What's Your Story?

"Life unfolding, as it is, is the only holiness that I know of." - U.G. Krishnamurti

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"Silence is the word I use to describe the empty presence we experience within our experience--between our thoughts, between each other, between ourselves and the world. We feel the silence when we daydream, when we appreciate the beauty of a sunset, or when the love of our life truly walks away. it is an inward sense, often experienced as a longing or an ache. it is a feeling of emptiness and fullness at the same time. The silence is the aspect of our consciousness that makes us feel slightly heavy. It is the source of the feeling of loss, but also of a sense of awe.

A healing story is my term for the stories we have come to believe that shape how we think about the world, ourselves, and our place in it. They can be as simple as "Everything happens for a reason" or as sharp as "How come nothing ever works out for me?" Healing stories guide us through good and bad times; they can be both constructive and destructive, and are often in need of change. They come together to create our own personal mythology, the system of beliefs that guide how we interpret our experience. Quite often, they bridge the silence that we carry within us and are essential to how we live."
-- from the book Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence by Matthew Sanford

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Welcome to my new blog...

I believe in the power of stories. What we unconsciously tell ourselves. The language and beliefs of cultures and communities. Possibilities for what may be, or what may not be.

And I believe in the power to change our stories and the possibility of new stories. As a yoga therapist, part of my job is to offer people the potential of a different story. If a person is consistently told by their team of 10 medical practitioners that they have "suffered through a catastrophic" car accident, then that person may begin to believe that their body is broken. If that same person is offered the ability to just be with the breath and work with what is present in the body, that person may find that in time, they can live comfortably in the body once more. Just as important, they may live comfortably at peace in their mind. We cannot always change what is going on around us or even inside of our bodies, but we can work at how we feel about it and the impact the situation makes on our life.

I believe our children to be the truest teachers. And that it is so much more important for us to be quiet enough to hear their teachings than to be so full with our own experiences as to be unable to experience with them a world of possibilities. In a world so seemingly volatile, true comfort can often be found in the sound (or sight) of a child's laughter or in their reassuring, too-wise-for-their-size, words.

But the same children that have the power to feed our faith also need to be nurtured so that their world views remain strong and their innate wisdom continues to be honoured by the person they most need to honour it -- him or herself.

I am beginning this blog so I might, in some small way, honour children and the people who care for them, that together we may support each other and be the village we need to create the story we want to see unfold in this life; in the world.

I will offer various free resources for grownups and children to practice mindfulness together, share book reviews, video read-a-longs, and more. I also hope to use the blog to draw awareness to issues of accessiblity, especially concerning our children. If you want to read more about me, look here. Disclaimer: I am a practicing yoga therapist. I do not propose to diagnose or treat any illness. I simply work with people, where they are, to experience breath, movement, and connection. I am also a Barefoot Books Ambassador, (because their stories are fantastic) so I will recommend their great books and resources when appropriate.

I offer my blog posts with love and an authentic and sincere desire to serve children in the best way I can. I hope that you will find something valuable here to share with your family as much as I find writing to be a therapeutic means of sharing my stories!

Cheers,
Stephanie