“Mysteriously, wonderfully, I bid farewell to what goes, I greet what comes; for what comes cannot be denied, what goes cannot be detained.”
CHUaNG TSU
Chuang Tsu, a Chinese philosopher who lived some 2,000 years ago, makes it sound so easy.
But what if the bidding farewell of what’s leaving and the greeting of what comes weren’t so much a measure of our so-called “enlightenment” or “wokeness” as an observation about the state of our nervous system?
Curiosity is one of the first casualties of fear. When we’re scared—or any of its emotional variations: worried, anxious, obsessive, ruminating…—it’s hard to be curious! That’s because our nervous system is doing the very understandable—if uncomfortable—job of keeping our bodies on high alert (or shutting down) in reaction to real or imagined danger.
The good news is that curiosity can be cultivated.
The other good news is that self-friendliness (researchers call it self-compassion) can be a practice.
The other, other good news is that your nervous system can change!
Would you like to join me tomorrow—New Year’s Day 2022—for a special edition of ReadySetPAUSE? An extra friendly body-oriented meditation class in which I guide you in cultivating friendliness and saying hello to what comes?
If you have any interest in beginning 2022 with care, comfort, and connection, then I can’t wait to see you there! Registration is open and available until 10:30 AM Eastern (class starts at 12 PM Eastern) on January 1.
See you in 2022!
xoHeidi
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