It has been quite a while since my last post. I took the blog off the burner for a bit and set it off to the side because I had too much stuff to do. We are moving our house over 8 feet and having sit 18 inches higher. Let’s not go into the why’s or even the how’s of having this done — just accept the fact of it and move on. I know, it’s a big project. There has been tons, literally tons, and months of work that had to be done to prep the house (and ourselves!) for the upheaval.
We moved out of our house about a month ago into a much smaller, yet totally enough sized house for our 4 person + 1 dog family. We call it our “summer house”. I was looking forward to downsizing. I imagined us living like a page out of an IKEA catalogue or those super cool people who live in tiny houses.
We moved to the other side of our neighborhood. It is maybe 8 blocks away. I don’t think we went anywhere the first two days we were there. It’s not that we had so much to unpack – I packed like we were going camping for a week. I just couldn’t figure out what to do with myself in this strange place. Our normal house is on a north-south street and the summer house is on an east-west street. We were closer to different parks, on the other side of the library, and there was no familiar “walk around the block”. I had totally lost my bearings. I could not figure who I was or what to do with myself here…just 8 blocks away in my retro-style tiny house.
“To lose your bearings” refers to the awareness of your position in relation to other things. I looked up what that phrase meant and it feels so spot on to my current experience of our living situation, but also to the state of the world, and the everyday. We have seemingly endless conversations and arguments about gun control, because there has been such an incredible plague of gun violence. Donald Trump is the Republican candidate for President of the United States. When are we ever going to put the flag all the way back up again? It feels like it has been at half-mast all summer.
Where am I? What the hell is going on? What do I do with myself and my sincere hope and prayers for humanity in the midst of my sincere fears and concerns for humanity?
You know I’m going to bring it back to yoga.
I had considered cancelling my weekly classes for the summer, because I thought it might be easier without so many commitments. THANK GOD I didn’t. The familiar routine of the weekly classes gave shape to my days and anchored me so that I could find my bearings, day by day.
There are endless ways to lose your bearings. You start a new job. Your parent gets sick. Your pet dies. You move. A relationship ends. Your family grows. You have a car accident. You become depressed. Your child moves out of the house. Your best friend dies. You are diagnosed with _______.
Honestly, we are always losing and having to find our bearings; our position in relation to other things, people, places, even ourselves.
They say when you are lost, hug a tree. I think it’s so that you stay put and stop wandering around, so it’s easier for someone to find you. You hug a tree and slow down for a while. Take a breath. Look around. Try to get your bearings, even as lost as you might feel.
The next Daily Bread Yoga – Saturday Morning Retreat is all about finding your bearings. Maybe even realizing that you have lost your bearings. Practicing yoga in the midst of our sometimes chaotic and disorienting lives is a lot like hugging a tree when your lost in the woods. You stay put and stop wandering all over. You take a breath. Look around and try to get your bearings, as lost as you might feel.
The next retreat is Saturday August 27th, 9a.m.- noon, at Philo Presbyterian Church. The cost is $20. If you feel that is too cheap and I should charge more – then pay what you think I should charge! If $20 feels like too much for your current budget, then please come and pay what feels possible and responsible for your current situation. Know that all are welcome (beginners to advanced), but you need to be able to get up and down from the floor with relative ease. If you have questions or want to register for the retreat, please email me (Rachel) at dailybreadyoga@gmail.com.
peace on your head, you.
rachel
