The Shakti Shine - August 29th, 2020
Shakti Love Notes
We are always growing. I love that! And the more I grow, the more I recognize how important it is for us all to share what we're going through-- even (and especially) me.
So these Love Notes are a space for me to share with you each week-- about the studio, my life, how our community is growing.
...
This weekend I went to visit my sister, and on the drive back to Athens I talked with my longest and dearest friend. We grew up together; we met when we were three. She lives in New York now. We're from the same small hometown in North Georgia, and yet we've evolved and developed the same world views over the years. I was with her on her bachelorette trip the weekend before shutdown. She was supposed to get married in April.
We haven't talked in a few months, so it felt nice to catch up.
We talked about the laundry list of events since March and the rise of Covid-19 in the US:
the murder of Breonna Taylor
Her bachelorette in Miami
Shutdown
Taking Shakti all online
Cancelling her wedding
the video of Ahmaud Arbery's murder
the murder of George Floyd
the 3 months (& continuing) of protests for racial justice
trying to reopen things
months that feel like a blur
the Beruit explosion
Hurricance Laura
California Fires
the murder of Jacob Black
more Kenosha shootings
all in the mix of:
an election year
lost jobs
working from home
one $1200 stimulus check
talking to family about racism
talking to family about covid
talking to family about conspiracy theories
relationship shifts
relationships ending
rekindled friendships
cancelled weddings
cancelled trips
personal existential crises (2 or more each, bare minimum)
180k+ deaths in the US alone from coronavirus
and what feels like a million zoom calls
...and that's not even all of it. Most of the year feels unbelievable. Like, I cannot believe.
So as I pulled into my apartment I thought:
No wonder I feel blank.
Blank is a word I'm borrowing from a Shakti student, Lily.
She says, 'Itโs where I have 0 mood and 0 things to say and the only way I can describe it is my brain feels blank. But like secretly I probably have so many emotions underlying and this results in me being blank. So prob need to break something or journal or go kick boxing to get my brain back.'
I've felt blank for what feels like about 10 days now; it comes and goes. It feels like part of this year's roller coaster of life.
I'm working on letting it be.
Whatever it is gets to be what it is, ya know? Acceptance.
Even still, it helps to see what it is as it is. It felt really nice to lay it all out with my friend. I think I'd been so caught up in each moment, each event, trying to get through it, that I hadn't taken the necessary moments to sit with the magnitude of the last six months.
So here I am. Swimming in the magnitude of the last six months. Blank.
So maybe this week I'll break something or journal or jump around. Maybe I'll meditate. Maybe I'll get my brain back. Maybe not. Maybe I'll lay on the grass. Maybe I'll cry. Maybe I'll watch a bunch of tv, laugh with friends, and daydream.
Maybe I'll feel inspired.
But even if I don't, I know I'm ok. Blank is not forever. Nothing is. This is just the wave we're on. And at the end of the day my heart's beating and somehow there's still a glimmer of hope on the breeze.
...
I hope you'll take some time to let yourself be today. Know that if you feel blank, too, you're not alone. Take a deep breath. Keep on keepin' on. Hold yourself with compassion and care. Feel it all. Take all the space that you need.
xx
Ruby
Journal:
+ Make a list of everything you can recall that has happened this year, personal, global or otherwise. Let that sink in. Breathe.
+ Describe your own resiliency. How have you amazed yourself so far this year?
+ Have you ever felt blank? What does that mean to you? What does blank give you access to?
+ Name 1 thing you can do this week to offer yourself space, compassion and care.
August's Theme: ACCEPTANCE
w/ @thedualityproject
Get the workshop
An overview of the theme
15 written notes of inspiration
2 movement video/audios
2 guided meditations
12 inquiry questions
Here's a preview of what you'll get from the workshop's Daily writings:
There was a long stretch at the beginning of my journey with yoga that everything was like 'Let go,' 'Just let go,' 'Let that shit go.' It seemed like it was everywhere-- on the internet, on shirts at TJ Maxx, on coffee mugs, in every yoga class I went to. I remember thinking, 'Yeah, ok. I want to do that. *Just let go. Let go. Let go.*' It didn't work.
Letting go is easier said than done. It's easy to preach Just Let Go. It's a whole other thing to live a life of letting go.
For me, a life of letting go means fully processing what's present. It means giving things up in order to get empty. It means a commitment to staying clear. It means listening for the just right timing.
Letting go requires patience. It requires space. Letting go requires trust. Acceptance. Surrender. Discovery. Letting go means letting something new in. So maybe now's the time. Just let go. xx, R
The Weekly Work
This is where we bring yoga off the mat together
1. Demand justice for Jacob Black and donate to Black's GoFundMe
2. Join Unemployed Workers National Day of Action - Tuesday, September 1 @ City Hall, 12pm - Bring a sign to protest, bring food donations for @athenscommunityfridge, and know that hot meals will be available for anyone who needs it!
3. Support athletes in taking action - Read this overview by @antiracismdaily
Join us for outdoor yoga on Wednesday's
at Creature Comforts!
$10 recommended donation - cash$ or venmo @creaturecomforts -
no sign up required - see you there!
Fall 2020 Teacher Training!!!
ONLY A FEW SPOTS LEFT!
Weโve decided to make this training choose what you need & what feels safe. This means that you can participate in all 8 modules online.
4 weekends will be optional in person (IP) at The Studio in Athens, GA (pending health & safety precautions due to COVID-19)
3 weekends will be only online (OO)
+ 1 retreat weekend (R) in Blue Ridge, GA (pending in person or online)