“We are on Earth to take care of life. We are on Earth to take care of each other.”

Xiye Bastida

Hello Yogis,

How do we keep showing up with the strength to care for ourselves—mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually? And once we find that ground and commit to it, how do we extend that care to one another? I believe resilience is an essential part of the answer.

Here are some ways to think about resilience.

A Skill: It's a collection of competencies like emotional regulation, cognitive reframing (seeing challenges as opportunities), and maintaining perspective.

A Process: It's the ability to adapt, persist, and recover from setbacks, moving forward without losing a positive outlook.

A Mindset: It involves taking a constructive stance, focusing on solutions, and learning from experiences.

I have been pondering and writing about how to nurture and build resilience for quite a few years now—somehow searching for stronger ‘medicine’ for what is before us. For me, I’m ready to flip a new switch—one I’ve been fumbling around in the dark, trying to find for a long time. Within myself, I’m ready to transmute old habits of reactivity, anger, and impatience that took root when I was very young—echoes of my parents’ struggle to keep it all together—and that continued once I was out on my own, as a way to protect myself from being taken advantage of.

Part of my work so far, has been deep inner exploration through meditation, out-loud journaling, breathing visualizations, and sharing with trusted friends.

I’ve also found results in the simple (not always easy).

Resilience is:

• presence

• hugging chickens

• laughing more

• choosing differently

• observing plants in winter

• recontextualizing old stories—and what is true

• expanding how I relate to familiar people and things

• meeting my aging body with gentle diligence and grace

• offering safety, compassion, and kindness to strangers

• sending Metta (lovingkindness) to everything that makes me wince

Teaching and learning are ways I reliably reconnect with my resilience, so it felt especially nourishing to be back together in all of our livestream classes last week. I’m continually bolstered by community—by sharing practice and lived experience.

I’ve also been finding resilience in quieter moments. Since Greg headed to Phoenix last Thursday, I’ve been walking our property with Kismet, noticing what’s here. Today, I took a few photos of plants I was surprised to find alive and well in the middle of winter. They’ve survived snow, below-zero windchills, and the constant swing between warm and freezing temperatures.

Seeing this kind of resilience in nature feels remarkable—cilantro, lavender, rosemary, and even blooming phlox, quietly carrying on.

And lastly, as I mentioned above, the simple idea of presence has also been shoring up my own resilience. This writing from UPLIFT written by Bhavani & Kristin Hoffman is a nice practice for presence.

As human beings, we utilize time.

We live in the construct of time, but the truth is,

it’s always right now.

Whenever you check in, it’s always right now, isn’t it?

There really never is any other time.

Breathe into your heart space.

Feel into your heart space.

In this present moment, there is no past, and no future.

The past is just thoughts and memories we recall in this present moment.

The future exists only as potential, just thoughts, plans, and ideas that we have

in this present moment.

Bring your full awareness into this present moment

as you continue to consciously breathe.

Feel yourself breathing with no agenda.

And just be present in this moment.

This is where you access the infinite wisdom of your higher self,

and your own direct connection to Source.

This is where you discover the presence of unconditional love

and the peace that is beyond all understanding.

You will become more familiar with this ever-present moment

through your awareness of how it feels to be present right now.

And remember that pausing for a few deep breaths,

can bring you into the infinite presence of your heart space.

A place to stop and rest and feel,

a place of greater perspective,

a place where you can trust yourself.

It's always your choice -

where you place your focus, what you focus on,

and from where within you, you meet the world.

This ever-present moment.

It really is always right now.

With Lovingkindness,
Heidi