Sink = Immerse = Delve

When we consider the word sink – how do we see this? How does it make us feel? Does it have a negative connotation, or is there something more positive we can derive from this word?

When we see “sink” as a verb there is a sense of action – to go below the surface of something. This is the theme of our upcoming Autumn retreat this weekend. For us this may be allowing ourselves to feel safe in delving a little deeper into who we are, what makes us tick, respond, react. In a negative sense we hear people say they might be “only just holding their head above water” – here maybe a feeling of being swamped sometimes at our own doing, or due to the demands that have been placed upon or made of us.

Regardless of how we view the word, there is a way to transfer the negative to the positive when we are given an opportunity to explore that feeling of self-immersion or self-enquiry. Perhaps for you that is into a great book, a podcast, an activity that you love, swimming lap after lap following that line, a yoga sequence, asana or meditation. Allowing yourself the time to just be in a space that requires nothing of you but to “sink”, to “immerse” yourself 100%.

So as we “Sink into Autumn” I invite you to allow yourself to go below the surface of you. To just let yourself be aware of the space that you fill, the sounds, the smells, the crunch of leaves under your feet, the sound of running water over the rocks, the cooling air on your skin, the quiet hum of conversations around you.

When we let ourselves go below the surface there is sometimes a fear that we are unsure what we will find. Like when we stop – emotions rise to the surface that may have been suppressed for considerable time. This is a normal and natural experience to have when you allow yourself to be vulnerable, to be quiet and just soak yourself into an experience. When we are caught up in life itself there is often no time to do this so we tend to hold on and keep holding on until something else forces us to stop.

I know for myself over the first few months of this year there has been very little time for quiet space. Even as a yoga teacher in this season of my life, I am swimming in a constant stream of activity, managing family, relationship and business activity. I am not immune to "just holding it together” from time to time and I also need to find some quiet everyday in one way or another. Just when you feel you are building some slack into your life, unexpected events will still occur and this has already been my first significant lesson for 2019.

So where does that leave me – sinking under the demands, or allowing myself to go below the surface, to learn, to acknowledge and to make changes in my life to accommodate more space, more quiet and more time for living the type of life that embraces all that is important to me?

Yes, that is exactly where it leaves me. Still learning and still a work in progress. How about you?

Blessings to you all,

Kaz