LaurieG

This morning I had the honor of helping to kick off for Hudson County Chamber Of Commerce by offering up a meditation practice of gratitude & loving kindness. There are so many amazing organizations in Hudson county doing the good work affecting change in the lives of so many. They need our help to do so. We have been given so much... we are held and are here to do the holding. Visit HUDSONGIVES.ORG to choose which you’ll support today and drop a note in the comments letting me know the organization(s) you love and have supported and I’ll share some of my favorites with you there. If you message me a screen shot of your donation I’ll gift you a week’s access to my online practice space in gratitude.

I closed with this beautiful poem / reminder

When Giving is All We Have
-Alberto Rios
One river gives its journey to the next
We give because someone gave to us.
We give because nobody gave to us.
We give because giving has changed us.
We give because giving could have changed us.
We have been better for it,
We have been wounded by it--
Giving has many faces: It is loud and quiet,
Big, though small, diamond in wood-nails.
Its story is old, the plot worn and the pages too,
But we read this book, anyway, over and again:
Giving is, first and every time, hand to hand,
Mine to yours, yours to mine.
You gave me blue and I gave you yellow.
Together we are simple green.
You gave meWhat you did not have, and I gave you
What I had to give—together, we made
Something greater from the difference.

first the robin. the crocus.
the dandelion up through a sidewalk crack.
the daffodil, giggling.
then the forsythia. soon the magnolia.
the dangling tendrils willow, lime green, swaying in the breeze.
and the cherry. the cherry. the cherry.
soon, first street blooms.
how magnificent this symphony score
singing itself into being,
each hue & bloom emerging
in a timing,
divine...
(each, could stop you in your tracks,
bring you to your knees were you
to pay attention,
were you in your heart
looking out and feeling in)
& together, the whole of the song,
exquisite... undeniably spring.
clearly, grace. deeply, joy. surely, delight.
singing us out of the slumber of winter
the thread of each sweet refrain
and the whole of the weave,
the beauty, the miracle of it all,
undeniable.
gratitude for the gift of it all
crumbles the walls built 'round the heart
and that seed, long held,
awakens, cracks open
in timing, divine
adding its voice to the song.

slow it down * stretch it out & breathe with me... join me for grounding, heart centered, intentionally crafted practices to help you find spaciousness of body, mind & heart. message me for details about Be Home with laurieG & Our Practice Space online and I’ll share link & passcode granting you a week of access from wherever you are, whenever it works best for you... find peace with me.

About a month or so ago, I asked lil man (other than the obvious) what he was missing most /wishing he could do in this time of Covid... without missing a beat, he responded, “going to The Met”. And so it was, we made our way into the city (for the first time in months) to steep in the beauty of countless creations made by hands and hearts the world over... such a great hookey day. We emerged for a stroll in Central Park to find one of the most beautiful sights of the day... a forsythia (one of my dad’s favorites) beginning to bloom, it’s golden song of Spring’s imminent arrival (hallelujah). So deeply thankful... so good to steep in the beauty of it all.

ahhhhhhhhhh...
get grounded, make way & breathe with me... join me in Our Practice Space, the online portal on my website for be home with laurieG where I share in the practices saving me these days. here you’ll find 18 lovingly crafted practices drawn from my mat, studies and 20 years of guiding folks with compassion, intention & love. 3 new practices added each Monday (5, 45 & 75 minutes). week one of access is my gift to you and by donation after should you choose to continue on. this week features a loving kindness meditation and some deep work in the roots. do this with me. (message me to check it)

mini*retreat with me
(r)evolutionary love ::: 2-4pm
(via livestream) valentines day

“Nothing evolves us like love”-Hafiz
So thrilled to team up with the kind souls of Urban Souls Hoboken & give you some love in the form of a deeply nourishing, nurturing & insightful afternoon of practice, contemplation, meditation, guided relaxation & deep rest. Together (apart) we will welcome ourselves home in the spacious embrace of compassionate presence and loving awareness through a potent blend of guided explorations in body, mind and heart. We will listen deeply as we breathe, move, stretch, soften and write our way into the sacred ground of now, restoring connection with and flow through the Earth Star, Root, Heart, Throat and Soul Star chakras. We’ll make offerings of ourselves back to ourselves and conclude with a deeply restorative dive into yoga nidra (the yoga of sleep)… steeping in the great love that abides within, the sweet serenade of mantra, beautiful poetry and healing vibration of sound. Blankets and pillows required. Candles, flowers and chocolate optional. You’ll emerge with your cup replenished and a pitcher full, ready to pour. Details and registration at urbansoulsyoga.com. (pre-registration is required to insure you have what you need when we begin at the ready and a link & passcode to get you there).

“ ‘i love myself.'
the
quietest.
simplest.
most
powerful.
revolution.
ever.”
― Nayyirah Waheed

On being light...
Friday mornings since last Spring, I’ve been holding space for a sacred*circle*sit... an intuitively guided experience of meditation & heartfelt prayer. I have come to treasure these quiet mornings sitting together apart... rooting deeper, resting in spaciousness & tending the light... how good it is to drop in together (held as we are in the embrace of community & reminded of the ever-wide embrace of the Earth) & emerge to receive the gift of this day, unrepeatable, from our awakened, softened hearts. This morning we closed with this from Jack Kornfield, “As we move through this beautiful & troubled world may we vow to be a beacon of peace, a fearless carrier of respect & loving kindness for all life, a teller of truth, a voice for justice, a protector for those who are vulnerable or targeted. May the power of wisdom, integrity & compassion be our guide.” May we do so.

today we rejoice in the beginning of a new chapter... & we roll up our sleeves to recommit to the work that is necessary, that is good & required of us as citizens of the world we yearn to inhabit. so thankful to valarie kaur for her work in creating the peoples inauguration and sharing in the upcoming days of teach-ins reckoning and rising... as joe biden & kamala harris make their solemn oaths today, consider taking one of your own... perhaps similar to this as offered by kaur ::: "i do solemnly vow that i will faithfully execute my role in healing, re-imagining & rebuilding our country... that i will to the best of my ability preserve, protect & defend dignity, justice & joy for myself and all around me & that i will do so with love." may we step boldly into this new chapter co-creating a more just, equitable, sustainable society, rooted in a common humanity, driven by compassion and anchored in love. thank goodness for this day. let us begin.

begin this day with me in quiet compassionate community. last inauguration day, i offered a session of meditation & prayer (in the beautiful sanctuary that was devotion yoga) as the oath of office was being taken. there were tears... there was fear, sadness, anger & an impending sense of anxiety about what was to come. & while beneath it all was the deep knowing that the pendulum would indeed swing, trust that the arc of the moral universe is indeed long & bending and this term of office, temporary... there was also the knowing that there would be decisions made of devastating consequence for people, policies & the earth in both the short and long term (& whatever it was we may have had in mind pales in comparison to what we've endured, what is & what will be left in its wake... the unrelenting onslaught has been traumatic). it wasn't an easy day, but being together in it shifted something. standing shoulder to shoulder in a prayer circle as we emerged from meditation, there was the grounding & spaciousness found in practice, the solace & deep comfort of being held in the embrace of compassionate community (& in doing the holding). i was reminded so deeply that day of the power of & need for this wider container of community... & so it is, i invite you to join me, to join us in beginning this day... breathing our way through it together, apart... there is much to be reckoned with & work to be done...let us begin, sending our roots down (where we are), finding spaciousness of mind & heart, anchoring light & offering heartfelt prayers for the day and days to come. let us begin, together, breathing peace. message or email me to join us laurie @ it takes an open heart . com

1.1.21 ::: 11-12:30 est
begin (again) with me
(& a loved one if you choose)
together we'll breathe our way into 2021.
message me to rsvp ::: link & passcode shared 12.31
suggested offering ::: $18 (via venmo or paypal)