Dear One,

Let's not romanticize it -- sitting with our feelings can feel like sitting in a septic tank without ventilation.

A client once asked me, "Why should I feel my feelings if they just make me feel worse?" Oh. Why are we yoga and mindfulness teachers such fans of "sitting with" discomfort, pain, grief and fear?

I suppose it all depends on whether you subscribe to the belief that the only way out is through. That you must go in to the sensation to transcend it. That you can't shut off the valve to discomfort, pain, grief and fear without also compromising the flow of joy, elation, love and connection.

It's so annoying, I know. Especially since feeling a feeling isn't just emotional -- it's freakin' physical. It snarls our throat, restricts our breath, creates a headache, tunnels our vision, sends our heart rate through the ringer.

Yoga and mindfulness practices can help us feel our feelings with (and on) purpose. With quiet space, with breath, with body engagement, with community connection. With a teacher to guide you to the other side.

Right there in the practice with you,

~Alex