Thin Space
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Today we’re going to explore calling, thin space, an announcement about classes, and those Five Things I’ve Loved This Week.
This was a big week for Heart Forward Yoga. The first Anxiety series began on Sunday afternoon. And on Monday evening, I led a class at Bri’s Lodge in St. Cloud focusing on one of the themes of the Grief series: Slow Work. Both classes were such beautiful experiences.
Frederick Buechner, a theologian, wrote that “God calls you to the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” This is, to me, the perfect summation of what vocation is and can be. The terms “vocation” and “calling” take on a hefty weight, especially when considered alongside their religious history. But Buechner’s definition distills the essence of what it means to be called: Where is your heart leading? What does the world need?
It feels grandiose, perhaps even arrogant, to say that my gladness is meeting a deep hunger, but the more I explore this space of grief, anxiety, and yoga, the more I know that this is, indeed, where I belong. It isn’t easy space. Parts of it do raise questions in my head and heart. I am well aware of the need to balance holding space for and with others while respecting my own boundaries and grief- and anxietywork. And yet, as I share the mat with you, I am brought to the idea of thin space.
Thin space is a Celtic notion that there are places and times where the veil between the worlds isn’t quite so—thick. It is sacred space, shimmering with the presence of God (or your divinity of choice). It’s when you know, feel, that there is something special, different, present. Grief is a thin space; anxiety can be too. It’s not necessarily pretty or pleasant or cozy. But it’s rich with possibility, if we open ourselves to it. (Which, admittedly, isn’t always possible or desireable.)
INTRODUCING JUST, YOU KNOW, CLASSES!
Are you interested in doing classes with me but you’re not quite sure you want a series yet? Lovely! Beginning March 27, I’m going to offer two opportunities for you to join me over Zoom each week. Classes will still have grief or anxiety themes, but, unlike the series, there won’t be an arc from one class to the next. Each 60-minute class will include asana (poses), pranayama (breathwork), and meditation.
Mondays at 7:00 p.m.: Grief
Tuesdays at noon: Anxiety
$20/class
$75 for a five-class bundle
Pay via Venmo: heartforwardyoga
You’ll have to register each week on the Events page of my website, even if you purchase the five class bundle.
To note: We’ll go with these times for a few weeks, and see what happens. I’m learning as I go, and scheduling feels like throwing spaghetti at the wall: just seeing what sticks. If this proves popular, I’d love to add more times through the week for such classes. It’s a process! Thank you for your patience and support.
And now: Five Things I’ve Loved about This Week!
I said it above, and I’ll say it again: Doing this Heart Forward thing. The classes this week fed my spirit, and I’m grateful to those of you showing up, wanting to show up, sharing with others who might show up.
For several years now I’ve hung a strand of Christmas lights in the window of our front room. I don’t take them down when the tree comes down. Instead, I wait until the first full week of above-freezing temperatures. At the rate we’re going this year, they’ll be up until July. But they do make me happy, those bright little shining beacons of color.
George Eliot. In 2020, I read Middlemarch; last year, The Mill on the Floss. Now I’m making my way through Daniel Deronda. I simply adore her writing.
Celtic music. As I write this, I’m listening to Liz Knowles’s Making Time. It’s my favorite music to write to. Give her a listen.
Watching the dogs play in the snow. Because it’s hilarious.
Enjoy this St. Patrick’s Day! May all the blessings find you.
Peace,
Lauren
