Love & Awe

Listen with your heart, you will understand.

- Disney’s Pocahontas

My dear friends,

I had a hard time coming up with a newsletter this week. I usually look at what’s happening in the news, in the weather, or on the calendar. I might find a poem or quote that I want to share. But this week, each time that I sat at my computer I was frustrated with what I was writing. I was overwhelmed by all of the sadness and hatred happening right now. You don’t need my take on current events, the news outlets have that covered.

Yep, there’s a lot of terrible stuff happening right now. I can’t ignore it. I also know that I can’t fix everything that’s wrong with the world, our government, or the environment.

It feels too overwhelming.

So I decided to write what I know about instead. Yoga.

Yoga reminds us that we are all interconnected. Our time on the mat teaches us to connect body, mind, and breath. From those connections within, we are able to connect to our higher selves, our greater selves. And then with our community and our world.

We are focused on the yoga of awe this month. That idea of being very present and aware. Let’s continue that practice. When we're experiencing awe, we might feel small and insignificant when confronted with something so awe-filled. This is the place where we begin to understand that we’re all connected to something bigger, something more important. This is the place where we can start to work towards a common outcome. This is the place where we can begin to make changes.

We are not helpless. We can continue to take tiny steps to change things. We can offer kindness; we can send those ripples of love out into the universe. It's never easy, but each step that we take can make a difference. Whether we use our checkbook, our words, or our actions, we can change the world around us.

And then the overwhelming feeling can be subdued.

Awe demands our presence.

Be present.

Be aware.

Be in awe.

Love & Awe,

Nina G