Meeting our Edge

... in practice and in life

by Chrysi Thanella and Leo Peppas

When we meet our edge, we meet a challenge, often facing a limitation that can feel like some form of resistance. In our modern society, the most common reaction is to fight against that resistance, to grit our teeth and keep going. This strategy can stem from our upbringing and the messages we received from the world around us: to do more, to strive to become, to achieve. In this way, during our early childhood, an unconscious bond starts forming between our achievements and our sense of self worth; between how much we do and how much we feel we deserve to be loved. For many of us, our experience of love develops together with this distortion.

If an external value system was imposed on us, we may at some point need to question its relevance to our own life. The journey back to ourselves and our authentic being, is often a process of undoing, or simply claiming life. When we meet our conditioned strategies and limiting behavioral patterns on this path, even before judging them, what if we could pause? Taking a step back to listen may reveal an opportunity. Being sensitive and open to receive what life presents us, we have the chance to tap into the wisdom that shows us what belongs to the past and what serves us in the here and now. We allow the space for the trust in ourselves to grow, for the connection with our essence to be nourished.

On the mat we have the opportunity to meet, not only our embodied stories and strategies, but also the whole. Within this context, our body-mind becomes the vehicle for renegotiating our relationship with the world, both inside and out. Otherwise, instead of exploring our growing edge, we may not even realize this possibility and simply reinforce the pattern that is holding us back. This can manifest in a wide spectrum of experiences, from feeling very comfortable and relaxed where we can drift away, to the other extreme of pushing our limits and even possibly traumatizing ourselves. Since every time we practice and every situation in life is different, it is essential to develop the capacity to differentiate the appropriate response in each moment. It is here that a crucial question arises - what is guiding us?

We will offer two workshops related to this theme this year; one in Sweden and one in Finland its also a key theme that we teach in the mentoring programs.