Namaste Friend,
​
Over the past 6 months, I have given myself the gift of rest. As you may know, I took some time for what some have called my "soul-bbatical" to really nourish myself deeply by attending to my physical, mental and spiritual health.

Many of us in the holistic health profession do what we do because we are answering a sacred call to be of service in the most meaningful of ways. We intentionally place ourselves in positions to be guiding lights and safe harbours for others to heal, whilst still doing our own inner work. We create space to hold the wounds of others without judgment while venturing into the shadows of our own psyche to mine for the gold that is there; finding greater degrees of compassion for self and empathy for others.

But this calling requires us, every so often, to take a step back completely and go within. So, that's what I did. I had the pleasure of going to some of the many yoga classes on the island and learning from our local teachers. I spent more time at home reading, journaling, sitting in my garden. I could be more present for myself and in my relationships. I traveled back to my yoga roots to the Sivananda ashram in the Bahamas for 3 weeks and spent my time there doing 4 hours of yoga and meditation every day, pranayama, vedic chanting, detoxing, sleeping, reading, disconnecting (from social media), walking barefoot, "hammocking" and resetting. One day spontaneous tears came at the sound of an ancient Hebrew chant being sung in the temple - a dam bursted with absolutely no story attached. That's the best kind. I was healing. This must become an annual pilgrimage. 

However, as comfortable as I am in my proverbial "she-cave", it's time to re-emerge! There are so many things going on in the world right now as reflections of what is going on in the collective unconscious that I want to be as present as I can for my community as we navigate these uncertain times. To that end, I will return to the mat with a "Rest & Feast" event on Saturday, 21st December @ Treehouse! This is a very special event combining Yoga Nidra (Sleep Yoga), Sound Bath...AND a vegetarian Indian Feast afterwards! You also have the option to Just Feast only (no yoga and sound bath). Come and hang out with me and others at Treehouse, a new space in Hamilton that's getting a lot of buzz. We will drift from sleep and sound to the 'Living Room' for a delicious feast! Also, there are Christmas Gift Certificates available for all of my services which can be purchased.

My New Year calendar of classes has yet to be finalised so stay tuned for that. I will still be teaching at Spirithouse with my beloved community there as well. Plus, I will resume offering holistic health services such as Reiki, Shamanic Breathwork, Private Yoga Classes, Private & Corporate Sound Baths, and now... Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (more to come on this).

Finally, I want to thank you for your patience and understanding as I took this time to prioritise myself. So many of you expressed encouragement and happiness for me. YOU held space for me and I felt so supported and blessed. I also realised that perhaps I was modelling for others a version of self-care. I encourage everyone to take rest. Deep rest. It's very tempting to keep moving, keep pushing, keep doing, but we must stop and ask ourselves: 'Where are we going?' and 'At what cost?'

This life is a fleeting dance. Find the sacred pauses when you can, and let life flow through you in the form of joy, peace, gratitude and love.
 
Love & Light,
​Shanti

Namaste Friends,​

I hope this finds you and your loved ones well. It's been awhile since my last blog post. I have no good reason except just the busy-ness of life. However, these days I try to be more deliberate in taking what I call "sacred pauses" in the busy-ness and one way that I do that is my daily practice of reading A Course in Miracles (ACIM). So, I thought I would share one of the most influential thoughts that I have come across in ACIM with you, and it is this:

"Every choice you make is either an expression of love or an expression of fear. There is no other choice."
 
Now, I'm sure this is not a new concept for most of you; you've probably heard this or some variation of this at some point. But recently I've been asking myself what does it really mean to choose, consciously and consistently, to move through the world from a position of love? How does that work practically? What does that feel like? And, perhaps most importantly, who would I become? I think about what each entails: love is expansive, light, open, joyful, contented, trusting and spacious; fear is contracted, angry, heavy, anxious, depressed, protective and jealous. So, I think the first step is deciding what qualities you most value. Then, you have to be willing to let go of the defensiveness of the ego to make space for the intelligent responsiveness of the heart (see the brilliant work of the Heartmath Institute to learn more about this).

And finally, you have to practice softening the sharp edges of the ego-self through breath, presence and stillness in any given moment where you have a choice between love and fear, and lean into the softness. This requires courage, but it is where our true strength lies. We discover not only that we can choose love, but that we are love and are rewarded with a freedom that surpasses all other freedoms. Ultimately, it is through our willingness to stop defending our idea of ourselves that we discover our true and indestructible Self.

Love & Light,
​Shanti