It's Time to Check In With Your Heart

Have I mentioned before that I love teaching about the chakras?  I've taught my chakra series for about ten years now, and it never disappoints.  This year is no exception. Last Thursday in Hatha was Anahata day, or 4th chakra, located at the heart center.  This is where we house grief.  And there is PLENTY of that to go around these days.  After class, several of us on Zoom stayed back and shared some tender moments. We realized how close to the surface our sadness is sometimes.  

• We are grandparents who have gone a year without seeing our grandchildren. 
• We are immunocompromised and scared everyday. 
• We miss dinners out with our friends.
• We miss hugs.
• We have deep sadness for our friends of color, our indigenous people, and all those who see themselves in danger and on the fringes of society.
• We're worried about our teens' development. 
• We fear we're losing our mind in isolation. 
• We mourn those we love who have passed this year.

I know there are MANY blessings that have come from this, and we will certainly build on the beautiful things that emerged.  But the heart chakra asks us to stop for a moment and acknowledge grief.  To let crying cleanse us.  To moan with purifying sound. To sigh in surrender to everything that has happened that is way out of our control.  

I encourage you to get in touch with your own grief from this year.  It's probably not too hard to access.  Try this:

1. Create a little pocket of time for yourself.
2. Sit quietly and use your fingertips to tap your sternum and chest while you deepen your breath.
3. Stack your hands on your heart, breathe, and listen within. You can even ask of your heart, "How are you?"
4. Write what you hear or speak it in prayer or offering.  

Remember, grief is not bad.  It is simply the resulting feeling of having and then losing.  It's only a problem if it goes unacknowledged.  It then becomes a heaviness, a deadness, or a sharpness like a thorn.  Remove it so you can breathe and live happy! 

If you'd like to hear my opening chat about all things Anahata from class this week, I include it in this week's PODCAST.  

Also, the Winter Solstice is coming this weekend!  We will change from longest nights to increasingly longer days.  Tej Arvind and I are getting so excited to create an opportunity to acknowledge the year gone by and prepare for the year ahead--it only gets better!  Join us for our Solstice celebration, Renew to Balance: The Synergy of Chakras and Planets. 

As always, hop into Hatha any time. You can keep the chakras through January 9, even if you just join for the month.  www.jessgoulding.com/store.

May you know your heart, listen to your heart, and free your heart of the thorns of grief so you may live happily in the now. 

Much love,

Jess