In Transition

In Transition (a workshop I taught last weekend and offer biannually) has become a touchstone in my teaching. It reminds me to tune into myself. To see where I am at in both my practice and in my life

Many of you know that I am active in my studies better known as trying to: reduce my own stress, figure out patience, release my fears, accept and love myself and be an active present participant in my own life.  Everything I ask my students to do I have explored myself.  When I find something that is healing for me I play with it for a while. I explore my edge. Making sure I am ready to hold open a wound before I use it as a parable in my teaching.  As I am a type-A personality and a recovering stress addict there really is loads of material to draw from.
In Transition Tea made my Zensations
This weekend right before I ran my workshop I totally got bugged. Workshops are different then typical classes because there is a theme that people are expecting to be adhered to.  Because of that I go early, I prepare the room, I light candles, make tea and sing to the space.  On Saturday I left my house early to do just that – according to the schedule I had the luxury of time. But the schedule was wrong.
Bath Salt envelopes for In Transition
Another teacher had scheduled a private lesson in the workshop space and while the student was there she was late. According to a work-study the lesson went till the minute my workshop was to start.  Wait, what?
A funny thing about me is I easily move cities and start my life over.  I love big change. Its little crap like what happened on Saturday that is a big trigger for me. There I stood freaking out about a minor shift and about to teach a workshop on change. I think that fact made it particularly awesome.
Here is what would have happened 15 years ago (back in the day I was fiery):
I would have gone from zero to a full rage. I would have confronted the teacher. I would have forced a meltdown
Here is what happened:
I got frustrated. I started to feel angry and instead of heading down my default path I went for a walk instead. I breathed deep and came back to myself. Then when the teacher left a handful of minutes before my workshop started. I ran around like a crazy person trying to get the following ready as my students were walking in: tea, mirrors, salt baths, music, and candles.
Here is what I hope happens next time:
I remember that all is actually well. I take the extra time and sit in my office and breathe deep. I don’t worry about making tea or lighting candles. I concentrate on settling myself and greet my students instead.
In Transition serves as a reminder to me that we came here to evolve, to go beyond ourselves, to not be so set in patterns, that we neither learn nor change. The goal is growth at its most transformative and meaningful level. The goal is to meet each day wanting to shift, trying to learn, to know more, to always question, to evolve to a higher understanding, being and way. The goal of this lifetime is evolution.