David Whyte's poetic description about living and longing exemplifies tremendous courage.
To be able to be so vulnerable and bold as to melt into the "fierce heat" of your own life, while falling toward the core of what you long for, dream of, wish for-being who you truly are- Now that is courageous!
It makes sense then, with how fierce and powerful courageous acts really are, that the word courage comes from the Latin word "Coeur", which has evolved into meaning, "To tell the story of who you are with your whole heart" (Brené Brown, 2010). As Brené Brown explains in her book, The Gifts of Imperfection, "The root word courage is cor-the Latin word for heart" (p.12).
Brené shares, "Ordinary courage is about putting our vulnerability on the line. In today's world, that's pretty extraordinary"(p.13). She adds, "When we pay attention, we see courage every day."
Sometimes, we take for granted how often we each act from the heart in our day to day lives. We may be so caught up in getting out of bed in the morning, trying to avoid cravings, longing, pain, sadness, sorrow, suicidal thoughts, that we forget that "waking up" each day is hugely courageous.
Over the past two weeks, I have been a humble witness to some tremendous acts of courage. At my recent Mastering the Trauma Wound Workshop, I witnessed 8 courageous men and women dive deep into their trauma wounds, swimming inside it's pain stained walls and crevices, only to come out the other end lighter, brighter, and more tender hearted towards themselves and others. The balloons, pictured below were part of the workshop; each person wrote what they wanted to release and/or create on the balloon at the end and they set it free. Another act of tremendous courage.
This past Monday, I once again was a humble witness as 5 courageous men in recovery from multiple addictions and trauma participated in our first Yoga for Recovery™ class for men at Namaste Center for Healing.
I can only imagine how much courage it took for these men to be able to be with themselves in their bodies on a mat, in a room with other men, moving their bodies in different asanas (yoga poses) while trying to stay present to all the sensations. That is an incredible act of love,trust, vulnerability and courage.
My job blesses me with the ability to see acts of "melting into the fierce heat" of life that courage demands of men and women who show up for themselves every day in recovery.
Recovery from anything, especially an addiction(s) is truly an act of daily courage that requires an inner determination to heal ones' past and present trauma so that they can live whole-heartedly in mind, body, and spirit.
Take a moment to notice how much courage you have every single day. See if you can notice it in others as well. When do you operate from your heart vs. your ego? Can you let yourself be uncomfortable in your healing process yet continue to move through the "fierce heat" that life serves us at times?
In case you forgot, or aren't feeling courageous, know that you are, and remember:
YOU ARE ALSO WORTH IT.
Namasté,
Candice CHECK OUT WHAT IS GOING ON AT NAMASTE!
HEALTHY BODY! Cari Junge,our Integrative Health Advisor, offers health assessments (including labs and review), consultations, guidance, and support for folks interested in improving their physical health from a wellness (not disease) model. Cari's intro class is: Wed June 17th from 6-7:30 p.m. she will offer an intro class to discuss healing the body from a wellness perspective, Namasté style. $20 per person; $35 per couple.
YOGA For WOMEN: Featuring Master Yogi Carrie Coppola: Mondays in July, 7-8:15 p.m. We provide the mat, etc. Bring a Journal. $40/class for 4 classes.
Contact info or to RSVP: admin@NAMASTEADVICE.COM; 801-272-3500