I just had one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long time. I went to the North shore area of Boston to visit with a friend from college. I came home feeling so nourished and more content than I have been in awhile.
We hadn’t seen each other several years. I’m pretty terrible about keeping in touch with folks but we quickly fell into an ease and comfort together as if we were still roommates in a dorm.
We talked about everything. We caught up about our families and our work of course but we also got to really let our hair down and share deeply. We talked about our fears, our insecurities, all of it. I remember feeling both surprise and great relief as someone I love and admire articulated what I was feeling inside. It was in sharing our vulnerabilities that I felt the deepest connection and love for my friend.
Just recognizing that we are not alone is so uplifting. It’s kind of wild to observe that recognizing “oh you are just as human and flawed as me” can feel like such a bond but it’s true. It’s when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and honest with each other that we find the deepest sense of connection. We can stop all the masking that we’ve convinced ourselves that is necessary and get real—and more open-hearted.
Other people are our mirrors. When we are courageous enough to show each other our deepest selves, including our fears and flaws, then our experience resonates more deeply because we all have fears and flaws and we see ourselves in others. We feel truly heard and held. We lean in rather than away—towards each other and also towards ourselves.
I recognized that my dear friend has stories about themselves that aren’t true and that dim the radiance and goodness I know is there. It helped me recognize that the stories I’ve been telling myself aren’t doing me any favors either. These moments together nurtured and restored us because we were touched to the core. We felt our innate wholeness and remember our wisdom and spirit.
We need these kinds of connections with each other. We literally depend on them to survive and thrive as humans.
Making these deep connections with others is a kind of Yoga. The premise of Yoga philosophy is that we are always innately whole and that we possess an inner wisdom and truth that is untouched or tarnished by our experiences. When we do Yoga that includes on and off the mat—such as stretching ourselves emotionally—we create a well-worn, easily accessible path to that part of ourselves and we can sustain a sense of wellbeing and compassion for ourselves and others even when we are in the throws of the inevitably painful experiences of living a full life.
Sound intriguing? I would love to support you in starting, expanding or re-connecting to a yoga practice and I’m offering some great deals this month for private sessions and classes. Let’s connect!
