Remembering to be free

Last week I had an opportunity to attend a five-day retreat with my teacher Suniti. For the first three days we didn’t do any yoga asana; instead, we did a lot of meditation and all kinds of movement practices and processes including improvisational dance, Qi Gong, continuum and somatic healing techniques. We cultivated and deepened the capacity to listen to our bodies and we created a safe space to release sounds or expressions as our somas (bodies) needed. It was magical, quite unusual and completely rejuvenating. This special experience in yoga community brought me closer to my authentic-self and closer to the present moment.

As we moved unusually and danced freely I became more open to receive the beautiful teachings that were being offered. Through the dharma talks, pranayama, yoga asana, dance, continuum and somatic healing techniques, I rededicated to the work of unwinding my patterns and attachments while developing compassion for this Wild human experience. The most important teaching I took home is the reminder of our innate need to interrelate in Sangha or community. I truly believe that through our yoga practice we can deepen our relationship to ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually which ultimately leads to more nourishing relationships to each other and our environment. When we have community, we can feel safe to be our unusual, weird, wild, imperfect, and authentic selves; a truly enchanting experience indeed.