Let Your Heart Break So Your Spirit Doesn’t

My friends, it is so hard being a human. I do not have the right words this week, but I do have an open heart and a sincere commitment to love and liberation, which means I choose to hold brave space amidst tragedy, and to practice keeping my heart open even when it is difficult.

One of the great teachers of our time, Valarie Kaur, asks us to look upon the faces of strangers who are suffering and to grieve with them; to see their children as our children; to see them as part of us. Imagine what the world would be like if we saw each other as kin and not foe, and honored each other's suffering as our own.

We have a choice in these moments to harden ourselves and shut ourselves off to pain, or to open our hearts and, as the poet Andrea Gibson wrote,

"Let your heart break so your spirit doesn't."

I am so grateful for my practice that helps me stay in my body, be with the waves of emotion that arise, keep my heart open, and augment my roots. I meditate, breathe, and write my morning pages so that I can hear my own heart. I go outside to connect my soul to mother nature's soul and to remind me that the same cosmic intelligence that inspires the trees to release their leaves each fall so they can concentrate their energy at their roots also lives in me. I pray with my whole body. I connect with others so that we can grieve together and so that we can also keep the flame of love and hope alive.

Fall is already a time when we need more grounding and replenishment. And, tomorrow brings a destabilizing solar eclipse that is transiting in the realm of destruction and release during a time of enormous global instability and pain. In times like these, our practice really matters. We don't practice yoga so that we can get some exercise or be more physically flexible: We practice so that we can live our lives in love and service to the world, and meet suffering with an open heart. To do that we need support, replenishment, and practice.

What support do you need right now?

How are you replenishing yourself?

How do you cultivate peace in your own heart?

If you could use a little extra support, I'm leading a workshop on Sunday that is all about how we support ourselves through difficult transitions. It will include a grounding and replenishing practice, and will be a time to be in community with others. My drop-in classes are also focused on grounding and replenishing to support us through the fall, and through tumultuous times. I hope to practice with you soon.

In love and service,

Rachel