remind you of the possibility of joy. Let this moment remind you of where you'll find yourself again one day.
That feeling is my Polaris—my north star guiding me through the darkest night. Yeah, it's a bit cheesy, but it's my most potent antidote to dark times.
No one else's words can fix things for me. Not Murakami or Neruda, not Bukowski or Frost. I just need to be still long enough to remember my own words—to remember my own wisdom—and listen. ✨
Please join me tomorrow for an extended Rejuvenate class in celebration of the Winter Solstice. We celebrate the end of the days shortening and welcome the return of the sun in this special flow and rest practice. More details below. ✨
✨ yoga etc. is my newsletter on yoga, social justice, collective wellbeing, and collective healing. Every week, I share a piece of me—a weekly dose of mindfulness—hoping it resonates. The best way to support my work is by sharing this newsletter with those you think might find a piece of them. ✨
Yoga of movement ✨
Class schedule this week:
Tuesday 21st December ✨ Winter Solstice Rejuvenate ✨ a flow and rest practice to connect with the season, honor the darkness, and celebrate the return of the light (book)
Sunday 26th December ✨ Sunday Soul ✨ an invitation to slow down, rest, and restore through gentle movement, yin, breathwork, and meditation (book)
I am also hosting a new year class integrating some of the concepts and practices I've been learning over the last six months in my 300-hour yoga teacher training program. I would love for you to join.
Sunday 2nd January ✨ New year + new moon Sunday soul ✨ a special 90-minute workshop incorporating asana, journaling, intention setting, mantra, and yoga nidra so that we may welcome 2022 with clarity, strength, and joy (book)
Please try to sign up at least 3 hours before the start of class, and if you can't make it in real-time, you'll get access to the recording.
And lastly, here are the recordings of last week's classes:
45 min ✨ Slow + Steady Flow
75 min ✨ Deep Nourishment Lunar Flow
I'm also available for private and corporate classes, and I offer complimentary private classes to nonprofit and not-for-profit organizations. Reply to this email if you're interested!
Yoga of action ✨
I'm tithing 10% of my income from my online yoga classes to organizations that fight against white supremacy. Every month, I'll pick a new organization and highlight it below. If these organizations call to you, please consider contributing (no matter how small).
My December donation will go to SisterLove, a women-centered HIV and sexual and reproductive justice advocacy organization in the U.S. and South Africa. Black people are 3.3 times more likely than white people to die from pregnancy-related complications, and reports have shown that most of these deaths are preventable.
SisterLove provides thousands of free HIV tests every year, conducts community-based research programs with the world's leading research institutions, and empowers and equips women living with HIV to conduct programs in their local communities. The nonprofit also advocates and fights for policy change at the state and federal levels for women's rights, women's reproductive justice, LGBTQ rights, rights for incarcerated citizens, access to healthcare, and ending the epidemic of HIV/AIDS.
Have a suggested organization? Leave a comment to share.
Yoga of words ✨
Grab a pen, grab your journal. Have a seat somewhere comfortable. Close your eyes, take a breath in, and let it go. Your weekly writing prompt is below.
Check-in with what’s important to you during this holiday season. How do you want to spend your holidays and who do you want to spend them with? How do you want to feel? (10 minutes)
Feel free to share what you've written by clicking the link below. But, of course, you’re also welcome to keep this practice as just yours.
Other musings ✨
December 2021 full moon guide (NASA)
Full moon in Gemini affirmations (Instagram)
Meditation + Oms with Sacred Sound Lab (YouTube)
The revolutionary writing of bell hooks (The New Yorker)
Eats: roasted pumpkin with yogurt and pine nuts (RecipeTin Eats)
The quality of your life is determined by the quality of the questions you ask (The Sunday Soother)
On repeat: Tears In The Club by FKA Twigs + The Weeknd (Spotify)
I'm here for you—for class, advice, or anything you need or would like to share. Always a phone call/text/D.M./reply button away.
LBC ✨
P.S. If you like this newsletter, please share it with your friends! And if someone sent you this newsletter, you can subscribe below!