In Braving the Wilderness, Brene Brown tells a story about a village where all the women washed clothes together down by the river. But, when they all got washing machines, all the women became depressed; nobody could understand why!
But you see, the washing machines meant that the women stopped sharing time together and gradually lost their sense of community.
I do think that something similar has happened to many of us throughout the past couple of years. We’ve become used to soldiering on, and convincing ourselves that all is fine, even when we are bottling up stuff that once we would have shared.
I mean for sure, who doesn’t feel overwhelmed? But if we don’t rekindle community and instead keep saying “We’re just too busy right now” then weeks, months, and eventually years will go by without us properly reconnecting with our friends and special communities. It has become even easier to say we’re fine these days, even when it’s not true. Probably many of us don’t see this as an untruth but view it as our duty not to over-burden others. “They’ve got enough on their plate” we tell ourselves.
But continuing this trajectory means we will become increasingly isolated. The life-affirming power of honest (and sometimes raw) conversations shared, will be lost and it will become increasingly hard to get this back. We will lose the skills that enable us to build the closeness our hearts need, and our interactions will become more and more superficial.
Maybe we think that in modern life we don’t really depend that much on each other for our survival, but Brene Brown tells us that being lonely is as detrimental to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Which means that whilst we all have our own washing machines, of course, we do still need to hang out with each other!
I’m all for being independent, I was raised this way, but there can also be magical energy when women come together to share wisdom, stories, struggles and triumphs. The more diverse our community, the better, as we have a wider set of skills, ideas, and experiences. And this is why I’ve started my Practice Circles; I’m on a mission to bring together more women who are ready to generously share their gifts and create a supportive compassionate sisterhood. Are you with me? Come join, whether you need to be lifted or know you can lift others or both. Let’s lift each other.
Practice Circle meets on the first Saturday of the month – each one begins with a beautiful long yoga practice, which begins with a gentle unfolding before deepening into a more dynamic practice. Then I serve Tisanes and healthy morsels whilst we chat and journal, laugh and share.
“I really enjoyed the yoga practice and felt privileged to be in the company of such fantastic women. The discussion flowed well and I loved hearing about the experiences of other women – something I find very helpful in so many ways and I really hope that’s the case for everyone else too. It feels like a very safe place to speak freely and discuss ideas about navigating this life as women. It’s wonderful!”
