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Published by Sally Steele on March 22, 2023

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Yoga & Circle at the Lake – Past Event

August 7, 2021 @ 8:00 am – 5:00 pm ADT

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sacredcircles.yoga
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Clearing – Martha Postlethwaite

Do not try to save
the whole world
or do anything grandiose.
Instead, create
a clearing
in the dense forest
of your life
and wait there
patiently,
until the song
that is your life
falls into your own cupped hands
and you recognize and greet it.
Only then will you know
how to give yourself to this world
so worthy of rescue.

Some spring vibes for you.. have a lovely day, I hope you may find a clearing here and there. Thanks to @anatomy.of.bliss for this image  #readytobloom #poetryforthesoul #selflovejourney #sacrecirclesyoga
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Here are some beautiful words to kick off your Monday, along with some possible reflection prompts and a beautiful image from the recent retreat I co-led…

“It is a paradox that we encounter so much internal noise when we first try to sit in silence.

It is a paradox that experiencing pain releases pain.

It is a paradox that keeping still can lead us so fully into life and being.

Our minds do not like paradox.

We want things to be clear, so we can maintain our illusions of safety.

We each possess a deeper level of being, however, which loves paradox.

It knows that all of life shimmers in shades of becoming— that shadow and light are always together, the visible mingled with the invisible.”

 —Gunilla Norris   

Some possible reflection prompts-

How is paradox showing up in your life and work right now?

What’s possible when you are able to hold multiple truths (paradox) together?

How can your other ways of knowing (heart, gut, body) support you in holding paradox in your life?
Image by @_vitaminbea_ #lovepoetry #loveparadox #innerknowing #workyoulove #listeningwithin #sacredcirclesyoga #holdingcomplexity #otherwaysofknowing
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Silence and being still can feel awkward at first, especially in a group because we are so used to being busy.. but it’s a beautiful way to access our own inner wisdom.

In the yoga tradition, this wisdom is called dhi and refers to an inner voice of higher wisdom that knows and is capable of guiding us through life’s challenges.  Or Buddhists call it our Inner Bodhisattva.  Parker Palmer says it doesn’t matter so much what we call it, but its helpful to recognize that it exists in us. 

Circles of Trust give people a chance to listen to this source, learn from it and discover what it has to say about their own lives. 

​I’m hoping you might find a few quiet moments to yourself on this beautiful Sunday. Drop a heart if you could do with a few moments of peace xo
#circlesoftrust #sacredcirclesyoga #silencequotes #silenceisgolden #innerwisdom
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What is something you wished for awhile ago & have now?

Sharing a bad hairdo, some goofy xc moves and a tender story…

Climbing a mountain isn’t everyone’s idea of a vacation, but we love it…

& I haven’t been able to do it for several years now due to an injury..

Such a long rehab and lots of uncertainty about what I could do again..

Lots of wishing for more possibilities like this..

& here are I am- working through the fear and back at it!!

So happy and grateful to have made it the top!
#travel #fun #smile #motivation #selfcare #sacredcirclesyoga #littlebylittle
#ilovewinter
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Had one of these lovelies greet me in the morning.

Here is a poem for you too.. 
And what did you do on earth?
I descended daily into the hush – if only for a moment but sometimes for blessed hours at a time.
I followed the shimmering threads which lured me into the night, full of wonder at all that was unfolding. I opened myself wide to gratitude,
to the delight that there was anything at all, much less pink-petaled peonies
and generous handfuls of red berries,
the incredible sweetness of things,
or the way dawn and dusk could reveal my own new thresholds,
how a walk by the sea can change everything,
and that I could be so well loved, and love in return, that I could dance on the earth’s forest floor
and say “yes” to life from the belly of sorrow.
And what was the best of it?
I was saved by beauty again and again,

From Theo Dorgan’s poem, The Angel of Days  photo by patricebouchard #dailygratitudepractice #gratefulheart #lovethislife
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Remembering joy and childlike wonder in those special moments helps us to also find it in the everyday #childlikewonder #findingjoy #findingjoyeveryday #skiingisfun #happymoments
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A Circle of Trust creates space where we can explore this inner knowing.. where it’s okay to be quiet and listen more to our own heart and minds, rather than always wonder or worry about what other people are thinking and saying. 

This can feel a bit daunting at first because we don’t always get a chance to still ourselves & slow down in this busy world, however when we do, it opens up new perspectives and new ways of understanding. 

Sometimes we uncover answers within ourselves in this setting that we have often looked for in vain elsewhere. this helps us to feel a sense of where we are truly at & who we really are at our core, which can be so clarifying, nourishing and empowering.

It’s a unique approach/ space, we often say it’s a counter-cultural space, counter to our dominant culture and ways of being. It’s really about listening and speaking inwardly–not to impress or demonstrate a certain level of knowledge and experience but rather understand ourselves on a more intimate level.
#circlesoftrust #innerwisdom #silenceisgolden
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May I be Lit
May I be Light
May I be Love

May I be true
Be seen
Be me

Fully
Luminously
Whole 
…….
Thank you @tara_in_vermont for these beautiful words. They came at a perfect moment…
#poemoftheday #poetrylovers #luminousbeauty #dailyinspiration #gratitudes
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“A tree can only be a strong as the forest that surrounds it”
Peter Wohlleben

So beyond grateful for this community experience over the past few days, spending time with other planners, researchers and conservationists talking about climate grief, biodiversity loss and all the complexities that come with being on the front lines of this and of being human.. we enjoyed mindfulness, we learnt about how to ask great questions, as well as skills around deep listening. It was so great to connect with each other, with the land and with ourselves…. This is such an incredible way of being together! 
#circlesoftrust #sacredcirclesyoga
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Beyond excited and grateful to be Co-leading the retreat with brian Braganza of @tandemtruths for those working in the fields of land, conservation and climate change. Enjoying the beauty @merseychalets with some wonderful people. Thanks to @merseytobeatic and @rcfofns and the Joan Feynman climate action grant for making this happen! #dreamsdocometrue #lovemyjob
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Just for now
without asking how, let yourself sink into stillness.
​
Just for now, lay down the weight 
You so patiently bear upon your shoulders.

Feel the earth receive you, 
And the infinite expanse of the sky grow even wider,
as your awareness reaches up to meet it.

Just for now,
Allow the wave of breath to enliven your experience.
Breathe out whatever blocks you from the truth.

Just for now,
Be boundless, free, 
with awakened energy tingling in your hands and feet.

Drink in the possibility 
Of being who and what you really are-
So fully alive that the world looks different, 
Newly born and vibrant, just for now.​
​​
​- Danna Faulds, Just For Now​
Open
To say we live in a polarized world might be an understatement. It doesn’t take long for people to size one another up. On what side of an issue do you land? Are you a liberal or a conservative? Do you believe our planet is in trouble with climate change and biodiversity loss or does talking about it make you want to head for the hills?

The problem isn’t that humans disagree with one another, or that we take sides and debate. The problem is that as humans become more and more polarized in their reasoning, more either/or in their thinking, we begin to lose our ability to be empathic, to recognize the essential value of one another, to realize a person is more than their opinion, and we lose the capacity for nuanced thinking. Things are either this or that, you are with us or against us.

The journey we take in a Circle of Trust is one of turning to wonder when the going gets tough.. by turning to curiosity rather than judgment when we feel reactive can open us to new insights and possibilities. 

Ask yourself, “I wonder why they feel/think this way?” or “I wonder what my reaction teaches me about myself?” 

If you feel yourself ‘being rubbed the wrong way’ today, see if you can catch yourself and notice it.. Notice it and see if you can give yourself and the other person some compassion before you say something ‘off the cuff’..

If we can set aside judgment to listen to others—and to ourselves — more deeply, It can be a totally different conversation.

I have not got it figured out by any stretch but it’s a fun (& helpful) thing to keep learning…

Sending love to you all xoxo #circlesoftrust #courageandrenewal #gettingcurious #selfcompassion #curiosity


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