We wish you a year of joy and fulfillment!
Mount Shasta, one of our favorite places we've visited this year "In your light I learn how to love. In your beauty, how to make poems. You dance inside my chest where no-one sees you, but sometimes I do, and that sight becomes this art." - Rumi
Greetings! As the light returns, we offer blessings and gratitude to you, as a member of our community! We are staying with family near Harrisonburg, Virginia and are working on our studies and continuing to stay open about what our future holds. And we have had a chance to pause and rest too. Daily meditation practice, along with new practices from our Guru, Anand, are revealing deeper layers on our path of self-realization. We had a challenging quarter going into our training with Anand Mehrotra that began mid September, and, like always, the timing was perfect for us to be initiated into this lineage. We look forward to the day when we can study at Sattva in Rishikesh in person. I wasn't sure until right now writing this how much of our challenges I felt prepared to share. We are living the dream, right? Well, we have almost completely deconstructed our old lives of somewhat predictable weeks, paychecks and of living in a comfortable, affordable home. We have had an awesome adventure travelling but there is another side to it as well. We have experienced some challenges along the way...As we made plans in late July to travel to Montana for the sugar beet harvest, we found out that we were pregnant again. Wow, what exciting news for us, well, it was. I did go through another miscarriage in September (at 10 weeks) just as we arrived in Montana. What a whirlwind to physically, mentally and emotionally go through this while living in a small RV, starting a new job and feeling financially strained. It opened up more depth in me than I knew I had. I realized that there are many manifestations of channeling and experiencing motherhood. My pain helped me to realize the many ways that I do mother, nurture and care for others. I feel like our experience on the road will manifest in giving birth, it is more likely to be a structure of the healing center that we have been envisioning for years. I share this today because I want to highlight how important my daily practices have been in keeping me sane through these challenges. Pain and heartache are a part of the human condition. The light always returns. I share myself today to remind you that whatever pain or challenge we face, the state always changes. As the cycle of the seasons reminds us, this too shall pass. It is my intention for the future to be more present and to refrain from labeling situations or experiences as good or bad. Challenging, sure. I will remind myself to surrender to what is. Yoga reminds us that we are all connected and that love is our true nature. Let's take a deep breath before I continue...The online platform continues to be an amazing way for us to learn and to share what we are learning. I have reinitiated university studies online and am 5 weeks into my coursework at the University of Phoenix. I have been guided to pursue a degree that will teach me how to support those impacted by incarceration. We are excited to see how our work can empower others to break harmful cycles. Let's see where the path takes us!! We will continue to offer free or donation based classes on our Facebook Group: Yoga, Breathing & Gong Adventures. If you haven't done so already, please join us there. We also are offering membership tiers for those that would like to stay connected and support us and themselves by practicing deeper with us. Click here to view membership options. I am also offering online coaching. Whether you're looking to find ways to relax, learn to meditate, work on asana, fitness, incorporate Ayurvedic lifestyle practices, or chant mantras, I would love to work with you. I have room to add about 5 people to my regular schedule. Please reach out to me if you're interested. I am also offering a 90-minute planning session on our website that would make for a great holiday gift for yourself or a loved one. Check it out here! Travis is looking to offer a breathwork series soon too. If this interests you, please let us know timing that works for you. We are working on getting this online very soon! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support and friendship. Thank you for taking the time to read this heartfelt update. If you would like to connect, please reach out. With Love! Emilie (and Travis too!)