This month in class our theme is water and waves. Like the earth, approximately 70% of your body is made up of liquid and water, which gives it a numerical value of its importance. You might feel like you’re a fish out of water, trying to keep your head above water, or taking to an activity like a duck to water. Waters can be muddied, ideas don’t hold water or we can struggle through hell and high water. All of these phrases give a nod to our emotional connection to water, it’s a place of safety and sanctuary, a site of struggle and endurance, and it’s a space for deep reflection.
The very nature of emotion is to be in motion. Happiness, sadness, anger, grief, depression, fear… any and every combinations of these emotions is tied to your flow. We talk about feelings coming in waves and being flooded with feelings.
It’s essential to pay attention to your emotions since they’re an expression of your needs. The more you stifle them, the stronger they call to you. Over time, we’ve received messages to down play expressions of emotions, resulting in harm to our health and well-being. A healthy emotional response ebbs and flows in its intensity.
Trauma causes parts of ourselves to freeze which is a fantastic response to an unexpected event. However, staying frozen causes maladaptive behaviour, posture or feelings. In practicing together this month, you're accepting the invitation to stay fluid. In Taoism we're taught to be like water.
Classes will be both a deep dive and a drop in the ocean. We practice in person and via zoom every Wednesday 7.30-8.45pm. See you tonight!
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