A Story – Healing Begins

This week I’m telling a story. You can read the introduction here, part one here, and part two here.

The road from Napa to San Francisco was one of hope for both Logic and Heart. Logic was excited because a week with the amazing Judith Lasater was always intellectually stimulating. The many years of trainings with her gave Logic confidence that Judith would provide nourishment and challenge.

Heart had been forced into silence in Napa, but remained hopeful that my friend Judith would speak to the profound pain that Logic was working to ignore. Heart had been blessed by Judith’s ability to shine light in to some of the darkest recesses of her being in the past.

For the first few days of the training, Logic soaked in every word Judith spoke, feeling so grateful for the escape this trip was providing. Heart patiently waited, uttering quiet prayers that there would be something here for her, too.

On the third day, those prayers were answered. It happened so quickly, it could have easily been missed. The morning session was ending, and Judith asked if there were any quick questions she could answer before lunch.

I was starting to pack up my things to leave as the question was asked by someone in the back, “Judith, what should I do when one of my students begins to cry in one of the yoga poses?”

Judith drew in a deep breath. “That’s not a quick question,” she said with a warm smile. “It happens. Sometimes the mat is a place of emotional release.”

The long pause she took next that caused me to stop what I was doing and look at her intently as she continued. “I really don’t have time to address that question completely right now, but I will say this.”

She paused again. Logic was interested, but something told Heart that the advice she was about to offer was going to change everything.

With a kind of love and compassion I can’t describe, Judith said, “I would suggest that you deal with your own sadness in such a way that enables you to be in the presence of someone else’s sadness without needing to push it away.”

While I couldn’t possibly know how those words would resonate for years to come, in that one moment both the oppressed and the oppressor were free. Heart was free to express, mourn, process and yes, cry. And Logic, she was filled with that messy combination of shame and hope called grace.

It was such a loaded sentence, one that was too hot to be gulped down. In fact, I’ve been sipping on this truth for almost four years. It has informed my parenting, my yoga practice, my relationships and even my faith.

Over the next week or two, Heart and Logic will work together to unpack the ways I’ve applied this truth in my life in each of the four intention sections. (Update: You can read each of those posts here parenting, yoga, relationships and  faith.)

If you are dealing with difficult emotions today, please know that I’m praying for you. The hard work you are doing to process and heal will enable you to be a rare light of love and grace to others who are suffering.