4-5-16 completing a cycle…

How do you create a container safe enough to literally dance like no one is watching, unfold, unravel, let the truth become visible on the outside? For sure, the quality of the space and facilitator is important. But in a Thursday night circle a couple weeks ago, I wanted to flesh out the significant contribution of every single person present. How stepping onto a dance floor is akin to entering a sacred contract, an agreement to help hold this so-called container. The quality of our individual presence is the ultimate glue that knits the space together.

There are so many reasons we might choose to leave class (or leave a “fill in the blank”) early: boredom, music dislike, not interested in instruction or the instructor or the group or…   There are infinite ways we feel uncomfortable. If we leave before the end, we rob ourselves of cycle completion: beginning, middle, end. We also break the sacred contract we made on entering and generate a palpable gap that every one senses. And, maybe most important, we miss the incredible gift on the far side of discomfort. So I spoke all this in the circle, in fact, reiterate it every year or two. Slinking out for reasons other than illness is not a wisdom choice. Checking in with the facilitator before you exit helps band aid the integrity issue. It is a practice for life.

On a more far reaching scale, the dynamic of staying put is the same with any practice out there. When we are young, it is innocent and brilliant to experiment with different forms of practice. Trying on and discarding with abandon. Eventually landing in a singular form will bear the ripest fruit. If we leave when we are bored or uncomfortable or…see above list, we are missing the point. Because often, on the other side of difficulty, the greatest gifts emerge.

Which is the point I am coming to. Here I am at this 5Rhythms Teacher Refresh in Salt Lake City and right in the middle, the build up of challenging emotion was so intense that I desperately wanted to leave. It would have been extremely difficult, but possible. And I kept breathing and made a wisdom choice. I simply stayed. And, as it usually does, the storm passed and the light of dawn revealed truly a great gift.

It has been 3 ½ years since Gabrielle passed, leaving behind a whirlwind, especially in the landscape of leadership. I have experienced every temptation to leave this practice. See above list. Some people did; created their own thing and many chose to drop their long time investment in 5Rhythms and go with them. Beginning again, starting over. It is a common scenario when a charismatic leader passes. I chose to give it time. Waiting and watching and wondering. Content to teach this natural borne path that time and again sheds another skin: mine, yours, ours. Having made it through the beginning and middle of this 3 ½ year transition, I made a final passage through to the end here in Salt Lake City. I have relinquished a search for perfection in leadership because it has clearly always been about the practice for me and not about personality. An abundance of extraordinary healing transpired and I am grateful to belong to this crazy tribe.

Healing is always on the agenda, but a Teacher Refresh is all about connection and inspiration. Juliette and I are totally ignited. We sat on the plane late last night and sketched out seven weeks of Wave Forms, unique and versatile ways to use this practice as wake up call. Falling feet first head-long into the unknown and harvesting the big whatever. This is the potential when you stay with one form through thick and thin, follow the through line from beginning through middle into the end zone. The layers, the depths, the possibilities never cease to amaze when we have the guts to hang in there.

Right now we are somewhere on this through line in any number of cycles in our lives. Come feel the way practice operates as support for sticking with…..love, bella