It’s now almost six months since the shelter-in-place order came into place to control the spread of the Covid-19. At the time, most of us thought we could handle it for a month or two. Now, many of us are beginning to accept that there is no going back to what was. For me, this has been learning to “roll with weird.” And in the process, I’ve had to let go of many things that supported me, prompting me to develop new ways to help myself. While this is not in itself a bad thing, it feels uncomfortable and messy. I took this photograph on one of my morning bike rides where the smoke from the wildfires created this beautiful but unusually (weird!) colored landscape.
Letting go of old habitual ways in our bodies can be a challenging aspect of CranioSacral Therapy. Sometimes these tendencies, developed over time, can present as a rigid holding in one part of our body, developed perhaps to get us through a difficult time. But when that area gets tired of its habitual holding, it turns up as pain in the body. Fundamentally the body needs movement and fluidity to remain healthy. Whatever it is that the body has adapted around, it becomes familiar and has a feeling of safety even though we may be paying a high price for it. This process was beautifully expressed by my friend Dana Liesegang in a video that she recorded after receiving some CST. I love her phrase, “You have to go through the muck to get to the meadow.”
I am noticing that I am going through a phase of letting go right now. Recently, Hayhouse, my book publisher, told me that due to low book sales, my book will no longer be printed and will remain available as an ebook. Initially, I felt sad and disappointed, but it is good to know the book is still there for people to read. While my book will no longer be for sale in bulk orders on my website, I have enough copies on hand if anybody would like to buy a signed copy from me.
For many years, Robyn Scherr and I have held a Multihands clinic once a month. Recently when we were catching up, we sadly realized that the most sensible thing to do was to stop these sessions for the foreseeable future. Adding one more person into the mix in a room just increases the odds of spreading the virus, so why do it. It is hard to let go of this collaboration because it has brought about so many rich experiences. However, we both know from experience that letting go creates a space for something new for each of us.
I am sure that many of you reading this can identify with adapting to weird situations and experiencing many changes. Throughout all these changes, I know that reaching out for support and connecting with friends and colleagues has been essential for me.