For most of the population, the leaves of the coriander plant, cilantro, taste pleasant and refreshing. For a small percentage of the population, those with a different olfactory gene, cilantro tastes, at best, like soap.
At worst, cilantro smells to them like stink bugs.
A recent social media message posted by a yoga teacher advised students, in strong and unequivocal terms, to not engage with or try a particular element of yoga practice. One I regard as marvelous and indispensable. It's my desert island practice — the one I'd want if I could have nothing else.
It's been humbling to watch my reaction to that experienced teacher's strident warning to run fast from something that I experience as irreplaceably beneficial. And that, therefore, I emphasize with enthusiasm and passion in classes I teach.
Once I moved (more or less) past my indignation — I kept it to myself because of an allergy to social media comment battles — I considered whether there might be virtue in walking my talk. To recognize that what resonates as desirable and helpful for one may be someone else's stink bug.
Over the years I've tossed overboard no small number of concepts, beliefs, sub-practices, and theories about yoga and spiritual practice that I learned early on. My hesitation in abandoning what doesn't resonate for me, and therefore that I can't share with any authenticity, is waning fast. A few years back I remember talking after a class with a dear, experienced teacher friend of mine. She said, "You know, after all these years, I just want to know the truth. If something isn't useful or true for me, no high-pressure sales pitch is going to work."
Our commitment to, and sense of urgency about, knowing nothing but the truth seems to amplify with time. Once we have more than a few decades of grownup life under our belt, our tolerance for fanciful thinking or concepts that feel contrived putter out. My recent personal experience is that thirst for the unvarnished truth gets magnified when faced with unexpected loss and its onerous sidekick, grief.
When the stakes feel high and our hearts are tender, our appetite for extravagant leaps of faith raw peters out.
Remember that old cartoon where Wile E. Coyote is preparing to run into what looks like an entry into the tunnel of a cave? He begins marching with confidence, first away from the entry so he has space to gather speed and momentum. He turns and dashes to his destination at the tunnel's entry and goes SPLAT against the cave wall painted with a tunnel entrance.
We lean into intelligent inquiry to learn self-trust with our experience. So we don't go splat so much.
(Mythologist Joseph Campbell's said, "I don't have faith; I have experience.")
For those of us bold or foolish enough to think we can 'lead' others in learning and practicing yoga, the most and best we can do is encourage inquiry. That's what my best teachers always did. And continue to do for me. Because one person's key to the treasure might well be someone else's stink bug.
Upcoming and Ongoing Offerings
The Mindful Unplug 2024. In July of 2024 I'm tickled 108 shades of pink to again to serve as the den mother/emcee and co-guide for the Feathered Pipe Ranch Mindful Unplug retreat. This will mark our eighth season — holy cow! — and I am over-the-moon elated, and honored, to share that along with his musically gifted family, the leader of Montana-based Drum Brothers, Matthew Marsolek, will join us for the entire Mindful Unplug week!
Matthew and I have been having so much fun brainstorming next year's Mindful Unplug that it seems like it ought to be illegal.
The theme for our 2024 mindfulness retreat is 'movement, rhythm, and nature.' As in years past, nature, specifically the land of Montana's Feathered Pipe Ranch itself, will be our primary teacher. But now with Matthew as weeklong co-guide, we can dive deeper than ever into the rhythms that pulse within us and all around us: breath and heartbeat, tides and seasons, cycles of body and mind. Oh heck, you can read all about it here, so I won't say much more other than this:
The Mindful Unplug is a come-as-you-are retreat, with no experience needed or expected for any of the practices we will share. Skillfully choreographed over a relaxing week that allows ample time both for personal solitude and community, past participants say that joy, inspiration, revelation, laughter, and camaraderie are hallmarks of the Mindful Unplug.
Embracing these practices — forest immersions, mindful movement, rhythm exploration, and more — can prime the human heart for meaningful, compassionate action in our families, communities, and a world yearning for more kindness and mercy. Plus, we always have a lot of fun and forge deep new friendships along the way.
The program is over one-third full now, and as is the case with all Feathered Pipe summer retreats, while the Ranch is big and spacious. the retreats are intimate and group size is limited. There's only ever one program running at a time at the Ranch. This allows the magic of cozy alchemy in a group to bloom. The Ranch can house only about 34 people for each program, so if you're interested, perhaps consider securing your spot before the indoor (or outdoor) lodging spot that speaks to you is spoken for. Email me any time with questions.
Montana’s Feathered Pipe Ranch. Photo by Zane Williams.
Donation-only Class Benefiting Veterans Yoga Project. Coming up quite soon — on Saturday 11 November at 1pm ET — I'll be guiding a gently paced, all-levels hatha yoga class as part of the Sun & Moon Yoga Studio's community's continuing, enthusiastic support for the life-changing work of the Veterans Yoga Project (VYP).
VYP is among my favorite nonprofits. That's because I've witnessed up close the impact of their vital, year-round work sharing recovery, resilience, and self-regulation skills with veterans and active duty personnel. Families, healthcare givers, and other medical professionals rely on VYP-trained teachers who offer more than 5,000 free, evidence-based yoga and mindful resilience classes every year. They make a tangible, positive difference in the lives of tens of thousands of veterans.
Sign up here. And yes, you're warmly invited to donate even if you're not joining the class and your heart just feels nice and big. But it would be so lovely to see you in class.
Come to Class? I continue to share yoga inquiry two days each week at Sun & Moon Yoga Studio in Arlington, Virginia. These are hybrid classes — happening simultaneously in person and on Zoom, with recordings available for 30 days.
Each class, whether it's the all-levels Hatha Yoga at 9am ET on Sundays or Hatha 2 class at 11am ET Tuesdays, has a freedom yoga twist. Class time is about encouraging you to discover your own customized, rewarding, fun, and safe personal practice — not imitating mine. It's a stink-bug-free zone.
We practice and play together to build resiliency reserves, all while reaping the benefits of practicing together in community. Look into coming to Sunday or Tuesday class here.
Stay kind, friends.
