Develop deeper wisdom, compassion, self-love and courage through this Yin Yoga sequence that features poses to balance the Gallbladder and Kidney meridians.
Release fear, anxiety and stress in this 75 minute sequence.
To listen to music with this class, try this playlist.
Watch more Yin Yoga Videos Here.
Warmly,
Meredith
By this time, I imagine a lot of you are “sheltering in place” at home because of the coronavirus. Sonoma County measures went into effect last night.
Like many of you, I’ve navigated the ups, the downs and the fears of these uncertain times. My heart is with you. As I’ve gone through all the feelings, coming back to my center through meditation practices, I’ve begun to find the gifts of what is being asked of us right now.
I feel on a deeper level this is the “wake up” so many of us have been praying for. The thing is, people don't often change when everything is going great. When the economy is booming, when all seems well…we just keep pushing ahead.
There have been some deep messages that have been trying to come through to many of us, but there hasn’t been space for them. We’ve been so distracted, filling up our to-do lists and schedules, traveling the world, and being around other people so often.
This is an opportunity to reflect. To empty out our schedules. To be with ourselves. To take the time to deeply listen.
It doesn’t feel like a mistake that for years I’ve been talking about the return of the sacred feminine and in this moment we are all being asked to halt our lives, work from home, and cancel our plans.
The feminine has been waiting for us. The feminine is all about being, breathing, feeling, accepting, allowing, surrendering.
She has been waiting for us to have a quiet enough moment to receive the messages that want to come through. But for that, we need empty space.
For a long time our culture has put the focus and praise on productivity, despite the dwindling resources of our planet, despite the cutting down of the forests and the ill treatment of animals.
We’re being asked to slow down and reflect. What have we been doing?
Now is an opportunity to change course.
I invite you to ask, Where do I really want to focus my time? My energy? My resources?
Here are 8 messages I’ve received that I feel are the true gifts and invitations of this time…
As plans are shifting and changing and there is so much uncertainty there’s going to be a desire to distract yourself - with the news, with Netflix, with social media.
What if instead you let yourself go to the depths of what you are feeling?
What if you actually let yourself get bored?
What if you saw the gift in slowing down?
When we are in a state of endless productivity, there’s no room for innovation.
I remember a few years ago during the winter I felt the call to go inward and intentionally took a month off all social media and email. It was so liberating. New ideas and creativity were able to emerge because I gave myself the gift of empty space. I took time to take good care of my body, to eat healthy food, to meditate, breathe and surrender.
Now that we are being given an opportunity to let go and slow down, will you take it? Will you honor the essence of the feminine? Or will you carry on distracting yourself with constant information from the outside world?
As I watched so many of us being asked to let go of travel plans, and events I realized that a lot of us say yes unconsciously. Because the default has been to be out and about, gathering with others, there’s a natural momentum to keep that going.
After I worked through my feelings of sadness around canceling and postponing events I planned on attending and hosting, I felt free to make choices from a clean slate.
Now we have the opportunity to ask:
What hasn’t been working in my life?
What am I ready to let go of?
The coronavirus has been an opportunity for us to cancel and let go of things without all the stigma of letting people down. The choice is completely respected and understood.
So what have you been holding on to? And what do you want to give yourself permission to let go of at this time?
Where have you been putting your sense of security? In your retirement account? In your relationship? In your job? In essence, all is impermanent. All will arise and pass away.
Everything in this material world is impermanent. At the end of our lives, we can’t take any of it with us - our money, our homes, our partners, our children. It is the deepest letting go.
So where have you been placing your sense of security?
In this times, I have discovered a deeper sense of security in myself. In my breath. In my communion with the divine. In the guiding force within my own heart.
This time is here to shatter illusions and false senses of security and help us find more stable ground to rely on.
…Your relationship with the divine. The love you hold for yourself. That is something that no one can take away from you.
As we have been asked to implement social distancing, avoiding hugs or hand-shaking, I’ve been reflecting on how much I’ve been unconsciously engaging in touch with others simply because of social norms.
If I’m totally honest, I haven’t been completely comfortable with how much hugging is the social norm where I live. This has been an opportunity for me to look at what I’m really comfortable with and not comfortable with, and to speak and honor my boundaries rather than unconsciously adhere to social norms.
It’s also been an opportunity to communicate with friends and loved ones if it doesn’t feel like the best time to see each other and engage.
Consent is so important, and we are being asked to step into even greater integrity and alignment with each other, and also to respect other people’s wishes and boundaries without taking it personally.
Where have you had blurry boundaries? and what boundaries do you want to implement now?
If you’ve been quietly watching on the sidelines, knowing you have something important to share, but holding back out of fear of what others will think of you, now is the time to share.
We need to balance all the fear in the collective consciousness with light. There are many light workers on the planet at this time, but we need all of us to be spreading our messages of hope. The way you share it, and the people you reach will be completely unique, and it is needed.
Now is the time to put service in front of our fear. To take the time to write, to sing, to create art, and to share it in the world.
Where have you been hiding? What are you ready to share now? What messages are emerging through you? And how can you cultivate the courage to be seen and heard?
Along with letting go, this time is a powerful opportunity to simplify our lives and live with greater intention.
Here are some actions I’ve taken to simplify my life right now:
I turned off notifications for instagram and facebook on my phone
I committed to at least 20 min of morning meditation with Insight Timer
I deleted news apps and stock apps from my phone. If I need to be informed or look something up, I’ll type in “nytimes.com" into the URL instead
I am taking daily nature walks outside around my home, and being fully present with the sunsets
I am creating space for projects that have been on the back burner (I have some new ideas for the podcast, and my partner and I are also building a sauna on the land here)
If you have the privilege of having a home and enough food right now, allow this time to be an opportunity to come back to the simple things ~ cooking meals, spending time in nature. Many people also do not have this privilege, so we can also think about ways we can be of service and devoting time and resources to those in need.
So many of us have been brought up to the edge of our deepest fears in these last few weeks. Together we are moving through a great collective initiation. Think of other initiations that happen: a vision quest where someone goes for days without food or water, giving birth, one is brought right to the edge of their fear of death. Their fear of not having enough.
The messages I’ve been receiving are that these fears are actually illusion. Death is a deep coming homeland when we are not living in fear of it we are able to experience the joy, connection and love available to us in this moment.
When we face our fears and our deepest challenges head on, we are liberated.
I’ll say that again: When we face our fear, we are liberated from it.
One of the easiest ways to raise your vibration and the collective field is to remember what you have and what you are grateful for.
Lately I’ve been feeling grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to travel in my life. Grateful for having a home and enough food.
Many people do not have these things. As humans we are so conditioned to focus on the negative. To see the glass half empty. But we also have the power to change that around and to control the mind.
When you start shifting into lack and scarcity, remember what you DO have. Write a list. Let yourself feel gratitude for it. Allow it to be authentic, real and embodied. And notice the energy shift.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, I know it was a long one! I’m grateful for you being here, for being part of my community and I am sending you love during this challenging time.
If you are still navigating the ups and downs of fear, I invite you to read this message I received from Mary Magdalene. I’ve been sharing messages like this on my instagram.
In the comments I’d love to hear, what will you implement? What did you find helpful?
With love,
Meredith
I’ve had both a challenging and exhilarating relationship with public speaking - from growing up absolutely dreading it and avoiding it at all costs, to discovering that when I am finally up there and doing it, I have a lot to share, and am been able to make a meaningful impact.
Today’s guest Johanna Walker shares her story of growing up on the more shy and quiet side only to discover the profound presence and power of her voice on stage. She went on to craft a powerful talk about her journey of navigating grief after growing older and one day realizing she would never become a mother. It was through hearing another woman’s story that she could relate to that pulled her out of the grief and into a mission of telling her own story and supporting others to do the same. She now encourages all of us to tell the stories we never thought we would want to tell because of how much they may help someone else.
There are many powerful take-aways in today’s episode ~ I hope you enjoy it.
In this episode we discussed:
Johanna’s story of moving through grief after never having children, and how she crafted a moving talk that touched the hearts of many
The power of storytelling in sharing your message
How to tap into charisma and presence
Johanna’s story of growing up as the quiet girl to embodying a powerful stage presence through sharing poetry and talks, to her life now as a teacher for public speaking
Johanna’s process of finding your “genie gem” ~ the essence of what will make your talk most meaningful and memorable
How becoming a powerful speaker influenced Johanna’s relationship to fear
Stay in Touch with Johanna:
Johanna Walker is the fear-blasting, storytelling maven for coaches, consultants, leaders, and change-makers. She’s the founder of Women Who Speak, a transformational speaker coaching program for female leaders, and she’s the co-founder and co-host of Boulder, Colorado’s popular bi-monthly story slam series, Truth Be Told. In addition to her work as a speaker and coach, Johanna has written and performed solo theater pieces that she’s toured throughout the US and Canada. She holds an M.Ed. from Kent State University, an MFA from Naropa University, and is a certified WholeSpeak Public Speaking Coach.
That was a question I asked myself 5 years ago when I was living in NYC applying to jobs to work behind a computer 40 hours a week. I knew I needed something more, so I followed my intuition and booked a one-way ticket to California.
Following our intuition is a challenging process, but I promise you it's worth working through. I recently wrote a 4 step process to help you live the life you *actually* want and was lucky enough to be featured on Elephant Journal.
In the comments, I'd love to hear, are you living the life you actually want? If you're struggling to take that next step toward freedom, start today! Set your intention and watch the magic unfold.
---
However, I see many of the same women held back by fear, self-doubt and limiting beliefs.
I see women full with creative ideas but lacking the structure and support to fully execute them. I also see women struggling to fully express themselves and believe in their power.
Growing up, I knew I had a big message to share, but I had trouble speaking up and expressing myself. In high school and college, when all eyes were on me, I would freeze and have trouble finding my voice.
Then, five years ago it became more important to me to become a yoga teacher than to let this fear run my life.
Since then, everything has changed.
I left New York City to move to California and I traveled in India for six months by myself. I started sharing my voice and little by little, gained confidence as a teacher and leader.
Now, life is magical. I teach yoga, lead retreats, give speeches and am even writing a book. I find myself finally living beyond fear. Since starting my business, I’ve guided women from all over the world manifest a new vision for their life. What I’ve seen is:
It takes willingness to face a fear, again and again.
As much as I wanted to avoid it, I realized in order to create the life of my dreams, I had to do what scared me.
People who are living their dreams were willing to step outside of their comfort zone. Somewhere along the line, they had to take a risk. It was really scary for me to move to California, start my business and teach yoga and lead workshops. But the thing is, I was able to work up to it. I gave myself small steps to gain confidence.
Here are four keys that helped me along the way...keep reading here.
Photo taken at Burning Man, 2015
Last month on the Winter Solstice, I was invited to sing in front of 150 people. I arrived, a little nervous, but confident in my offering. I sat with my harmonium, poised with a microphone near my mouth and my instrument. I welcomed the group into a meditation and began to sing, "Ong Namo Gurudev Namo."
I finished the song feeling proud. I did it, I thought. The moment I had been anticipating for weeks was over. I did it. The brief moment in time felt so surreal.
I realized that if I had been asked to sing in front of a group this size a year ago, I would have been terrified. Expressing myself through my voice, especially singing, has been one of life's biggest challenges and greatest gifts.
I remember struggling to introduce myself in front of a small group of people in high school and freaking out before presentations in college. I always felt like a deer in the headlights and struggled to find my breath and voice.
The fear of sharing my voice was actually what inspired me to become a yoga teacher. I remember admiring my teacher in New York, gracefully walking across the room while powerfully commanding the yogis from one pose to the next. Could I ever be like that? I thought.
I was introduced to the harmonium by another yoga teacher, Kimber Simpkins, who opened and closed every class singing with the harmonium. As I began to use my voice, I felt the vibration in my body and began to discover the sound inside me. As I watched her, confident and poised, I again asked, Could I ever be like that?
Soon after discovering Kimber's classes, I fell in love with a musician. Watching him sing so beautifully in front of a crowd brought out all the insecurities inside me.
Every time I went to watch him perform, I felt more nervous than he did. I realized this fear was telling me something: maybe it was time for me to share my voice. I then discovered this quote from Eleanor Roosevelt:
Courage is more exhilarating than fear and in the long run it is easier. We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down.
I began to make small steps to face the fear. First, I started teaching yoga classes. Every time I stood in front of the room as a teacher, I became more confident in myself and my voice. Each step I took to face the fear gave me the courage to go further.
I remember the first time I sang in front of my boyfriend, terrified at what he would think. My fingers were shaking on the guitar. I had him close his eyes because I felt so exposed. It was uncomfortable, yes, but I survived, and in the end, I received praise. I felt proud of myself.
That sense of pride kept me going.
My boyfriend encouraged me to step out of my shell. One night, I asked if he would sing with me around the fire at a friend's house. I felt the nervousness arise as I held the guitar, but I sang anyway. It wasn't perfect, but again, I was praised.
A few months later, I was at a full moon ceremony to release fear. As each person spoke, I knew this was the step I needed to take again and again to develop my strength. In the ceremony, I shared the fears I carried around my voice and did the thing that scared me most: I sang with the harmonium in front of the entire group.
There I was, years later, embodying the teachers I had looked up to most.
Every time I faced my fear and shared my voice, a new door opened from the universe. Opportunities and invitations came, and my confidence grew. Eventually, I was led to the sacred moment at the Winter Solstice to share my voice with more people than I ever had before.
Every step of the way, I was being prepared.
Every step of the way, I had to trust myself that I was ready.
Through that trust, I have seen the universe open doors for me that I am ready for. I see women all around me answering the call to rise up in their power, their divine femininity and their voice. I have answered the call and am now encouraging other women to feed the flames, discover their power and stand strong in their voices.
If you are out there and have ever felt afraid to speak up, afraid to sing, or afraid to share, know that you're not alone. I've been there and I can tell you from my experience: when opportunity comes knocking, trust in it. The universe is only going to present you with opportunities you are ready for; you can say yes, even when there is fear.
Your voice is ready.
Deep down, you know it is. All you have to do is say yes.
From the moment I left my stressed out life in New York City over four years ago to get on a plane and start a new life in San Francisco, I realized how much courage it really takes to follow your heart.
Anytime I have slowed down enough to listen, I have had to consciously learn to release self-doubt and trust in the process. When I went to India by myself on a one-way ticket with a 6-month VISA, it was the same. When I started my business with no clients and only a few months of rent in my bank account, it was the same. When I sang in front of my boyfriend (who is a professional musician) for the first time, it was the same. And in the times I have felt overwhelmed with so much to do, but have consciously stopped to honor my body, stretch, breathe and make a healthy meal to take care of myself, it was the same.
And today, I want to tell you: Self-doubt is a natural part of the process. When you are following your heart, even if it is to simply take care of yourself, self-doubt will be there.
I recently read an amazing blog post from KC Baker about birthing her baby boy. As she was in the moment of labor saying to herself, "I just can't do this!" Her midwife turned to her and said, "KC, you ARE doing this."
Tonight, I invite you to explore your dreams and desires and find the courage within yourself to slow down, let go of the to-dos, and listen to those dreams.
This evening marks the Autumn Equinox, and the first class in my 6-week series, Yin Yoga & Harmonium in Sebastopol. We will be singing, releasing self-doubt and cultivating courage to follow our heart. There will be live music for the entire class by Michael Zeligs. I hope to see you there.
And for those of you who would love to be there, but live elsewhere, join my email list below and stay tuned for a surprise I will be sending to you next week...
Love, Meredith
I sat in the corner doing pranayama while my fellow teacher trainees gathered up their courage to teach.
Ever since my first yoga class, I felt inspired by my teachers, powerfully leading their class through the sequences. The thought of becoming a yoga teacher myself was terrifying, but I also had a little bit of excitement when I imagined it.
When it came time to give a presentation in middle school or high school, I had trouble finding my breath. I realized it was my body’s way of protecting me from the possible embarrassment of speaking up. However, by college I saw how this fear was holding me back in all areas of my life.
After four years of dedicating myself to my yoga practice, my curiosity and excitement about teaching grew, so I packed up my bags and went to Mexico for my first teacher training, ready to face my fear.
The supportive people in my training helped me begin to unlock the fear, but when my turn came to get up in front of the room to teach, I was shaking.
Fortunately, this time was different. The deep breathing practices I had learned in the training helped me find my breath, and I stood knowing everyone in the room wanted me to succeed. As I began to speak, I surprised myself with how much I knew and how poised I felt in the seat of the teacher. I discovered a new side of myself I didn’t know was there before.
Over the years, I’ve taken this to heart and learned that when I feel fear (and a little bit of excitement), life is presenting me with an opportunity to grow.
I learned that we experience fear when we encounter an unfamiliar experience. When I faced my fear over and over again, it became easier each time.
Not only did it become easier, but it became enjoyable.
Unfortunately, after my training, my familiar fears crept in and I felt like I was right back where I started. I had a little bit of courage knowing I had done it before, so I decided the only way to get rid of my fear of teaching was to simply go out and do it, again and again.
I now teach five of my own classes each week. Facing this fear has prompted me to face other fears in my life, knowing I am fully capable.
I know how hard it can be to start out teaching, so I compiled this list to share the most important steps I took that helped me break through my initial fear.
When I started telling people about my fear, it took away its power.
Before I started speaking about my fear, the fear was just in my mind, and I had no escape from it. However, when I started sharing with people about my fear of public speaking, I started finding solutions. I met other yoga teachers with similar fears when they were first starting to teach and I started feeling less alone.
It was so refreshing to get the fear out of my mind and into a conversation.
When I started speaking my fear, one friend recommended I see a voice teacher.
I liked the idea, so decided to take lessons. My teacher showed me how to use my breath lower in my diaphragm and taught me exercises to strengthen my voice.
After several years of teaching I began meeting other women who had completed a yoga teacher training but had not yet started teaching, so I created a program for new yoga teachers to openly share their fears, strengthen their voice and practice teaching. I called it the Young Women’s Yoga Sangha and started offering the program in the Bay Area. I saw that when these women talked about their fear, they were intimately supported by each other, and that support gave them the courage to face it.
When I didn’t have anyone to talk to about my goals and dreams, my mind started telling me, “I’m not good enough, I don’t know enough, I can’t do this…” and almost convinced me not to do it.
Having a consistent supportive people in my life encouraging me, made the next steps so much easier.
I did not go out and face my biggest fear right away; I started small.
I taught my family and a couple close friends. I then felt ready to face the fear in front of strangers after having those key positive experiences first.
Every time I took a step to face my fear, I celebrated my success and reminded myself of those successes every time I felt afraid to move forward.
Before having a regular teaching schedule, my story was, “I can’t do this, I have never been good at talking in front of groups, and therefore I will never will be good at it.”
This was not even true! Just saying it out loud felt crazy. It was a story my mind made up to keep me “playing small.”
When we live in our story, we tend to procrastinate. We’ll be on Facebook, check our email again and again, or distract ourselves with food, alcohol, sex or anything else we can use to avoid taking action.
So how did I get out of my story?
First, I recognized that there was a story, then I wrote it down until it had no meaning anymore. I saw the words, and what it really was, a story.
Make a choice to write a new story, and remind yourself of that story every time you see your old story play out. Be held accountable, speak the story, and write the story as much as you need to see all it is is a story, and then let it go.
In the book Daring Greatly, Brene Brown talks about cultivating the bravery to just be in the arena. Being in the arena shows you are living in alignment with your values.
No matter what the outcome is, you are daring greatly and living your truth of courage.
When I faced my fear, connected to what I value and wrote a new story, I learned that whatever the outcome was, I was setting an example and becoming an inspiration just by taking action.
The biggest step I took to face my fear was ask, “Why is it important for me to face this fear?” and “Why is it important for me to make this next step?”
When I asked “Why?” I saw that the purpose of teaching was actually more important than my fear.
It became painful not to share the knowledge I had learned. I saw it wasn’t about me anymore.
When I approached my fear from this place of service to myself, and all the people who could benefit from my teaching, it became much easier to feel the fear and do it anyway.
I took a yoga class with one of my favorite Bay Area teachers this Sunday, Kimber Simpkins. Her theme this class delved into darkness, in order to find more light. She told us about an article she had read, about a woman in Australia in Hospice care who wrote a book called, The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying.
She read each of them aloud to us before the class, and reminded us throughout. Read them through, and ask yourself, do I fit into these? How can I make a positive change in that area of my life?
From the blog inspirationandchai.com:
1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.
It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.
2. I wish I didn't work so hard.
This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.
By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.
3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.
We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.
It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.
When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.
Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.
You can read the inspiration for this article here
