We all need a safe space to practice being messy.
Happy Lugnasad or Lammas! Today marks the halfway point between summer and fall: a day where we in the Northern Hemisphere acknowledge the days have less light and the first harvest is celebrated.?
Our ancestors celebrated this midway point with feasts and rituals, in part, to address their underlying anxiety around getting the harvest in before the first frost. The push to harvest and preserve food before cold weather came was motivated by winters where there was not enough food to sustain families. Praying for a good crop, with the time to bring it in, was a common practice. Rituals which acknowledged the precariousness of life were opportunities for people to come together in community and feel less alone in their worries and fears.?
Shakti in the Mountains recognizes these worries and fears continue albeit with a modern slant. (Will I have enough money to buy what I need?) Consequently Shakti was founded on the premise that we have immunity in community. The events, workshops, and classes are all based on the premise that together we are better. Yes, we hope you learn something useful or fun while you are here, but more importantly, we hope you feel less alone.
Our goal is to cultivate an environment where we can build relationships that are based on respect, trust, and kindness.?
If this idea sounds both appealing and overwhelming, then know you are not alone. There are days when I would prefer to stay at home and avoid the messiness of human interactions. I, too, wish I could resolve the situation without having to say the hard thing, or worse, accidentality say the wrong thing. Wouldn’t it be lovely if the relationship or the situation would repair itself, I think. Then I remind myself that not doing or saying anything is a choice too, and usually not one in which I get the outcome I want.?
I firmly believe we need a space where we can practice being messy:?a space where we can try new ways of communicating or where we can show up without our armor, or at least not all of our armor. This is why I begin each circle I facilitate with the following guideline: No judgments or advice giving, rather you are encouraged to speak about what resonates within your heart.?
When we speak from our hearts, when we tune into our own responses, then we connect with a person.
Connection is so very different from judging the way a person is responding or telling a person how to respond. I think we judge because we fear becoming what we dislike, and I think we give advice to minimize the discomfort we feel when someone is suffering. Judging and advice-giving block connection. Being vulnerable and sharing how the behavior or words of another touched us deeply is how we get closer.?
In the 13 years Shakti in the Mountains has been open, I have had countless opportunities to practice speaking from the heart. Most of the time I choose to do so. When I choose not to speak from the heart, I get curious.
Here are some of the questions I ask myself:
The decision to be vulnerable and to speak from the heart also depends upon what grace, if any, is extended to you. When you are in a relationship or part of a community where you know you can make mistakes without being persecuted, then you have grace. The relationships where I grow the most are the ones in which I have the most grace.?
If you would like to practice being messy, if you would like to experience a community where grace is extended, then please come to a workshop, class, or event at Shakti in the Mountains. We do messy with food and fun and a lot of heart.?
Love, Kim
领英推荐
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Kim Bushore-Maki?is a soul-driven entrepreneur who understands the undeniable urge to create a business and a life filled with meaning and purpose. Her vision of opening a center where people could heal and grow led her to open?Shakti in the Mountains?in Johnson City, Tennessee: a place where the creative, feminine energy is nurtured and valued.
Kim is a licensed professional counselor and a yoga teacher. She completed the Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy program as well as the Shake Your Soul Yoga Dance program. Kim is very interested in somatic expressive therapy, archetypal psychology, gardening, herbalism, astrology, wisdom traditions, and regenerative economics.?
Kim continues to build and to support inclusive, vibrant communities. She spends most of her time mentoring leaders, guiding healing programs, and providing mental health counseling.?
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