Tag: writing
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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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an endless chain of paper dolls
I am sitting cross-legged on a yoga mat while a world unfolds inside my mind’s eye, a clear vision of rolling hills and the glint of sunshine reflected off blades of grass and pooled in leaves. First, from within my own body, I am in a line of women that are all me, from 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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crying at the gym
reposted from March 2019 The very first item on my to-do list after the accident was to pause my gym membership. Determined to get it done, I dragged both of my parents out of the house for the ride. I remember the optimism like it was yesterday, “Hi, yes, i’d like to put my membership…
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finding alignment in community
Despite my best intentions to deal with my emotions in stillness, I explored Morocco with exhausting speed and determination. I spent as much time traveling between cities as I spent in them. There was an unrelenting pressure to see as much as possible in short windows of time, to show my mother the magic of…
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putting it out there
I need to put something out there into the world. Anything. Nothing will ever feel good enough and I have far too many unfinished drafts gathering dust so I just have to do it. Even if it’s only a declaration, a public promise to myself that I am brave enough. My worry now is that…
nathalie shushan 