Authentic Courageous Heart

What is your responsibility to the world?

There’s a pressure to be someone better which leaks into every corner of life. We try to be more beautiful, successful and productive, effortlessly creating things adored by others, with thriving wholesome children by our sides. And now we try to save the world as well.

Have you noticed the weight of this new burden? Alongside the burdens of being successful, admired and fulfilled, you now have to save the world. When did we start carrying its weight on our shoulders?

A few days ago, I sat with a small circle of Dharma friends to explore this. We asked each other a repeating question:

Without looking for a right answer, we held whatever arose with love before simply asking the question again, as if for the first time. It took us through layers from known to unknown.

What is your responsibility to the world?

My first response was visceral and intense. Parts of my body wanted to scream, vomit, run away and weep. Behind those emotions was deep care, and a feeling of being severed from knowing what to do.

After a moment of stillness, my friend quietly asked again.

What is your responsibility to the world?

A second, more spacious, response arose this time. My responsibility is to be authentically who I am.

There’s a deep and simple truth in that. The only person we can most fully, vibrantly, skilfully and passionately be is who we already are. It reminds me of Howard Thurman’s words: “what the world needs is more people who have come alive”.

Even as something relaxed inside me, a tension remained. So I have to be who I am… and save the world?

Calmly, she asked again.

What is your responsibility to the world?

This time, a voice emerged, so young, fragile and lost: But what if who I am is not enough?

It’s a poignant place to hold, that little saviour who cares so much and feels so small. The young one who feels the burden of getting this right, sorting this out, before everything falls apart.

Gently, my friend asked again.

What is your responsibility to the world?

A deeper truth landed this time, so obvious yet often forgotten: Maybe it’s not up to me alone to make things ok?

It’s not up to any one of us alone. It takes all of us together, being who we are, offering our authentic gifts to this web of humanity, and supporting each other.

Separately we are so unique, together we are so strong. Separate yet together, imagine what billions of authentic, courageous hearts could create?

We all need each other.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel: there are many on the ground in every political, social and environmental sphere who are waiting for your support and encouragement, whilst you continue to offer your own unique gifts.

This is the power of community, waking up, growing up and showing up together, with our uniquely divergent gifts creating a flourishing whole. We need everyone to inspire, follow, support and care in different ways. This is how we grow: laughing, crying, falling down and getting lifted up together.

It also allows us to widen our gaze a little. We need to receive the blessings of this Earth, even as we open our hearts to receive its pain. We need to search out and frequently expose ourselves to the wordless wonder of nature, as well as the extraordinary acts of daily kindness happening everywhere, all the time.

Because despite all evidence to the contrary, it seems that we love to love. What more hopeful realisation can there be than that?

What do you love? What brings you alive?

Artwork by Shen www.illuminationsbyshen.art

For me, it’s this:

I love to support you to come into your body with curiosity and kindness. I love to guide you to inhabit, align and enliven your body to create a safe home for your opening heart.

I love to support you to embrace your emotions, turning towards whatever is arising to receive its wisdom and embody its blessings.

I love to support you to invite this inner alchemy to empower your heart towards an appropriate response, right here and now, so your actions are aligned with love.

I love to envision a world where our authentic, courageous hearts are shining more brightly, separately and together.

Join me…

From February 9-13, I’m offering meditations and reflections each morning online with Sangha Live (the world’s biggest online Buddhist community and Dharma practice group) on the theme of Embodied Release; Effortless Renewal.

On March 14th, I’m offering a ceremonial space of yin yoga, meditation, cacao, live music and chanting with Lucidia and Rafael on the theme of Be Kind To Yourself.

My retreat in Devon in June is fully booked, but booking is now open for this year’s silent yoga and meditation retreat in France in September, where a deep magic happens which ripples out everywhere in mysterious ways. Register here.

And join me every Friday morning in London for yoga and meditation from 10.30am-12.30pm, open to all levels. My teaching is heart-centred, meditative and alignment based. We begin with one or more restorative postures to explore the theme of the class, before practising more dynamically to embody this theme. The last 30 minutes is for meditation, either seated or lying down, with an option to change posture half way through. So a very long, deep savasana is welcome too! Book here.