What does Resilience Mean to You?
Resilience is often defined as our ability to bounce back from hardships in life. For most of us from the Fort Myers area, this is the type of resilience that is being tested in the petri dish of post-Hurricane Ian. It is human nature to become strong when we need it. It is also human nature to avoid practicing such resiliency tools before the proverbial “s*it hits the fan.”
HeartMath expands the definition of resilience to include prepare for, recover from and adapt in the face of a challenge. As a HeartMath trainer, I believe adapting is necessary right now for all of us. And if we can figure out how to prepare for such challenges in the future, we might avoid this big of a shock to our nervous systems.
So the question becomes: “Can we develop resiliency skills during times when things are going well?” I asked this question to the FGCU students that I coached in HeartMath last week. We discussed their experiences during and after the hurricane and talked about what they might face when the students returned to the classroom in Lee County this week. Several students shared that they were successful in using the breathing and emotional regulation skills. However, many were unable to do so under such stressful circumstances. I reminded them that its easier to access resiliency tools when we practice them daily. To help you develop these skills, I embedded them in this FREE yoga class. Thanks to Kristine Ochu and Herb Rush for making our journey back to normalcy easier. Kristine and Mowgli, our traumatized dog, joined me in this class.
Letting Go to Find Some Ease
In the aftermath of this hurricane, I learned what yoga teacher Jillian Pransky calls a master lesson “for working with the impermanence of things. We’re given this chance to explore letting go and realizing there is nothing we can truly hold on to” As she puts it, when we feel ungrounded, it is extremely hard work to let go of our posessions, ours beliefs, our memories, people, etc. The practices I am sharing in this Free class, will help you let go, feel more connected and compassionate, and find the inner resources needed for resiliency. As Pransky puts it, “when we have more ease in our bodies and minds, we are able to stay more open and present in the heart.” And ultimately these practices will result in more energy which we will need to navigate any challenges in our lives.
Nature provides us with so many examples of resiliency. Nature also teaches us about impermanence. As Danna Faulds, one of my favorite poets puts it, learn to let go and “save your strength to swim with the tide.” #FortMyersStrong
Namaste,
Andrea
At times, it is tricky to prepare for. How do you prepare for this kind of event? How do you actually strengthen your ability to bounce back, to recover? It seems to me like you have a very structured approach to building resilience and I totally love the analogy with nature.
Awww thank you Ramona. You are so kind and caring. I am so glad we have connected. Warmly, Andrea