Where do you go
to practice the skills
required to change the world?

This is a question I’ve asked myself many times over the past few weeks. 

The answer always comes through softly.
It says “go within.” 

That’s where we do the work
to open our hearts and our minds,
to slowly unravel the knots of tension,
and sit with our discomfort.

The point where we brace
is the point where we need to soften 
in order to heal and experience change.

Softening takes time and requires practice.
That’s why I come to my mat.

We can’t project our expectation of change on to others without first embodying change in our own systems. And the primary system on which we have influence is our own body.  

The revolution can not be intellectualized. In fact trying to solve systems of oppression, supremacy, and racism by reading a book or “doing the right thing” only further disembodies and disconnects us from what poet Mary Oliver calls “the soft animal of your body.”

We trust intellect more than we trust our instincts.
We second guess the actions that we take…or don’t take.
We go where ever we are led. 

Mindful movement and Self-practice is a tool we can use to become more human. A tool we can use to dismantle our own beliefs and soften into discomfort. On the mat, we practice the skills that help us live more in our bodies - no matter what race, gender, age… your body is- and less in our minds. We can generate a sense of awareness and presence that has the power to allow genuine connection to our higher Self and connection with others. And from this place, we can make decisions that have a greater intention and impact.

At the end of the day
when you strip it all away
we are all human beings
craving the same sensorial experience in our lives and in our bodies…

To feel safe.
To feel at ease. 

To be free. 

Self Check-in:

Why do you step on to the mat and in what way does your practice help you off the mat?

Let’s have a calmversation in the comments below.