The challenge and liberation of slowing down, the silver linings through this period of uncertainty, and how we can support each other better.
May. What a beautiful month she's been.
One of the silver linings in all this grief and uncertainty for me, has been the weather. The simple joy of getting outside and getting my hands and feet dirty in the soil. Planting seedlings and watching them (quite literally) bloom in front of my eyes.
I recently took a week away from teaching and it's been such a gift.
The art of slowing down has taken a long while to seep into my bones. It’s a funny thing, isn't it? How we yearn for something but when it's put in front of us, we often resist. Perhaps that's because it feels awkward, uncomfortable, confronting. That's definitely been the case for me. At least in the beginning.
Slowing down and noticing there are windows of time where I normally have to rush from class to class has felt strangely discombobulating.
But over the last few weeks, I've experienced this most beautiful shift. The underlying tightness in my chest has softened her grip her little.
I'm breathing slower, softer.
And in slowing down, the desire to create has returned. Thankfully, I have made pockets of time in the day where I can kindle that spark, explore it, and see where it might lead.
This includes developing a new range of Intentional Blends of essential oils that you'll be able to purchase very soon. Watch this space...
I would never pretend to you that life is always easy, sweet and rose-tinted because it’s not. It is most definitely not. There are still tensions that give rise to tears and arguments. There are frustrations, irritations and compromises.
For all of us, I think, there is also the realisation that for the foreseeable future, this new way of living will have huge ups and downs. There will be social, emotional and financial repercussions for each and every one of us.
But if we can offer each other patience, kindness and compassion, hold one another tenderly as we navigate these waters, we might be able to come through it a little less worse off.
Thank you so much for continuing to share your practice with me. It is so wonderful to see your faces on my screen and I continue to be humbled that you choose to practice with me (and Olive!).
With love from me to you,
Ray xxx