Geordie Jahner writes…
Dear Dancing Friends,
Spring rains and new growth…veggie gardens, new projects, and a whole new chapter.
Letting go of a life that I created in Maui over these past 21 years has made for a powerfully transformative winter/summer. Add to this the experience of letting go of my Studio business, and witnessing the dying processes of three close women friends going through cancer recently, and you have all the ingredients for a big ‘Phoenix process’.
It’s all very well knowing intellectually that death and loss are a natural part of life’s composting process, but this doesn’t lessen the challenge and pain of letting go of old friends, forms and structures. I know that I am not alone in this process at a time when so many of us on the planet are being called upon to reinvent ourselves, to let go, fall into the gap and trust that a new, more sustainable form will emerge – that out of our innate creative wellspring we will discover a new, healthier response to this powerful call for Change. At the deepest level we are being asked to cultivate a kind of fearless receptivity here. We have no idea how things will turn out, and this takes tremendous courage and flexibility.
How eternally grateful I am to this 5Rhythms dance practice of ours that has grounded and guided me through the many changes of the past 35 years of my life, and the profound privilege of walking alongside Gabrielle Roth as my teacher, wise friend and colleague throughout my adult life.
And how life-affirming after all this loss and letting go, to arrive now into the generous, emergent energy of Springtime, the warm welcome of family, and this familiar, extraordinary, freshly beautiful land that is New Zealand…to return home. I am so excited to be beginning this new chapter here now and helping to deepen and expand our 5Rhythms community here in Godzone, with heartfelt appreciation for all the work Christina has done over many years to keep the dancing home fires burning, and now our wonderful new teachers – Sacha, Geash and Julie.
I am most struck by the transformative and therapeutic properties of our 5Rhythms meditation practice these days. I treasure the fact that on any given day I can show up on the dance floor and really use my practice to fully move into and through whatever is going on for me, with full trust that the Rhythms will hold me, that if I really commit myself to the full Wave it will eventually deliver me upon the sweet shores of Stillness and a sense of renewal.
Whether I am dealing with a physical injury or limitation, an emotional storm, or a mental challenge that day, the practice allows me to gently focus my attention there, to listen deeply and discover what that part of my body, psyche or soul is wanting and needing in order to unwind itself and find release. It is this simple yet profound act of having the courage to turn and face the truth of what is, somatically and psychologically, that I have found to be the single most transformative and empowering act of my human existence. The opposite of distracting ourselves, avoiding and running away from what is stirring within us, the dance is merciless in it’s capacity to reveal and bring us home to our own truths.
A friend recently introduced me to the following three precepts which I have found helpful and equally applicable to the dance practice and our lives. I’d like to share them with you here and look forward to exploring them further with you in our practice on the dance floor:
1) Welcome Everything, Push Away Nothing – We don’t have to like what is arising. It’s really not our job to approve or disapprove. Our task is to trust, to listen and to pay careful attention to the changing experience. It is a journey of continuous discovery in which we will always be entering new territory. Our lives are mysteries to be lived into, opening, risking and forgiving constantly.
2) Bring your Whole Self to the Experience – allow your investigation to show you what’s important, then enter it fully.
3) Remember to Find a Place of Rest in the middle of things whenever you can.
I look forward to seeing you all on the dance floor over these next months and sharing these ideas in practice.
With much love and tenderness,
Geordie
