*this blog is available in audio format. Just scroll to the bottom and hit play!
There is that saying about a journey of a thousand miles beginning with one step… it seems fitting for this moment. Yet, at the same time, if I’m honest, and if you’ll allow me to speak with some candor, the first step in this journey for me began a long time ago. Although I didn’t know there was a phrase for it at the time, even in my childhood I was aware of the connection between mind, body & spirit. I felt it. I quietly wondered what was wrong with other people that they weren’t speaking about it more freely. It seemed much more obvious and important than the things they did talk about… weather, politics, sports, etc… I understood that we speak to each other in general about the shared experiences of life that we find in things like the weather, etc. But when do we talk about all the things going on inside? When do I get to tell you that moving my hands in a certain way, or swaying my body, makes my heart sing? I had to learn that we do not.
But then I grew. And I found that what was happening to me is actually incredibly human. It is, in fact, an inseparable part of the human experience, even if many people have forgotten. We, as a species, we have not forgotten. All I was doing was remembering. In secret, I often think of my experiences as a teacher in this way… I am simply helping you to remember things you have forgotten.
Is that literally true? I don’t know. Does it matter? Not to me. It is a simple, short, and effective way to try to evoke a similar feeling in you. But in truth, the words will work or not work, but it will never be about them. It will never be about these words. It will only ever be about experience.
So, I’m excited. I have no idea where this part of the journey leads, but I never have! I just look forward to sharing it with you… whoever you are.
Welcome.
-Barbara.