Feeding the Feminine
By Anna Price
Some words about our exciting
new workshop for women
‘Where there is clinging there is suffering, where there is suffering there is clinging’
THE BUDDHA
‘God may be in the details, but the goddess is in the questions. Once we begin to ask them, there's no turning back.’
GLORIA STEINEM
I have to confess to an unsafe habit – listening to podcasts whilst commuting to and from work on my bike. I know it’s inadvisable, but I enjoy it too much and I often learn a lot. One evening, a few years ago, I was frantically cycling home through Kentish Town whilst listening to an interview with Claire Dubois, founder of the Treesisters charity. She claimed the way the human race has been treating the planet – taking without replenishing or respecting – has resulted in the earth behaving like a psychotic mother. What should be a magnificent force that nurtures and sustains life, has become overwhelmed by neglect and abuse. Mother Earth sends out floods, fires, earthquakes as desperate distress sirens which we continue to ignore. We need to re-learn the capacity to nurture that which we depend on for our very existence.
I sometimes think we women are not so different. The Taoists believed as with the macro, so with the micro. Like the Earth itself, in traditional Chinese philosophy, we are a balance of yin and yang. But, in the era we find ourselves in, there is a proliferation of yang. Yang is masculine, doing, thrusting, speaking rather than listening, certainty. Yin is feminine, receptive, yielding, darkness, inner contemplation, the unknown.
In a world that constantly demands our attention, we women too often find ourselves overstimulated, perpetually sifting and regurgitating information, being called upon to provide endless feats and responses to more and more demands. No wonder we can often feel chaotic. Not only do we have to strive to be good at our jobs, but also beautifully turned out; perfect mothers, friends, lovers; good community members, eating the right foods; doing the right exercise. And, if that wasn’t enough to contend with, getting the perfect night’s sleep too. This incessant list of achievement ‘goals’ can drain us or energy and joy. We may lash out, like the earth, with bursts of irritation - our own private storms and heatwaves - or it may lead to a sense of shock, manifesting as tension in our bodies. We may find ourselves in a fight-or-flight response, our systems primed for action, or in a state of freeze, feeling paralyzed and unable to move forward.
In times like these what we need is an act of softening. Much like rewilding a patch of over-farmed land, by allowing our bodies to return to a more natural state, we enable them to become kinder, warmer, springier. Think of the times you may have been stuck on a problem at work, but after a walk around the block or a quick session in the gym, you have been able to think more clearly. (I know I have). Often, we find a new type of thinking begins to emerge – a kinetic, spacious, wisdom that just feels right, in a Goldilocks kind of way. The perfect porridge (nourishment), chair (support), bed (rest).
FULL INTEGRATION
I’ve made a habit of qigong and tai chi practice as well as meditation in my daily routine. This practice gives me nourishment, support and a sense of peace. But I’ve sometimes struggled with integrating the qualities I’ve found in formal practice into regular life.
I can still be a bit snarky over breakfast or get too emotionally worked up over a disagreement at work. Where did all that magical relaxed feminine energy go then?
This disconnect between ‘wellness’ activities and the real world is why Sarah, Anna C and I wanted to offer women a workshop where they can better integrate the benefits of qigong into their real life situations. Where the rubber hits the road, so to speak. And generally, in those sticky real-life situations, it’s what we’re holding on to that is holding us back.
Using qigong, Sarah and I will take you directly into release and softness in the physical body. Anna C will lead you through a coaching session, using an intuitive body-centred approach, rather than an entirely rational one, to start to explore what is holding you back and stopping your from achieving what you from living the life you want.
Things to let go of could include:
· Fear of the unknown
· Your own and other people's expectations
· The need to be right
· The need to be good
· Emotional baggage
· Relationships that no longer nourish you
· Things that bring security but not joy
· Your inner critic
· Comfort eating or drinking
· Reliance on activities that bring short-term highs rather than long-term fulfilment
· Over-conscientiousness
· Worrying about meeting everyone’s needs
· The fear of being seen as selfish
· The need for definite answers
By coming back to the body and letting go of these burdens, we can create space for a more spontaneous relationship with life, trusting our inner wisdom, and acting with conviction rather than fear.
So we invite you to come to our workshop and gently turn forward together. Live the questions and the answers may surprise you.
Sat 29th March 2025, 10am - 4.30pm
St Luke’s Community Centre, 90 Central St, London EC1V 8AJ
Early bird £75, bring a friend and they pay HALF PRICE
Email: mybubblingwell@gmail.com for more information & booking
https://www.sarahlimqigong.co.uk