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Healing Stories
The following story was inspired
by my healing journey. My intention
with Healing Stories is to eventually
evolve it into a blog. For now,
I will offer you a story from
my healing journey and I invite
you to email me your feelings
and thoughts about it at contact@bluebuddhayoga.com.
I will post a new story when
my journey inspires me to write!
Journey to the Heart
By Colleen Millen
"So loving yourself involves
the discovery of the true wonder
of you; not only the present
you, but the many possibilities
of you. It involves the continual
realization that you are unique,
like no other person in the
world, that life is, or should
be, the discovery, the development
and the sharing of this uniqueness."
- Leo Buscaglia, "Love,
What Life is All About."
My experience of healing with
yoga has been a journey to the
heart.
I've been assisted on this
journey by many teachers and
many types of yoga, however
it's been Ana Forrest and Forrest
Yoga that inspired me to break
free from being "walking
dead" to a more vital and
contented way of living. For
me, Forrest Yoga encapsulates
what we all must find our yoga
mat: "Evolve or Die."
One of my students recently
referred to Forrest Yoga as
"the yoga of possibilities."
That makes me smile.
The yoga mat has been a remarkable
place of discovery working with
depression. I've spent many
yoga sessions working with and
coming to peace with my experience
of it. I've spent many yoga
sessions with clients helping
them understand their own expression
of depression. I teach them
yoga tools so they are empowered
to stop "breaking their
own heart" (Swami Kripaluvanandji)
and increase their prana - that
sparkly energy we all deserve
to have thriving in us. I often
laugh about this - I'm so excited
to work with depression! I'm
so excited when students feel
empowered to participate more
in their own healing and use
what they've learned on the
mat to shine. That process is
not mine, but it's such a treat
to be a witness to!
Though this work with depression,
I believe many of us live our
lives from incorrect knowledge,
avidya, because we haven't been
taught that self truth is the
key to personal freedom, peace
and love. We haven't been taught
that these qualities can, in
fact, inspire a more cohesive
global community. In Forrest
Yoga, we call this process of
taking responsibility for self
healing on the mat and taking
it out into the world "Mending
the Hoop of the People."
A particular tool of yoga I
use when teaching Forrest style
is compassionately guiding student
to become aware of the "gunk"
that's blocking their ability
to be completely bright. I offer
them different choices of thought,
behavior, breath, attitude,
alignment so students begin
experimenting with their experience.
We are good at carrying gunk!
It's time to become experts
in hunting truth!
We have an incredible opportunity
in America to choose to align
ourselves with our hearts and
accept all the aspects of who
we are. Only the walls we build
ourselves can hold us back from
being truly alive, truly illuminated.
Through yoga we can find the
Breath, Integrity, Strength,
Spirit (pillars of Forrest Yoga)
to, as Ana says, "Walk
as our Spirit dictates."
Through yoga we can find our
truth and make choices that
are congruent with that truth.
Isn't that amazing?
Recently, I had an opportunity
to appreciate the value of yoga
in my life. I had a chaotic
week, playing so many different
roles and feeling so many things.
When the busyness lifted I got
on my mat, navigated my practice
with alertness, comfort and
breath. I practiced other healing
modalities. At a certain point
on my "processing"
day, I found the words that
summarized my week. I found
the truth: I am many things
all at once and all these facets
of my character are a gift,
a door to learning. This epiphany
came after crafting the poem
below. This personal treasure
produced from my chaos I offer
to you. I hope this poem inspires
you to look at all the aspects
of who you are with love and
compassion. I hope it inspires
you take responsibility for
what you need to Mend so you
start inspiring your Hoops of
People with your light. Get
on your yoga mat and play with
that journey to your heart!
It's so worthwhile!
Hummingbird
December 2008
I am the whisper of breath
and the spaces in between.
I am a drum beating heart that
melts with the racing stream.
I am the eagle who brings sight
and raindrop tears.
I am the bear mother whose caring
is fierce.
I am the wailing winds that
rattle windows at night.
I am a ferocious wolf that sees
through red hot eyes.
I am the feel of soft feathers
caressing skin.
I am the hummingbird who hovers
above and within.
Colleen Millen is a Forrest
Yoga Mentor Teacher and Forrest
Yoga Mentorship Program Liaison.
She can be reached at www.bluebuddhayoga.com
and contact@bluebuddhayoga.com.
Colleen teaches in the San Francisco
Bay Area.
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