A poem about Mother Earth and Love
Once upon a time
There was a beautiful planet
With bright blue skies
And bright blue seas
Tall crisp mountains and
A whole heap of deep green
Forests
Stunning rivers and the
Most awe inspiring
Lakes.
This was a world of joy
And magic and ancient wisdom.
Then man arrived and tried
To tame the planet.
He cluttered her skies and
Clogged her seas with plastic.
He conquered the mountains
Leaving his debris
And he stripped her bare
Of forest.
He manipulated
The rivers and lakes
As he tried to exert his control
On the beautiful planet.
Love is all the planet knows, and
She was keen for man to know love too.
She did what she could to get his attention
To make him recognise
The love and the beauty that
Lay within him; the mirror.
But it was too late by then.
He was already too distracted by
The idea of controlling things.
He needed to understand,
To dissect and to make sense.
He wanted to know so that he
Could better control.
The planet knows that man
Can never truly understand her
and know her as well as she knows
Herself. That she cannot be controlled.
That she is filled with magic and grace
And beauty that knows no boundaries,
That cannot be defined, collected,
Analysed. That cannot be controlled.
This is freedom and this is all she knows.
The freedom that comes with a life
Lived on love.
So she tries to show man what he is missing.
Her beauty and in springtime too,
When she is abundant in fertility, and all
Of her is awash with new beginnings,
Potent with energy and potential.
That she has a rhythm, and that if
Man allows himself to flow with her rhythm
That he too will be nourished and
energised, and spellbound.
That he will recognise that all this time
He has been seeking to control
What is actually inside himself;
The wildness that makes him feel alive
If he turns towards it rather than
Trying to control or deny it.
So the planet gently shows him,
Guides him, with love, for remember
This is all she knows.
To rewild the men and make them see
All that they have missed inside of
Themselves, in their quest to
Control all things, to make them feel
Safe and secure within the world
They live in, yet not appreciating
That they can never control
That which can never be truly known.
For one can never dissect nor analyse
Nor truly understand grace and ancient wisdom.
Just as intuition and the heart can never
Be truly known either, not really.
For the great mystery knows no boundaries,
It cannot be limited, nor defined in
Black and white, nor used to control or
Exploit.
Is has its own truth. And truth will
Always have a way of expressing itself, of finding a way
To be all it can be, for living its potential
Just as planet earth also lives her truth.
She will shake her very foundation to know
Herself over and over again
To drop deeper into her heart
And realise yet more of her potential
As part of the whole, of the vast inter-connected
Nature of the universe.
She awakens us in her shaking
To remember the fullness of who we are
And our own potential.
To remind us that we are simply
A reflection of her. That as we allow her to
Wild again, so we can wild ourselves
And be comfortable with the
Not knowing and appreciate instead
The sheer joy that comes with
Being with our true selves.
That all that cannot be known is the blessing
And the magic that
Makes us feel truly alive.
That love is enough and
Knows no bounds.
By Emma Després 2 April 2020
The letting go into the flow
It’s funny the things that tip you over an edge that you didn’t even realise was there.
A few days before the Sark retreat, which was a week before we started social distancing, which was a few days before lock-down (funny how dates have lost all significance, I just think of life in chunks now, this chunk before this happened and that chunk before that happened…) the boiler overheated and boiling hot water burst through the system and caused some hot water pipes to split.
There we were, the boys and I eating breakfast, aware of Ewan moving upstairs when all of a sudden there was a tremendous noise and steam coming down the stairs and through the ceiling in the hallway, closely followed by a whole heap of water pouring out too. This set the smoke alarms off and all this, the noise, the steam and the water before 7.30am on a Wednesday morning.
A few hours later, the plumber trying to fix the problem, the water switched off, the last of the water now trickling down one of the kitchen’s walls, and stuff everywhere, I escaped into our small wing to make a cup of tea and try and get some peace. Here I opened the door to one of the cupboards to get a cup only to find myself staring at a mouse. I don’t think I have moved so quickly in my life!
I leapt onto the sofa and screamed for Ewan. A mouse! Our lodger who stays in the wing from time to time had told us only days earlier that she thought she’d heard mice. We had tentatively placed some humane traps in the wing, hopeful that she was confusing the noise of mice, for the noise of seagulls on the roof. But alas not. We really did have mice. This on top of the ants which move in each equinox, twice a year, for a few weeks of distraction, before they totter off again.
There was a lesson in all this though, one of preparing us for what lay ahead, with the ability to live within chaos (and me with my OCD for cleaning!) and go with the flow. Also, to reflect on killing, which makes me so uncomfortable with the whole non-harming, ahimsa thing, and having to face this, and embrace the aspect of self that is OK with killing, when it comes to not having mice and ants living in the cottage, and yet knowing that ideally I’d live to find a way to live harmoniously.
This followed a few days later by the Sark retreat, which was wonderful in its usual way, Sark holds us so gently and energises us and makes us feel whole again. Yet this retreat challenged a little by all the last minute cancellations, as people quite understandably explored what felt right for them with the Coronavirus looming over us, and the fear so great. If ever there is a time to respect other’s decisions then it is now, only we can ever know what feels right for us, our families and our interaction with society – it’s a shame that our opinion is challenged though.
The fear felt very real that first night, it was hanging in the yoga room, and yet this eased enormously as the weekend continued and we connected increasingly so with the heart and the self, deep inside, and the sense that ultimately, on some level we might never truly understand, all is well. That was, until the Sunday morning and the preparations to return to Guernsey and the fear returned as word came that we might have school closures and lock down ahead. We, as a family, decided to stay on, to make the most of the freedom of Sark and I’m delighted we did.
Back home, life was a different normal, both boys had runny noses so no school, and just as I was about to teach the Friday morning class, word came that the schools were closing so with that the decision was made. It was time to adjust. I couldn’t face the thought of not teaching at all, I wondered how that might affect my sanity, being that teaching yoga is one of my favourite things in the whole wide world, beyond my family and swimming and lying in a bath. So I adjusted and went online and hoped that this may help others as much as it might help me, to just keep going.
All was well. The home schooling. The steep learning curve of how to run online classes and make people aware that they are happening. The embracing of the fear of IT and doing it anyway. The adjusting to life lived mainly at home and more time with the children without parental help, which is lovely on the one hand and slightly maddening on the other. The getting used to never having quite what you need in the house and no longer being able to just nip to the shops. Longing for a swim at the Grande Mare but knowing that summer is not far away and more sea swimming ahead, and yet it’s not quite the same.
It was all going OK. I was doing OK. A few wobbles. Shopping has become uncomfortable, not for me the risk of contracting Covid-19 but the manner in which people are so edgy and some friendly and others just really unpleasant. Then the time away from home and the exercising being OK, the children needing to run off some steam, but should we be on the beach, but knowing we might all go mad otherwise without the sea energy cleansing us. Not being able to see my parents and explaining to the children the reason they can’t see Ganny and Baba either (“will we have the bug for long” my 3-year old asked, which almost broke my heart. “It’s not you sweetie”, I tried to explain, “there’s nothing wrong with you…”).
The sleep deprivation and wilful moments continue anon with the 3-year old, while the 6-year old is enjoying the break from school and trying to get him to do any school work is tough, but it’s like this normally, we’re used to it. This all carries on. The washing, the cleaning, the shopping, the endless requests for snacks, the endless tidying of the house (why do we bother?). It’s all just going on. But there’s something going on out there too. In the bigger sphere, beyond our cottage that had me a little edgy on Saturday.
I awoke that morning with an underlying feeling of anxiety, which comes only occasionally, when something is shifting and I can’t quite put my finger on it. Even a swim in the sea wouldn’t clear it, so I concluded that it must be in the collective, that others would likely be feeling the same. So I decided I would teach an impromptu short class because if there’s one thing I need when I feel like this, it’s yoga!
Before then I had a class by zoom with my teacher, which was stressful initially because the WIFI kept dropping out, but we found a way, using my phone, which worked. And it was reassuring and beautiful and eased some of the agitation, as we dropped into the breath and into the idea of contentment, that is neither happiness or sadness but something really rather different. This was a spin though, the practice itself affected me, made me think about things differently. The idea that we should find contentment in everything, is this part of the lesson, the awakening, the shift occurring?
I’m pretty sure it is, because as if to test it, I was forced only a few hours later to see if I could find contentment when things didn’t go the way I intended. During the impromptu class that I desperately wanted to teach, to connect with others and come together energetically, the WIFI kept dropping out making me realise that I had no control over anything, not the WIFI certainly and therefore not the ability to teach either.
This saddened me and tipped me to an edge. If there’s one thing that triggers me it is IT and it is feeling out of control with it. My response is always to get angry at myself for not understanding the world of IT better, and yet I know too that this is such an old pattern that it is laughable, as it achieves nothing. But triggered I was anyway. I desperately searched my mind for another way, how could I overcome this obstacle of the WIFI dropping out all the time. There was some grasping that’s for sure, I just couldn’t let it go, there had to be a way.
But this was just the test of the awakening that we are all being forced to go through. The patterns are popping up left, right and centre. We are being encouraged to let go, and let go all over again. Let go of the life we were living, let go of the idea of the life we want to be living, let go of dreams, let go of plans, let go of knowing what lies ahead, let go of any sense of being in control of our destiny and our day to day reality.
It wasn’t until later though, that I saw the bigger picture and recognised what I had been doing. That in my effort to maintain some semblance of normality and in my quest to do what I felt I could to help people, and to help myself in the process, I was holding on very tightly to the idea of teaching, having found a way to continue doing this. The trouble was I was holding on too tightly, as if my very happiness depended on it, and in the process, when things didn’t go my way, like with the WIFI, I was suffering.
There is only one way and that is to go with the flow of things. I learned this with both of my boys’ births. There is no other way, because to try and push against the flow is just futile and exhausting. And yet letting go into the flow of things is always so tricky, because it involved a surrendering of everything that’s been and a trust that the flow will take us where we need to go instead. I’ve no idea why we doubt this though, because where else can it take us?
Yet it wasn’t this that caused me to lose it, not really. It was the bit that led me to the edge so that later I might see my patterns more clearly, of the pattern I create around not feeling in control and not getting my own way. The manner in which this allows me to buy into feelings of hopelessness and helplessness and gives rise to a momentary depression.
It also wasn’t my youngest’s manic behaviour that found him uncontrollable and E and I resigned to it, triggered in our own ways, it wasn’t even realising that I had given the humous I had intended to eat for dinner away to my Mum in error and that I couldn’t just nip to the shop to buy a new one, it wasn’t even the weather and the fact I was so cold because this really does feel like the never ending winter. If truth be told it was the bath. Yes, the bath.
The bath tipped me over an edge that everything else had helped prod me towards the moment where I just gave up and just felt desperately sorry for myself! I wanted a bath! More than anything else. I’m sorry that this makes me sound really selfish when people are dying and others are making huge sacrifices to look after those in hospital, and there are those putting themselves on the front line to serve us in shops and make sure that we don’t go hungry (I do get a lump in my throat every time I thank them when I have finished my shopping).
But the truth is, sometimes it’s the little things. I love a bath. I love lying in the bath reading a book, lying in the bath to warm up after a swim, lying in the bath with the children at the end of the day, just lying in a bath to process things. It was like the final straw and I can’t even really blame it on Coronavirus, other than the fact the plumber needs some parts to re-install it post flood, and the virus has complicated that. It’s just the simple fact that having a bath makes me feel better and I really miss it.
It was this that caused me to finally succumb to all the holding of, of not letting go of what had been and of trying to control things. It was the little old bath that helped me to release all that I had been unable to release and to see more clearly patterns that no longer served me. Phew.
But I know this is not just about me and it is for this reason that I am sharing. I am aware that we are all going through this. We are all being triggered and asked to dig deeper and see more clearly that which we no longer need. We are all feeling the loss of the life we lived, all missing something, however small and seemingly insignificant. We are right in it. In the shift. Where it is desperately uncomfortable as the old has to drop away and yet we don’t know where we are headed or what the new life might offer us in terms of security and protection.
It’s like the leap of faith, we are all being asked to make. Without any future certainty. It’s scary, and yet those of us who have leapt previously, know that it is always lighter on the other side. But the process, the surrendering is always messy and there will always come a tipping point that will cause us to – finally – surrender into it.
I don’t know where it is all going, or when I will next get a bath, or whether I will be able to continue teaching yoga online with the WIFI as it currently is, but today I’m OK with that. Today I feel as I have weathered a storm and come through the other side, less attached to trying to control the outcome or control which direction life may unfold. Because none of us are in control and more fool us for thinking – ever thinking – that we are.
This is a time to stay strong in our faith that everything happens for a reason, that we need to just keep on keeping on with the being, come what may. That it is OK to feel whatever we are feeling, to embrace all the range of emotions as they move through us because this too is part of the collective awakening. There is a bigger picture. We are not in this alone. We each have a role to play, and we will find a way. It is in our hearts. We already know this.
My beautiful friend sent me this poem today that is absolutely appropriate:
Always we hope
Someone else has the answer…
At the center of your being
You have the answer,
You know who you are
And you know what you want.
There is no need
To run outside
For better seeing.
Nor to peer from a window.
Rather abide at the center of your being;
For the more you leave it, the less you learn.
Search your heart
And see
The way to do
Is to be.
- Lao Tzu
We are creating a Beinspired Reiki community finally!
I really appreciated all you lovely souls joining me on Zoom this evening for our first Beinspired Reiki share with guided meditation and some breath awareness. It was certainly a potent, grounding, powerful and connecting experience for me. I am going to make it a weekly thing for however long...sending Reiki and love to each other, to the universe and to the coronavirus, to find some harmony...I think it might be the only way, find a way to live together, and Reiki tends to help with relationships, so keep sending Reiki to it.
There's a beautiful poem that might help make sense of this:
Anything that annoys you is for teaching you patience.
Anyone who abandons you is for
teaching you how to stand up
on your own two feet.
Anything that angers you is for teaching you forgiveness and compassion.
Anything that has power over you is for teaching you hot to take your power back.
Anything you hate is for
teaching you unconditional love.
Anything you fear is for
teaching you courage to
overcome your fear.
Anything you cannot control is for teaching you how to let go and trust the universe.
Jackson Kiddard.
Those of you who are Reiki attuned and would like to join the community and receive emails with Zoom sign-in details for our weekly group then please email me at emma@beinspiredby.co.uk. You don’t need to have been attuned by me. All are welcome!
Love and Reiki.
Health Is Your Wealth
‘Health is your Wealth’ as we say in Ayurveda. If ever there was a time for recognising this, then it is now. We cannot buy good health, it is something we have to cultivate ourselves to the best of our ability.
One of the things I love about Ayurveda, other than the fact it is from the Vedas, which makes it ancient, and it focuses on not just the body and the mind but also…ta da da…the soul...is that it helps to promote good immunity, which is fundamental to the prevention of disease.
In fact one of the main objectives of Ayurveda is the prevention of disease through strengthening the immune system, which makes the immune system a significant element of Ayurveda. As we all know, our wellbeing is dependent on the body’s resistance to dis-ease, and the immune system plays a significant role in the prevention of, and recovery from, disease.
What we also know is that some are more prone to disease than others. For example, among persons living in infected surroundings, only some of them are found to be affected, while others are left without any effect. It shows that the pathogenic (bacterium, virus or other microorganism) causes require particular favourable conditions and susceptibility of the individual in order for disease to form. Without these conditions, they will be destroyed by themselves. Thus the stronger our immunity, the safer we are from disease.
In Ayurveda, the focus is not on the prevention of disease, per se, but on strengthening the immune system as a whole. In this way we can maximise ‘ojas’. Ojas is a Sanskrit term which can be translated as ‘vigor’ or ‘essence of vitality’. Essentially, ojas is the vital energy that governs our immunity, strength and happiness – three things we want in abundance. If our ojas is weak, then our health, our spirits and our energy, decrease.
Like any hereditary characteristics, immunity is also inherited and greatly influenced by several other factors such as diet, environment, way of living, age, mental state, development or growth and pathological conditions of the individuals. In Ayurveda, factors affecting the immunity are classified as follows:
Factors that lessen immunity:
· Mental stress such as fear, anxiety, anger, grief
· Poor diet and nutritional disturbances
· Lack of sleep
· Excessive physical exertion/exercise
· Alcohol, drugs and smoking
· Severe infection
· Injury, accidental or surgical
· Excessive loss of bodily fluids
· Wasting
· Season, environment and age
· Severe constitution derangement
Factors that enhance immunity
· Balanced diet appropriate for constitution
· Mental peace
· Proper exercise
· Favourable climate
· Characteristics of race and generation in which birth took place
· Genetics of parents
· Constitutional characteristics (vata, pitta, kapha)
· Adolescence
· Proper mental stimulation
In the ancient Ayurvedic texts (of Charaka and Vaghbhata), we are told the features of a healthy person include the following:
Dosha (one of three biological energies circulating within the body) – the doshas that are present in the body and the mind (vata, pitta and kapha) must be in a balanced state in order to keep a person healthy. When the balance of the doshas is disturbed, then this can lead to a state of disease and impact on the immune system.
Agni (fire) – in order for an individual to stay healthy, their digestive fire (‘agni’) must be balanced and effective. When the digestive fire is weak, this can cause many diseases. It is well known that the health of an individual is dependent on the strength of their digestion.
Waste products – the excretion of faeces, urine and sweat must be balanced.
Tissues – the seven tissues of the body must be in a balanced state and able to function properly.
Senses – the sensory and motor organs and mind must be in equilibrium and able to discharge do their duties properly.
Mind – the state of mental health is more important than physical health. Look after your mental state!
Soul – awakened consciousness, unifying body and mind for eternal health and happiness – hoorah for that!
So how can this be achieved?
· Eating for your constitution, being aware of the impact various foods/drinks have on your digestive capability, and resulting mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. Avoiding foods/drinks that don’t support your wellbeing on all those levels. Lots of vegetables and fruits. Avoiding cold or raw as can be difficult to digest properly unless your digestive function is brilliant! Nourishing soups using coconut milk and light spices, white rice, chicken, white fish, pulses, cereals, soft cheese, pitta bread that sort of thing. Think nourishing and warming (but not spicy).
· Those who are pitta (fire and water) inclined, being mindful of excess heat in the body, especially if you’re suffering with stress, migraines, infections, acidity, stomach ulcers, inflammatory conditions and loose stools, tendency to anger easily, avoiding tomatoes, chilli and red wine.
· Those who are kapha (water and earth) inclined, being mindful of excess mucus, especially if you’re feeling sluggish, lazy, sticky, heavy and cold and digestion is slow, feeling unforgiving and avoiding dairy products and heavy foods if so.
· Those who are vata inclined (air and ether), being mindful of feelings of anxiety, insomnia, nervousness, suffering with cold hands and feet and constipation (rabbit droppings) avoiding ‘bird’ foods such as nuts, seeds and dried fruits.
· By maintaining the proper functioning of your digestive system, only eating when hungry and avoiding too much snacking.
· Yoga for promoting mental, emotional, spiritual and physical wellbeing. Practising gently to nourish and support constitution, not create imbalance or exhaust you.
· Taking adequate rest – use Yoga Nidra where you can.
· Appropriate exercising such as walking and swimming.
· Socialising with friends and family (in light of social distancing this will need to be done at a distance for now).
· Avoid ingesting anything that depletes you such as alcohol, smoking, drugs, junk food, screen time.
· A clean and clear environment – spring clean and get rid of the junk and clutter.
· Getting out into nature where you can. Walking on the beach or the cliffs. Noticing the sun and moon cycle, noticing the stars at night. Listening to the birds.
· A positive outlook. Reducing exposure to negativity from the news and social media. Mixing with positive people where you can.
· Surrounding yourself with colour. Avoiding black, for example, which can sap energy.
· Wearing/holding crystals.
· Ayurvedic medicine where necessary (you can talk to me about this).
· Doing things which make you happy such as reading, writing, art work, singing, watching happy films.
· Smile and laugh as much as you can.
· Connect into your heart.
· Giving yourself Reiki if you are Reiki attuned.
It seems so important to me that instead of focusing on the fear and anxiety that the Coronavirus has caused for many, that we focus on the positives, and doing what we can to promote our immunity and our health and wellbeing. Every cloud has a silver lining, and taking responsibility for our health and wellbeing should be up there, with recognising the simplicity in life again. I hope this article helps, let me know if I can help through Ayurveda or otherwise! [Happy to shop for anyone who can’t get out!].
Love Emma x
Surrendering to Yoga
Yesterday I was in overwhelm. Overwhelm at the thought of not being able to teach yoga or share Reiki. Overwhelm at the thought of not being able to touch anyone. Overwhelm at the idea of not being able to earn any money to help support my family. Overwhelm at the idea of home schooling/unschooling my children and at the sheer volume of people sharing home schooling content (thank you but enough already!). Overwhelm at the fast pace in which events are unfolding, and not being able to keep on top of it or process it properly. And overwhelm at the effect on children/loved ones and the wider community.
I wanted to understand and I had questions that couldn’t be answered, about the approach being taken by government and exit strategies and the manner in which decisions impact on everyone. I wanted certainty, of outcome, of knowing. I found myself reflecting, for example, on the irony, of how, in an effort to protect the vulnerable from suffering, many more end up suffering and feeling vulnerable – but this I know is karma in action, every action has a consequence, even well intended action.
I was torn on my perspective and feeling both compassion and anger all at the same time. It was like being in a washing machine of shifting emotions. Needless to say I went to bed last night with both a heavy heart, grieving all that had been, and feeling exhausted from trying to stay positive when there is so much fear pervading the world. I also felt helpless to do anything positive to help and a little purposeless as a result. There was a real sense of endings, with no clear idea of the new beginnings and my role in this.
Today I feel very differently. The Spring Equinox has ushered in a wave of clarity and positive energy, and there has been a surrendering to, and acceptance of our current situation. I am very aware that we are all facing the collective shadows, of fear of dying and fear of not having enough money to survive. It’s our survival that is being tested on every level. Yet what have we to lose?
For many it feels that we are losing everything we have ever known, our jobs, our businesses, our homes, the life that we had created thus far. Yet there is the concept of Samsara, first expressed in the Upanishads 3,500 years ago, the idea of the cycle of reincarnation, a continuous spin of birth and death as the soul completes its time in one form before taking on another.
Whether or not you actually believe in reincarnation, there is a lesson that can be learned from the concept of samsara itself – everything is continuously changing. During the course of our lives we will birth/create and let go of many identities, stages of life, relationships, ideas, beliefs and goals. We are continuously coming into new forms and ways of being again and again. Understanding and appreciating samsara as a natural and necessary process can be comforting at times like this, when we go through periods of (intense) transition.
In theory these are the periods of illumination that encourage us to grow. The more we settle into these moments of great change and uncertainty, the more comfortable we can become in the big-shift feelings that accompany them – albeit the feelings of anxiety, fear, sadness that accompany the letting go into the unknown and uncertainty can be utterly overwhelming.
I am reminded too of Isvara Pranidhara, the last of the five niyamas, or inner practices of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, meaning ‘surrender to a higher power’. This is not a process of defeat or of mindlessly submitting to another’s will, but the act of giving ourselves over to a higher purpose. It is about accepting what cannot change and acknowledging that we are not entirely masters of our own fate. In surrendering to something greater (of which we are a part – the collective consciousness), and letting go we open ourselves up to the potential of greater peace, love and freedom of mind.
I realise that yesterday I was very much stuck in my own ego and false sense of loss, whereas today (and long may it continue) the shifting energy has helped me to recognise that this is absolutely not about me! We are all affected and we all have a role to play. This is dharma, another of the concepts discussed in the Upanishads. Depending on our innate disposition or nature, each of us has been assigned (or has chosen) a role to play in this lifetime. It is our duty and responsibility to play our role to the best of our potential, getting on with it, uncomplaining, without hankering after someone else’s.
Life will never be quite the same again. Just like the body gives us signs before dis-ease manifests as illness, so too the universe has been prodding us, trying to get our attention. There have been financial crises encouraging us to live within our means, changing weather patterns showing us that all is not well up there in the atmosphere, and our own collective loss of mental wellbeing, indicating that as a specie we are not well either. We need to pull together to find a new way forward, living our dharma!
I feel that it is more important than ever to keep sharing yoga and Reiki with you and I am proposing this schedule next week:
Sunday 22 March 2020, 9.30-10.30am - Free Yoni Yoga for the ladies. This is a deeply nourishing and feminine approach to practice, with a guided Yoga Nidra, perfect for Mother’s Day. Facebook Live.
Monday 23 March 2020, 10-10.15/20am – Free Children’s Yoga. Let’s give it a whirl, Elijah might help me! Facebook Live. Depending on how the children find it, I’ll offer more.
Monday 23 March 2020, 6.15-7.30pm – Free Hatha Yoga class with Yoga Nidra. Zoom. You will need to sign up as a participant for Zoom, which is free. I will post further instructions, this will be a learning curve for me too!
Tuesday 24 March 2020, 8.30-9pm – Free group new moon meditation/Reiki share. We’ll try and do this on Zoom. We’ll breath together and prepare to sit and meditate on new moon energy, while sending distance Reiki for those Reiki attuned, and to each other within the group.
Wednesday 25 March 2020, 7.30-8.15 am – Free Hatha Yoga class. Facebook live.
Thursday 26 March 2020, 6-7pm – Hatha Yoga class, Zoom, £10 to join the session, email me to join and I will provide the link and payment details. You will need to sign up as a participant for Zoom, which is free.
Friday 27 March 2020, 9.30-10.45am – Hatha Yoga class with Yoga Nidra, Zoom, £10 to join the session, email me to join and I will provide the link and payment details. You will need to sign up as a participant for Zoom, which is free.
This is all subject to change, if there’s one thing we are learning, it is flexibility and going with the flow.
Love Emma x
P.S. Please do check the blog and Facebook for updates!
And so the wheel turns...
It’s been an interesting day, full of a whole range of emotions from excitement, to anger, to frustration, to sadness, to anger, to hope, to joy and back to sadness again. It’s selfish really as I’m not sad for the loss of life to the virus, but for the loss of the life that I, and others like me, loved. Yet I am very aware, and this on the eve of the turning of the wheel and the Spring Equinox, reminding us of balance, and days away from the new moon cycle, that all endings bring with them new beginnings. We need a collective change, and Mother Earth needs a break. So let's hope that those new beginnings usher in a way of ‘being’ that finds us living in far greater harmony with ourselves, with Mother Earth and with every other living thing. I hear there are fights in the supermarkets in the UK, so maybe there is some way to go, but let’s hope and pray. Here’s seven positive things from today:
I was told that with the better quality of air in China ‘they’ reckon 50,000 lives will be saved!
With children soon to be off school, we parents get to spend more time with them and take some responsibility for their education – personally I’ve always been curious about unschooling so we might give that a whirl.
Dare I say, women are forced back into the home, whether that’s positive or not who can tell, but maybe we can rest without all the rushing around that life otherwise entails (and this with a hyper 3 year old in the household!).
There are less cars on the roads in Guernsey, which is a joy when cycling.
The hedgerows are absolutely stunning as spring blooms and nature is buzzing with a potent vibration (maybe enough to shift the virus, let’s hope!).
The wheel is turning, the Spring Equinox will bring a shift and more light is flooding in.
The sea is 9.2 degrees and absolutely beautiful at the moment! Saints was stunning this morning (another benefit to children being off school, no need to rush off the beach!).
Love, love, love. xxx
The light is never far away from the dark
If ever there was a time to settle into the light then it is now; as so many are overwhelmed and suffering, being forced to face their deepest fears.
It is a turbulent time of change and upheaval on Mother Earth, and I feel it is more important than ever to hold space for those who wish to connect to their inner light and wisdom, pouring love out into the world and raising vibration through yoga and Reiki classes.
I’m writing this while on retreat on Sark, where the energy of fear has yet to appear and we are able to settle into our centre more easily. While others may feel differently, this is a heartfelt choice for me right now, although may well change as events unfold.
On Saturday, I was cycling down Sark’s high street, trying to think what I might write to those who attend class when I felt an overwhelming need to visit the local charity shop, which I’ve wanted to do for years. In here, I was immediately drawn to the book section where a book, “The Game of Life and How to Play It” by Florence Shinn caught my attention. I opened the book by chance on page 51 and there in front of me were written these exact words:
“Perhaps one’s fear is of disease or germs. Then one should be fearless and undisturbed in a germ-laden situation, and he would be immune. One can only contract germs while vibrating at the same rate as the germ, and fear drags men down to the level of the germ”.
Then later, at class, a particular poem caught my attention that I felt absolutely had to be shared:
The Choice for Love
What does the voice of fear
Whisper to you?
Fear speaks to you
In logic and reason.
It assumes the language
Of love itself.
Fear tells you,
“I want to make you safe”
Love says
“You are safe”.
Fear says
“Give me symbols.
Give me frozen images.
Give me something
I can rely on”
Loving truth says
“Only give me
This moment”
Fear would walk you
On a narrow path
Promising to take you
Where you want to go.
Love says,
“Open your arms
And fly with me.”
Every moment of your life
You are offered the opportunity
To choose-
Love or fear,
To tread the earth
Or to soar to the heavens.
If ever there was a time to accept the universal order, which only appears to be chaotic and ever-changing, then it is now. Regardless of what life throws at us, individually or globally, the dance of the universe is a happy one. We should nor fear the change or the loss – from darkness comes light.
This is an opportunity to put into practice all we have learned on our spiritual journey thus far:
To stay centred through great confusion.
To go with the flow, not sweating the small stuff.
To develop a forgiving heart if someone has caused us harm.
Accepting life as it unfolds, however uncomfortable.
Finding the courage to live from our hearts and our deepest truth, even if that goes against what is expected of us by others.
Letting go of judgments and feeling compassion instead for those who have made different choices to our own.
Sending love and light to all those suffering, especially those who judge and criticise us for the choices we have made.
Love Emma x
Syrian Refugee Fundraising Yoga Class (Bridge2Bridge)
The refugee situation in Greece has triggered a feeling of utter helplessness and hopelessness in me. These are people running from war, bombs and torture, yet here they are met with resistance from a world that doesn't want them. It's so sad, especially when you consider that these are people just like you and me, with young children, trying to live. I know that getting sad, angry and frustrated serves no one, especially the refugees. I also know that 'we need to be the change we want to see in the world' (Gandhi) and as I'd like the world to be a kinder, more compassionate and loving place I'm working on that. But I feel I need to do something practical. Sarah Griffith of Bridge2 is on the ground in Greece and has asked people to help her help the refugees by donating the price of a take-out coffee or two. I hope we can do better than that. Please join me on Easter Saturday, 11th April, 10-11am at St Martin's CC, with friends and family, to practice yoga together, helping to increase (potentially) kindness, compassion and love for self and others, while also raising some much needed funds for the refugees. Those of you who are Reiki attuned will also be invited to send some distance healing to the refugees and fill the room with Reiki too. Absolutely all proceeds will go to Bridge2 to enable Sarah to make a positive difference to the lives of some refugees, even if it is just for a day. It's the least we can do as fellow human beings. Thank you xxx