I've been considering, as of late, exactly what kind of blog this is anyhow? Is it a yoga blog? Hardly. Homeschooling? Not quite. Lifestyle? That doesn't really feel right either. So what then? There doesn't really appear to be any discernible theme connecting posts or any one particular tone. To me they feel mutable. Variable like the day, like the weather, like the seasons. Pretty temporal really which rules out any sense that I may have of writing to any particular audience. Which I have never really had anyway and rather always just get the sense that I am pitching each post forward into the dark void of the inter-ethers to either be consumed or ignored for no reason in particular other than that I may have begged you to read them.
All I know, is I enjoy the activity and every time that I lean into it and take the time for it, I am fulfilled in some way. And if I were to eek out a tone or theme for the writing in this space I would probably best describe it as "things that have my attention as of late" or "truth telling as I understand truth(or probably more accurately opinion) telling at this moment in time". Perhaps not quite right, but near right.
So, today, what has my attention? Well, the biggest focus for the last few months or so has been reading and writing. Not just for my kids and our homeschool, but a lot for me and also for all of us relationally. I have been sharing bits and pieces of that on the gram and have more than perhaps ever before been enjoying the literary life of our family. I have read some truly wonderful books with my kids this summer, as well as with Chris, who has always been a big part of our read aloud family lifestyle. Also, I have recently been exposed to more reading and writing homeschool influences and as ever am finding ways in which what I am learning there is applicable to my own practices as well as to the way in which I teach and train yoga students. The resources that have been inspiring me the most are The Brave Writer and Read-Aloud Revival. I also have been drawing on the wisdom and guidance of a friend and scholar and the recommendations that she shared with me this summer regarding rite of passage for young boys in particular and sense of self for secular spiritualists. She led us in the direction of the author Ursula Le Guin and in particular her YA fantasy series EarthSea as well as her translation of the Tao Te Ching.
I have also been thinking considerably about my movement practices as of late (this could really become an entire post in itself but for now just a few notes...) and have been experiencing a lot of curiosity and joy in my own studentship within the realms of Crossfit and Natural Movement. I have been loving Kellen Milad's Free Mover Mobility Project and have happily shared those explorations with Maple which adds an entirely different element in terms of shared experience. I have also loved being coached in a gym setting and enjoy the focus, camaraderie and support of that environment. While asana practice is still my primary practice, what I have been missing, perhaps more than ever, is a regular and on-going relationship with an experienced teacher. Having not connected with anyone in this way in quite some time, I am considering shifting my perspective in terms of the framework and am exploring the pursuit of a formal student/teacher relationship in a more contemplative practice of yoga. I have always been a student first and foremost, in part I think that is why I love being a home educator so much, because I get to always be learning, and I will happily be lots of teacher's student, but I would love something more committed, regular, and sincere.
All of this is an exploration. This writing space included. I am trying to understand myself more fully. My family. Our places in the micro and macro. And hopefully something that I stumble upon holds a spark of truth for you as well. For us, written narrative has always been a big help toward understanding ourselves and our world. And right there with narrative, breath and movement.
