Healing Rx: Kindness and Forgiveness

RETURN

Another round
through the dark, narrow tunnels of healing.
I swore I’d never return,
but this time it’s to heal the myth
that there’s failure in returning.
“Relapse” into old ways
is an opportunity
for greater kindness
to newly revealed tender places.
“Regression” is a deeper look
into your soul’s needs.
Darling, your life
is blossom after blossom
lesson after lesson
in how to bow more deeply.

~ Chelan Harkin

I had a huge lightbulb moment yesterday during our weekly Zoom gathering for the Shakti Sisterhood.

March is the month we focus on cleansing and detoxing ….and as we were sharing what we were cleansing (closet, diet, thought patterns, etc.) we realized that most of us had an undercurrent of self-criticism that sounded something like: “Seriously?! Didn’t you cleanse that last time? How did it creep back in?”

That’s when the line from Chelan’s poem came into my head:
“Relapse into old ways is an opportunity for greater kindness to newly revealed tender places”

Then we listened to a clip from an interview with Zach Bush in which he said “We are in a moment of needing a deep ‘I am sorry’ and ‘You are forgiven’…..let forgiveness be a structure for your life.”

What would heal in your life if self-kindness and self-forgiveness structured your life?

If you’re like me and the women in my community, so many unhealthy thought patterns and habits would unravel. We’re excited to see how this supports us in our cleansing month.

I’d love for you to join us in the Shakti Sisterhood or in my virtual dance studio for a healing PranaShakti dance class as we embody the energy of kindness and forgiveness.

Meanwhile, check out one of my favorite meditations for developing self-compassion by Tara Brach:

With a gentle heart,
Deb