Time to Reconnect

I hope you all had a great weekend. Last weekend when I was in New Orleans I reached out to an old friend; someone I hadn’t been in touch with for many years. Sometimes that happens and for no reason people fade out of our lives. It’s a lost connection. I googled, found her and reached out. There was that moment of doubt where I wondered if and how she would respond. I didn’t have to wonder very long because she quickly answered back and offered for us to stop by the following day.

It was wonderful to see her and to reconnect. When we hugged each other It felt as if no time had passed (other than chatting with her beautiful 18 year old daughter that I had never met :)). We realized it had been 20 years since we had last spoken but the warm connection remained. What can happen when you reconnect with someone from your past is that you also reconnect with the person you were when you knew each other. It is a powerful experience and one that reminds us that the years can sometimes cause us to lose connections not just with others but also with ourselves.  

So, I tasked my students on the mat this week to reconnect to the parts of themselves that they may have lost a connection with. The body helps us tangibly be present through the sensations we experience. We can use the breath to settle both the mind and the body enough to often go deeper; to touch the heart, the spirit, the joy, the sadness– those parts of ourselves that get pushed aside for the to-do list, the work responsibilities, the caring for loved ones. I reminded them that it’s equally important to not attach judgment to these connections– just as my friend and I did not blame the other for our lost connection and instead were both very grateful for the chance to connect again, we have that same opportunity for ourselves. The gift is in the noticing and the reconnection without judgment. 

 After one of my classes this week a student shared her beautiful story of reconnection. She had arrived late to my class and as a result had to take the last spot in the room which was in the back corner. She shared that she would never choose to practice in that spot; that she has in her recent years struggled with claustrophobia. As class began and she began to hear my story and my message for the week she had a bit of a breakthrough. While she was just visiting Florida this weekend, many years ago she had lived here for a few months. She found herself reconnecting with her younger self who had lived here who wasn’t claustrophobic or afraid of crossing bridges as she now was.

She was almost glowing as she shared how happy she was to reconnect with herself. I have to be honest that both of us were welling up with tears and I even feel them popping into my eyes again now as I write this. To connect is such a powerful gift and we all have this power. Perhaps there is someone in your life you have lost a connection with or it is yourself. Either way, I wish you a beautiful week of connection in all its forms.