Nurture

Nurture

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This essay is in response to Beth Kempton’s Soul Circle topic this week-Nurture

“While human nature largely determines how we hear the notes, it is nurture that lets us hear the music.” Jonah Lehrer

And The Great Mother said:

Come my child & give me all that you are.

I am not afraid of your strength & darkness, of your fear & pain.

Give me your tears. They will be my rushing rivers & roaring oceans.

Give me your rage. It will erupt into my molten volcanoes & rolling thunder.

Give me your tired spirit. I will lay it to rest in my soft meadows.

Give me your hopes & dreams. I will plant a field of sunflowers & arch rainbows in the sky.

You are not too much for me, my arms & heart welcome your truthfulness.

There is room in my world for all of you, all that you are.

I will cradle you in the boughs of my ancient redwoods & the valleys of my gentle rolling hills.

My soft winds will send you lullabies & soothe your burdened heart.

Release your deep pain.

You are not alone & you never have been alone.

Linda Reuther

I am a nurturer.

During a Yoga Teacher Training practice session, Norma, a classmate, said, “You are like a mother duck taking care of her babies.” I was born with the desire to nurture and take care of others: my children, my grandchildren, my students-it’s in my genes. It’s in all our genes, as is the requirement to be nurtured. Autumn nurtures my soul with its gradual release of the summer’s growth so that the plants’ lifeblood recedes into the earth to nurture next year’s life emerging. We nurture the earth from which we receive all things as we avoid pollution and keep the soil healthy. Women need nurturing in circle, a ritual as old as time.

“How might your life have been different if there had been a place for you, a place for you to go to be with your mother, with your sisters and the aunts, with your grandmothers, and the great- and great-great-grandmothers, a place for women to go, to be, to return to, as woman?” Judith Duerk

We need mentors, those women who nurture our sovereignty, our spirits, and our bravery as we navigate our patriarchal world, and teach our daughters the lessons we learned so intensely in the hopes that they would not have to do the same. These are the women I admire, who have nurtured my voice and my heart so that I can do the work of growing stronger every day: Mother Maya, an Indian saint who has spent her life fostering health, wellness and interfaith understanding; MC Richards-poet, potter and author who encouraged creativity in everyone she met; Angela Farmer-a yogini who devised a non-lineage style of yoga that honors the Divine Feminine; Brooke Medicine Eagle-indigenous author and teacher guiding women to their authenticity; and Sierra Bender-an international leader in women’s empowerment. These are my ladies. Through extensive study under their guidance, I rediscovered my connection to the Earth and her gifts. They nurtured my return to intuitive action, a deep honoring of feminine values & qualities, and a lifeforce based in living within the dictates of nature. This has allowed me to teach yoga based on these concepts. Rather than philosophy & intellectual machinations I offer deep experiential nurturing of the Women’s Way, the Divine Feminine, the Goddess.

Besides weekly yoga classes & an accompanying weekly email, I teach several courses through email. I offer them here for your consideration. If you have questions, please let me know in the comments.

A Year of Self-Care-instituting self-compassion, boundaries, and celebration to make self-care a habit.

Living From the Inside Out-embodiment, balance and healing to live authentically every day.

Developing Your Practice-a home practice workbook leading to a personal experience of yoga every day.

Water Your Soul-inspiration for a life well-lived.

Nurturing myself through learning, resting, experiencing nature, and enjoying time with those I love, (cousin’s gathering this past weekend strengthened familial relationships and honored those from whom we arose), I deepen my relationship with myself and my world. Let’s talk about how we nurture ourselves, and how we’d like to nurture ourselves in the future. I look forward to reading your comments.