Tag: travel
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a series of great rememberings
A girl once told me a story of a whole being that split itself in two so it could know the joy of reuniting its parts. The truth of wholeness was made even more precious when juxtaposed against suffering and separateness. I don’t remember the details of the story – where it came from, how…
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writing practice
I’m reading Writing Down the Bones again. It, among other things, is making me feel brave. In Bones, Natalie Goldberg reminds us how important it is to give ourselves permission to write the “worst junk in the world.” In another chapter, entitled Composting, she says: “It takes a while for our experience to sift through our consciousness. For instance, it…
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learning to expand
I gathered my tattered roots and held them close when I moved to California. In the 6 years that I lived in Los Angeles, my signature rebellion was a staunch refusal to buy a bedframe. “It’s only temporary,” I would say, year after year, as I adorned my space with decoration that was fleeting in…
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make yourself at home
Occasionally stripping ourselves of the comfort of familiarity allows us to activate an internal sense of security. It gives us space to cultivate the feeling of home so we can carry it through the changing tides of our lives. It’s been a full year since I gave my apartment up, since we deconstructed my bed…
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the magic of markets
Farmers’ markets are a portal to nature and community. Fruits and vegetables reflect the seasons back at us as they change throughout the year. Going to the market is often an errand that I run by myself, to buy groceries or clear my head, but my happiest memories are of times I went with my…
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the angry physio
I sought out a recommendation for a local physio by the end of my second tear-filled day of the yoga retreat. Desperate for a reprieve from pain, I reached out to a contact that was shared with me as “Ukraine Massage Physio Therapy.” When the mysterious physio responded confirming availability for 3pm the next day,…
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crying in yoga
I was certain that I had processed the car accident entirely. I wrote until I had nothing left to say, recognized the strength of my body as it healed in the months that followed, expressed deep gratitude daily. As far as traumatic experiences go, that was one I thought had already been dealt with. It…
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learning to release expectations
The first time I visited Merzouga was entirely spontaneous. Not having booked accommodation in Fes in advance and finding that we needed a place to rest our head for the night, my friends and I agreed to travel out of the city toward a camp in the desert. It was, in many ways, the most…
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not all those wander
You mean to walk a straight path but, comme d’habitude, you’re distracted by the splendor of this magical city that you’re lucky enough to call home. The quiet, unassuming side streets call to you, one after another, until suddenly you notice that you’ve lost your way. Your eyes are open wide in an attempt to…
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deep shoulder healing
The main goal of my trip was to create a space that felt safe enough to explore the connection between my mind and body. There was a disconnect that I was desperate to resolve. All of the work I had done finally felt like it was starting to pay off when I made it to…
nathalie shushan 