For some of us, we find a subtle rhythm within the mundane. It’s a place where our minds are preoccupied doing busy things and our hearts are opened up to speak clearly without frequent interruption. As a women’s group facilitator and postpartum activist, I guide women in finding the sacredness in the mundane, using it as a tool to quiet the mind and to inspire action that comes directly from an intuitive place within – the heart center. By placing the practice in the hands of the mundane, we’ve opened up the door for regularity and sustainability in our efforts of tuning in, creating a steadiness even amongst the most chaotic and uncertain moments in time.
I’m often asked why I’m so passionate about returning home to our “sacred centers” and why I speak so fondly about the wisdom within, so let’s jump back to my own mini awakening. When I stepped onto the path of motherhood, my direct access to stillness and steadiness had seemingly vanished in a matter of moments. This massive shift was something I was completely unprepared to navigate. Before motherhood, I had settled into a comfortable and often lengthy practice of tuning in, which often included a more formal sitting meditation and gentle asana, or movement practice. This tuning in process happened in dedicated, undisturbed chunks of time. It’s those chunks of time that I revered as sacred. Now a mother, the direct access to stillness and the space to explore pure presence has transformed into something not always recognizable by my former self.
With a longing to be again in communion with the guiding voice within, I’m now challenged to create the container for “hearing the wisdom” in completely new ways. It has become more of a living and breathing practice and a constant rewriting of what self care and personal reflection looks like with a toddler in tow.
My sādhana now allows for more grace and fluidity, something that I’m now realizing is very feminine in its nature. It’s a practice that reassures that the voice within is ever-present and accessible at any time of day, during any phase and within any creative pursuit I set my heart on. It’s a practice built on the subtleties and a form of devotion, a surrendering, and a divine process in understanding who I’ve always been.
There is great beauty, freedom and grace in using the inner voice as our guide. No longer is the need for unsupportive cultural narratives to validate our beliefs and decisions. The unsurmountable pressure to act and be a certain way, especially as modern women and mothers is removed, and in its place is an intuitive adaptability that comes from an illuminated inner knowing. We are given the permission to do things differently, softening into our true nature that rhythmically moves and responds with intention and reverence. The narratives that push us to hasten our pace fall to the wayside as new rhythms emerge in their place. By changing how we respond to the pace of change, we consciously rewrite how we feel about cultural measures of success, productivity and on a deeper level, our understanding of our individual purpose.
During my own personal transformation process from maiden to mother, I realized that I had unconsciously fallen in love with the persona of my inner voice. I whole-heartedly believed in her stance on what productivity looked like and what qualities brought depth and purpose to everything I did. I loved how she didn’t seek validation outside of the walls of her own heart and had a genuine trust in the unfolding of things. So, with the arrival of my new role as mother and the crumbling self care structures I had previously mastered, I’m now embarking on the journey of returning home. It’s a path and a process that I have come to believe is actually the re-establishing of a healthy relationship to the wisest parts of myself, the parts that fully identify with my true Self and leave ego and unsupportive narratives at the front door. With this awareness and the ability to listen more deeply, I’ve become dedicated to my personal practice, believing it’s the most genuine and selfless act of service I could bestow on myself.
This summer, I find myself immersed within this daily practice, choosing to create and dream from the place of internal steadiness. Being tethered to my inner voice is the piece of the puzzle that brings joy, equanimity and full surrender to the sacredness found in the mundane. It’s the essence of what allows us as women to have the ability to embrace who we are and who we are becoming with full, unadulterated presence.
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Each week, expect a bite-sized personal reflection with accompanying journal prompt. My hope is that by sharing these reflections and prompts, you’ll be inspired into purposeful action and we’ll both be reassured that we are not alone in this process of unraveling.
Once a month, expect a curation of resources intended to inspire a deeper personal practice. There will be Q&A interviews to showcase how other women in this community navigate transformation, articles and podcasts that have made a lasting impression and practical mindfulness exercises to bring about sustainable change. If you’re a fan of mantra…there will be some of that too.