SomaNews – July/August 2010
Learning to Surrender
Warm summer greetings! Last month I returned from my annual trek to New Mexico in the high-elevation desert. I went with the intention to learn what it truly means to surrender. I don’t mean surrender as in giving my “self” away or showing weakness, but surrender to being bigger and allowing myself to be led by the essence of “Self,” realizing I am so much more in the scheme of life.
The learning soon began as I met with unforeseen challenges. I watched my mind take over and the path of frustration it led me down. Oh, the stories it told. “If I had just taken better care of my health, if I had just been more enlightened.”
My body grew tight and small in those stories. As I sat under the big night sky of New Mexico looking into the void of dark and stars I remembered my intention: Let go and leap into the stars — surrender myself to the vastness of life, not to stories that make me small.
In that moment I trusted. I truly trusted, and I surrendered to the essence of life, to the Great Mystery, whatever you may call it. A warmth filled my heart and body, I relaxed and said to myself, I am willing to surrender to the mystery of life and open to all possibilities as a learning that moves me toward what I am becoming.
"Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become."
Quick Somatic Practice
Is there something you want to surrender into? If so, practice by surrendering in this moment. Take a deep breath and sit with me under the Great Sky and listen.
Breathe and settle yourself under the wondrous canopy of life. Listen to your body. Drop down into your center and say, “I surrender.” Notice what happens. Do any stories begin to churn in your mind?
Take another deep breath and say, “I surrender.” Move your attention to your feet. Do they feel planted on the Mother Earth? Surrender your feet into the earth, as though you were slowly dropping them into a still pool of water, touching them to the sandy floor below.
As you breathe in, imagine your chest opening like butterfly wings surrendering to the ebb and flow of your breath. Again say, “I surrender.”
Do you need to let go of anything to surrender? What is it? Let the answer just come. Don’t judge it. Be curious and surrender.
Take another deep breath, connecting to the sky and the earth. Thank your body, your mind and your spirit for this opportunity to surrender.
What did you notice?
Was there anything you had to let go of to surrender? Was surrendering easy for you? Or did you find it difficult and still feel resistance? Would it be helpful to gently explore where you may be holding resistance in your body? If you would like to arrange a somatic bodywork or coaching session, please call me at 707-480-3846.
Somatic Bodywork at Leaders Conference
Join me at the Allied Ronin Leader’s Retreat this summer in a beautiful wooded setting. I will be offering somatic bodywork and practices to support you in increasing your capacity to accomplish more with less, rejuvenate, relax and see your body as a conduit for change.
The upcoming Summer Retreat is August 21-25, 2010 at the Middletown, California.
