There is a palpable shift in the air as we enter springtime and vaccinations are rolling out. We can see the light and not just after a long winter but after a seemingly, never ending last year. We've been yearning for an end to this pandemic, and now that there are signs that it is within our reach, there is a huge sense of relief - but also a bit of trepidation
I have felt for myself and heard from so many of you how you've actually really enjoyed this slowing down period and have quite a bit of fear in resuming life as we once did. We've had time to reflect on our lives - what worked and what didn't, and the idea of going back to exactly how things once were does not appeal to most of us. And here's the thing; we don't need to.
Just in the last week, invitations have started to trickle in and I've been asked to make some future commitments. And what I normally would say yes to I'm finding is now a resounding no for me. Saying no doesn't typically come easy to me for concern of disappointing people, but the reflection of the last year has helped to tune me into what my body and mind are saying is right for me right now.
I use this invaluable tool called the ‘whole body yes' introduced to me by my friend and coach, Annmarie Chereso and based on the conscious leadership work of Jim Dethmer and Diana Chapman. The idea is before you commit to something or someone is seeing first if you have a whole body yes. We often say yes when we actually want to say no and sometimes vice versa. Our minds and egos often play tricks on us, so this practice teaches you how to check in with your body and bodily sensations to find the true answer.
The yoga practice is an incredible tool to quiet the mind and tap into our body's sensations to understand how we are truly feeling. Once we have an awareness of what's going on inside then we can take it a step further to ask 'what is the message my body is sending me? Cultivating awareness of those sensations and trusting the body as a messenger is the practice. Using that message to make decisions - great or small is where the ‘whole body yes' is particularly useful.
Amy Owen
Yoga Instructor + Birth Coach
