This week was a doozy!
“When we resist change, it’s called suffering. But when we can completely let go and not struggle against it, when we can embrace the groundlessness of our situation and relax into its dynamic quality, that’s called enlightenment.” - Pema Chödrön
This week was a doozy and I was resisting change all over the place.
I didn’t like the cards I was being dealt.
I could feel myself slipping into suffering so I turned to the teachings of Pema Chödrön on groundlessness and impermanence.
Groundlessness is the feeling of no solid ground under our feet - no stable place to rest. Pema Chödrön also describes it as the fundamental ambiguity with being human.
Impermanence is recognizing this too shall pass- that nothing lasts forever. The Buddha called impermanence “one of the three distinguishing markers of our existence, an inconvertible fact of life.”
So, I accepted this week’s clear invitation to
In releasing my resistance to the changes my week brought, I let myself experience the groundlessness of it all. I allowed the emotions that came with the disruptions, frustrations, and tension. I allowed myself to be honest about my emotional waves with the people closest to me. I reminded myself this is temporary.
Part of the dynamic nature of the groundlessness of a situation is the rawness of our humanity and holiness within it. In that rawness rests many gifts. I cried, I put voice to the triggers I was feeling, and I practised asking for what I needed. It was hard, and it was true and the outcome was and always is love.
Sensitivity: The Untapped Potential by Julianna Bootsman
We are sensory beings.
Learning to work with and embrace this part of our human nature opens a world of potential that is largely untapped.
Journal Prompts
What change are you resisting in your life right now?
What might be possible if you let go of resistance and stop struggling against the change?
What might support you to embrace groundlessness more fully and celebrate the dynamic qualities of it?
Workshops / Speaking / Consulting
Coaching