Following Your Heart

Happy Valentine’s Day!
 
After lots of snow over the past five days, today was sunny and sparkling! What an amazing world!
 
In the past few weeks I’ve talked about finding both courage and comfort in finding one’s true center and self.
 
Writing these posts have made me think about the things that can help us get to that state of inner clarity that leads to both comfort and courage.
 
I believe what is most important is finding the supports that will help us become our authentic selves, and over the next weeks I’ll be talking more about this.
 
In the meantime, since it’s Valentine’s day, I want to take a moment to thank my husband, Eric, who has supported and continues to support me in this journey of finding my path and my center—and it is my hope that I support him in the same way.
 
I’m also so grateful to the teachings and therapists and coaches and teachers and physical and mental practices that have helped me find my center. We are all part of a large chain of teachers and teachings, and none of us can do this alone.
 
We sometimes think that we are alone with our story, but that is far from the truth. In fact, we can only really find our true story—so that we are telling stories about ourselves that support, instead of hurt us—with the help of others.
 
We might think that getting our story straight is no big deal, but in fact, it’s utterly crucial—and revolutionary.
 
Christianne Northrup, a pioneer in holistic medicine and in women’s empowerment and wellbeing, talks about the importance of story in her groundbreaking book Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing,  (While Northrup is talking specifically to women, I think her message is helpful for everyone, men and women alike.)
 
Northrup lists twelve steps for healing.
 
The first step is: Get Your Story/History Straight.
 
We might want to jump over our story/history. But we can only truly move forward in the direction we want to go in if we accept our reality, and ourselves, for who we are and where we have come from. Often this work is best when we do it with the support of others. We must learn to be our own best witness, but usually we can become our best witness, if we have the help of other loving witnesses first.
 
The second step is: Get Your Beliefs Straight.
 
Included in this section Northrup asks the question, Are you following your life’s purpose? and Do you regularly acknowledge your strengths, gifts, talents, and accomplishments? If you’re not, get the support you need to pursue your own fulfillment.
 
If you don’t get clear on our beliefs and your own source of strength and life force, your own health may suffer, because our life force is cut off if we are not living from our authentic center.
 
Sometimes we may think that following our purpose and our gifts is self indulgent—but if you have this belief, it may be time to change that. After all, our life strength is what keeps our energy flowing and our immune system working and allows us to help others.
 
To live fully is to inhabit our strength, our “courage,” the root of which comes from the French word “coeur,” or “heart.”
 
So on Valentine’s day, I invite you to spend some time with your own heart getting clear about what stories, teachers and teachings help you get in touch more with your own authentic center.
 
Because we know that we can only really love fully and fiercely if we embrace our own aliveness and come from our own place of both comfort and courage in ourselves.
 
As always, I’m sending love and love to hear from you. And I’m listing my calendar of events below. I have many upcoming events that I’m excited about, from afternoon workshops to in person and online classes to my first full weekend retreat that I’ll be hosting this summer at the beautiful Copper Beach Institute. I’d love to see you. Please reach out if you have any questions.

 
 Upcoming Events
 

March 11: Om Namo Center, 1:30-4. Embrace and Let Go: Writing and Yoga Workshop
 
March 28.  Inner Evolution for Women: 1:00-4:00pm with Jessica Ronalds, LMHC, Acton, MA 
I'm very excited to be offering this afternoon session with therapist Jessica Ronalds to deep healing and clearing work for women to start spring with our full vitality. 
 
Mid-April: New sessions of my online class, Align Your Story, a unique deeply integrative approach to writing with close readings, yoga and meditation. 
This is my signature ten week class, and once you enroll you have access for life. I now also have a premium option for more in depth support and feedback. See more at www.alignyourstory.com

Mid April: New sessions of my in-person poetry and creative prose classes will open.
Contact me for more information and to be put on a list. These are great communities of writers and appropriate for writers at all levels. See more at www.nadiacolburn.com

Poetry Reading
April 2, 2017 2pm
Cohasset library
 
Friday April 28th: Grub Street,  A Larger Purpose: Why Your Writing Voice Matters. Boston. 6-9pm.

Saturday, May 13, Writing Towards Freedom: an Afternoon of Meditation and Writing 1-4:30pm. 
North Shore Zen Center, Beverly MA

August 18-20 Weekend workshop/retreat Copper Beach Institute. Take a full weekend to integrate mind, body and spirit and come into your aligned center. https://www.copperbeechinstitute.org/center