Have you heard the saying that obstacles create the best practices?

I’ve been reading some of what the beautiful Poet Laureate Andrea Gibson left for us to read and feel. She recently passed after having endured some of the biggest hurdles and obstacles some of us face in illness. In one of her Substack entries she wrote: “I know I’m not the only one whose mind wants to trap them right now. The weight of everything—personal struggles, a world in pain, the fear that nothing will ever change—can make it hard to breathe. But I believe that there is another way. That loosening our grip on what we think we know will be exactly what saves us. Not just as individuals, but collectively. Imagination isn’t an escape; it’s an act of liberation, a door flung open to something wildly new. The freer we become inside ourselves, the freer our world will be.”

Recently, I’ve been experimenting with some big obstacles to find the best practices for my current experiences. I’ve already been through multiple surgeries, losses and beginnings, incredible confusion and occasional loneliness as one who is older can. But I’ve been unwell again and although my practices always tremendously support me and my being unwell is something I handle with a fair amount of ease, but when any of us adds the illnesses of the world, everything becomes so much harder to accept and move through.

So I love that Andrea suggests “loosening our grip.” This is similar to what Uchiyama Roshi talks about in Opening the Hand of Thought. The hand is used as a metaphor for how we grip thoughts, and how we might loosen the conceptual hand of thoughts to let go of clinging. The somatic counterpoint is palpable. When we grip our hand into a fist, clench our jaw, or tighten our belly, we are either holding on to something or afraid to let it go. It’s a resistance in the felt sense which echoes the thoughts and emotions driving it. The body always reflects the heart/mind and even before it’s cognized.

Andrea also referred to imagination, an integral part of my practices “Imagination isn’t an escape; it’s an act of liberation, a door flung open to something wildly new. The freer we become inside ourselves, the freer our world will be.”

I know this to be true and no matter the inner or outer difficulties—I know that if I relax my grip—mental, emotional or physical—that a great wind of relief moves through me. Opening the windows of our bodies, hearts and minds is a joy to feel and a clearer space to come from. We can imagine breath as a breeze, we can imagine our heart/mind as wide as the sky—experiencing rough weather but ultimately returning to a hearty exhale, just returning to being sky-like and watching all sorts of weather, birds, airplanes, dust and sounds roll through. Imagination creates a physiological response which can lead to greater ease in all ways.

Not that we cure the outer world this way, but we offer ourselves a much clearer view.

A tight view cannot see possibilities.

As I’ve been planning for events, I’ve been keeping all of these sentiments in mind. I truly believe that we need to and can support one another in many ways. Id like to support you during one of these offerings:

Beginning February 12, Mentoring online: Experience some subtle body practices that most likely you haven’t been introduced to before, in an interesting small group with meetings and privates once a month.

Beginning March 1 for 4 weeks online: The Body of Fear and Anxiety: It’s Not What You Think. Hosted by Drala Mountain Center

IN PERSON Retreat: The Embodied Mind: Experiencing the Somatic and Subtle Body at Big Bear Retreat Center. March 17–22. Step away for a few days and sink into some silence, deep rest and guided dives into the intelligence and refuge of body.

Beginning in April: Coming Home to the Body: Awakening Through Awareness, Kindness and Imagination, a rich 7 month immersion hosted by Spirit Rock.

Discover the intelligence of the body—it’s not in your mind, it’s your other mind.

Hope to see you soon, and reach out anytime.

In kindness and community, Jill

Once in a blue moon I use someone else’s photograph. This is a Praying Mantis captured by  @cider_mantodea. It brought me a few moments of joy, I hope it will for you too. You can check out their site on Instagram.