The Power of Vulnerability

I hope you all had a nice weekend. I had an incredible time exploring Zion National Park with wonderful friends. Appreciating the wonders of nature with a group of very special women truly filled me up and I even got the chance to teach a class with a spectacular Red Rock view! 

Last week before I left I shared with my classes a passage about the power of vulnerability from Mark Nepo.  It is so important to remember that being authentic both in our bodies and with our emotions gives us such strength and power.

I have included an excerpt here: 

Weakness

Our strength will continue if we allow ourselves the courage to feel scared, weak and vulnerable. — Melody Beattie

This is a prayer for the ages. In fact, it helps to define weakness, in spiritual terms, as any habit of mind or heart that prevents us from seeing things exactly as they are, or in their entirety, or with our entire capacity to feel. These are the blindnesses that continually keep us from Truth, Oneness, and Compassion.

We are all frail. We all make mistakes. We all fall prey to a thousand emotions and exaggerations. But these things make us rich, not weak– if we are willing to face them squarely. In truth, it is not the tissue of our humanity that defeats us, but rather our refusal to accept who we are and to live accordingly, limitations included. 

After breaking many things in my life– hearts, heirlooms, robins’ eggs– I am humbled to admit that the only difference I see on earth between being strong or weak is the honesty with which we face ourselves, accept ourselves, and share ourselves, blemishes and all.v