April Musings & Classes

Hello my darlings!

Sharing some thoughts/offerings with you that I am also about to send out in my April newsletter.

(You might want to read to the bottom, as this is a big juicy one with special offerings everywhere, including a discount on my upcoming Union With Shakti workshop!)

“We still have so much to learn— we’re like babes in the wood when it comes to really understanding nature. We haven’t even begun to learn about the myriad of forms of life in the soil beneath us.”

~Jane Goodall

When I read this excerpt from Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams' book 'The Book of Hope', it really did actually give me hope. I felt this call to action that is such a core value of mine, to look with wonder towards the places that can still astonish me, that I can still learn from and be changed from.

I know, for me, it's totally normal to feel overwhelmed and maybe even cynical, to get disconnected from myself, spirit and the human-world because there's just too many signals of perceived danger in a day. I know how harmful it is when my nervous system is in a constant state of stimulation, so I can go easily into a disappearing and avoidant state.

And I know so many of you feel similarly, as I work with my community on this regularly and I see the increase in anxiety and the challenges of staying motivated and inspired everywhere - especially in teens. It's a real concern.

And through the somatic trauma informed trainings I have done, I know for myself that a consistent safety cue I can access is to be reminded how resilient life is. All of life wants to thrive.

That includes me and you.

When I remember this, I can relax a little, and remember that my biology is doing its job, to keep me alive, so I can move my thoughts to the the sensual and felt parts of myself that are still enchanted by life and that it is so good to be here, and suddenly a kaleidoscope of meaning appears and how exciting it is to ponder about things like the ecosystem in soil that I have never known about - that have been nourishing me - that I still might get to know someday!

This journey of remembering what makes you feel safe is key - and it's beautifully unique to each person. Our collective safety cues would make a gorgeous and soothing tapestry wouldn't it?

(Imagining and taking that in for a minute)

I know the word hope has a negative reputation in some places and I do understand why intellectually, but don't we need sips of helpful places for our thoughts to go?

In most places, it's the most important thing that we can claim we own.

Hope can connect us to beauty, like healthy relationships, art, spirituality and nature - and all these things can bring us closer to our heart, where we may begin to discern the differences between identifying with our thoughts as facts and true understand of ourselves that can be felt.

The beauty of life is an ally to our nervous system, it can move thoughts more effortlessly out of the trenches of doom and gloom and begin to fill those trenches with fresh nourishing soil just discovered. This resilience dance is everywhere, it's coming through the hard soil once again as nature is showing me on my walks in the dense city of Los Angeles.

Spring is the season of resilience.

Life does desire to open, to grow and bloom towards the light even after tremendous darkness and difficulties. This reminder is evident in nature as well as in human stories as well.

I know you know about this too.

The heaviness of winter still has its grip on me, and so I am allowing myself to bathe in this Chi of hope and resilience today.

How about you?

What brings you hope?

Where do you find your resilience?

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Healing movement practices keep me hopeful because no matter what's going on, I know I can come back to embodying love.

That is the origin of movement after all. 

All life moves from and towards love.

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💛💛💛

Reminding you that you have access to the Sensual Wellness Class Replays...

Class 1: Root

Class 2: Flow

Class 3: Feel

These classes were created especially for you, my dear patrons, and are made for people of all genders. (This series is less of an exploration of sensuality as a general subject, and more of a yoga/qi gong practice through which we engage our senses and bring gentle awareness to that experience.)

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🌷A P R I L   C L A S S   S C H E D U L E🌷

~UNION WITH SHAKTI (SMMT MODULE 2) | Date: 4/15-4/16

~ BODY LAB (IN PERSON + ZOOM) | Date: 4/23

~ EMA (ZOOM) | Date: 4/24

*Your Body Lab and EMA patreon codes will be sent out in a couple days. Hang tight!

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More about Union With Shakti...

U N I O N   W I T H   S H A K T I

Shakti Movement Medicine: Module 2

APRIL 15-16

+ CLICK HERE TO REGISTER +

Get 20% off for a limited time with code: HOPEFUL20

UNION WITH SHAKTI is a potent cauldron that brings into conscious embodiment those wisdoms of power, wholeness, compassion and grace that the Goddesses hold so strongly for us.

This is a true experiential way of learning. It is not just a lecture. It is 2 full days of commitment to relational work. We must work together now to change ingrained systems of oppression and separateness.

It is your very own inner wonder and wisdom that you will be engaging with, in a container of witnessing and being witnessed in presence or however you show up.

Your mature participation is required.

*

Shakti inspires our small body whispers to become roars and gives us ground for us to move from female primordial energy and Love.

This is a sacred ceremony where we get to offer our humble gratitude and drop into stillness in reverence of the divine feminine.

I hope you can join us for this gorgeous weekend at-home retreat of livestream classes, group practice, movement, meditation, and conversation.

This course is open for all who identify as female, woman, feminine and non-binary female bodied.

🪷🪷🪷

This weekend course will include:

- Inquiry into: Is Goddess relevant in our current times?

- An introduction to Shakti as a Goddess and our primordial female power (Tantric viewpoint)

- Creating a sacred space for yourself to practice in your home or studio

- Our breath as the pathway for grounded authentic movement - Learn Daily Qi Gong practice for cultivating vital energy (Daoist viewpoint)

- Nature/ 5 Elements as our source for Energetic Embodiment

- Goddess as a source of Empowerment

- Embodying Divine Eros (embodied love) (Female-centered Spiritual viewpoints)

I do hope you can join us and revel in this beautiful spring time energies together!

+ CLICK HERE TO REGISTER +

Get 20% off for a limited time with code: HOPEFUL20

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+ COMMUNITY SHOUT OUT......Elizabeth DiAlto recently released a business interview series called The REAL Uplevel that I’m excited to share with you and tune in for myself.

I am a big advocate of forging your own path in both life and business and so is my friend and EMA trained embodiment specialist and podcast queen Elizabeth DiAlto (@elizabethdialto).

In The REAL Uplevel, the focus is on upleveling leadership skills, compassion, integrity, awareness, and liberatory business practices. There’s also a big focus on redefining success and prosperity on our own life-honoring terms.

Learn more about the series here : therealuplevel.com and sign up before the price goes up after April 3rd.

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Phew!!

That's all for now my loves.

I hope you found something that you need in here.

As always, reach out to me with your thoughts, reflections, questions, feedback, and requests.

To our wellness,✨

Rie