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“The best thing you can possibly do with your life is to tackle the motherfucking shit out of it.”
Cheryl Strayed
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Hi dear,
Sorry to have missed you last full moon. I was weaving through Oregon and California, visiting loved ones, spending time with ginormous trees, and living my best mermaid self along rushing rivers and rugged coasts. Sounds dreamy, but it was pretty jam packed, and at times, felt more like a rat race than an easy goin' summertime road trip. Nonetheless, I'm back home in Portland feeling a little more refreshed to meet the fullness that's brimming with the coming of the autumn season.
If you didn't catch my Instagram announcement, I'm making my way back to NYC later this month! I absolutely love living in Portland, but full disclaimer: my MetroCard still lives in my wallet, sometimes I intentionally jaywalk just to feel like a New Yorker, & I stumbled when answering where I live while in San Francisco - I almost said Brooklyn, caught myself, then Portland made it's way out of my mouth, with a slight awkwardness. I guess it's safe to say that after three months apart, I'm really looking forward to reuniting with my beloved city and NYC tribe. Alongside a women's gathering (details at end of newsletter), I’m offering an NYC reunion discount for new clients, & as always, a deeper discount for my fellow dancers. So if you've ever dreamed of having a private integrative healing session with me, now's the time! I’m only in NYC for 10 days and have limited availability to see new clients - reply to this email if you'd like me to pencil ya in for a session.
& now, let's tackle this shit.
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MIND
With the nearing of the autumnal equinox, and the "back to school" mentality in full swing, I feel as though I'm desperately holding onto the ethereal summer, dragging my feet into this fall transition.
This is not like me...fall is my favorite season. And yet, I find myself resisting the steady and sure slipping away of the summer season. I've contemplated as to why I'm feeling this way, and clarity around this resistance has made itself known.
The stories we tell ourselves, and the thoughts that repeat day in and day out have great power over our lives - this is nothing new to you, I'm sure. We've all noticed how the negative or positive implications of various thought patterns play out in our lives.
As we approach a particularly stimulating time of the year related to the mental realms, we have the choice to work with this energy mindfully, taking a more introspective turn to suss out our mind's meanderings in a constructive way, or to let ourselves be overwhelmed with a whirlwind of chaotic mental chatter taking the reigns. As always, the choice is yours, and yours solely.
But, as I insist, it's still summer and there is plenty of room for a fiery lightness of being to carry us through as we begin to root our autumnal bodies into the darkening earth. So take it easy, my friends. Maintaining that sense of summer ease as the winds begin to pick up will only make for a more enjoyable ride.
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BODY
When people learn about what I do for a living, a common response is, "Oh, that's so awesome - you must be in such good shape being so active all of the time!" Little do they know, being a movement professional does not mean I'm always engaged in my own movement practices. Quite the contrary, actually. Leading people into deeper connection with themselves through movement is super rad - I love what I do! However, it doesn't always involve a lot of movement on my part. I guess, compared to a typical desk job, I move a lot. But for my own personal idea of what a holistically robust movement lifestyle looks like, well, I have to intentionally create that, or layer it on top of my work flow.
With Autumn approaching and Virgo season in full swing, my moon sign Type A tendencies of structure, organization, and a deep desire to successfully achieve goals landed me in a healthy place, as opposed to times past of frenetic energy being unsuccessfully harnessed, leaving me burnt out.
Chatting with a fellow yoga teacher after one of my classes last week, she mentioned how she was feeling a bit of imposter syndrome, not having a steady yoga practice, yet teaching steadily. So she declared to set out on a week of yoga, practicing at the studio each day. Her wise words of advice: "You won't find a week where you can practice every day - you have to MAKE a week." Such truth and resonance, which led my Type A facet to scream, "YES Jessica, you're gonna MAKE a week!!!"
So here I am, having reached the completion of my personal week of practice. I did it. I made it. And that feels good. But you know what feels even better? Carving out space each day to move, for myself. While a daily yoga practice isn't going to be sustainable for me, because surprise surprise, I believe in a holistic movement lifestyle, and I don't believe yoga is the end all, be all cure sent from the deities beyond. However, I'm setting the tone - to move more, as a daily self-care practice.
How will you be informed by the energy of this transitory time?
Can you approach a more defined and dedicated movement practice for yourself while maintaining the lingering sense of sweet summertime ease?
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SPIRIT
My wild woods man often shares the quote, "slow is smooth, and smooth is fast." It's typically shared when I'm acting in a frenzied mess, running out of time, trying to get something done post haste, usually making more of a mess, both physically and emotionally. Ya know, like the classic chicken running around with it's head chopped off. This is what I perceive my imbalanced fall caricature to be, and really, anyone who gets twisted up with the fall frenzy.
While this sentiment is applicable any time of the year, it's one I feel like I'm actually integrating and applying in my life currently. Well, most of the time. But hey, it's a process. We're at this interesting cusp where the contradicting languid, yet sprightly motions of an externally inclined season are merging with the introverted pull of the oncoming season, asking us to slow down, and yet, most of us feel the need to tackle the motherfucking shit out of life. To top it all off, this Virgo new moon bares herself over us, creating a blank space for us to fill up with creation, while our bodies seek rest and solitude. It's a confusing time filled with energetic oppositional pulls, my friends.
So in the spirit of this mergence, if there's any guidance I can offer you, it's to live in that sentiment of slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. Try it on - see how it looks in your life, on your body, for your spirit. I sincerely hope you can remain happily running around, in wide open pastures, nourished appropriately like a cute little chicken with it's head fully intact.
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Soak it all in;
linger.
Ride the waves,
be carried by the winds.
Take great care.
Slow is smooth,
& smooth is fast.
Luminous love,
Jessica
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