I planned to write to you about the breathwork ceremony I’m having Sunday, but then yesterday there was another mass shooting.
I planned to write to you about the breathwork ceremony, but there is a war in the middle east, one causing so much death and destruction that it’s difficult to even fathom.
I planned to write to you, but there are so many heartbreaking, tragic, and horrific things happening at the same time…
What can I say?
I’m not sure.
I know that when the wrongness of the world has made me doubt where I could possibly make a difference, when I’ve struggled in conversation with friends and family because we’re all so angry and afraid, when I’ve wondered what business I had bringing kids into a world like this one…
I’ve found a thread of hope in my own breathwork practice.
It’s been a path below the noise of my head, my feed, the division of culture; it’s allowed me to resurface calmer, less egoic, and better able to show up to my family, my work, my community…to take actions where I can, and do so from a place of love and not fear.
Breath is a tool that brings you to that field between wrongdoing and rightdoing that Rumi talked about…brings us to the inner flame of something greater and wiser than ourselves, which allows us to carry the spark to our own life.
There has never been a time where accessing that inner flame is more needed.
We take that flame to the dinner table, the school pick-up line, to the letter we write to our congressperson.
We take it to the grocery store, the synagogue, the mosque, the ballot…
We take it to the world.
I keep thinking of a quote I read the other day:
“Never feel sorry for raising dragon-slayers in a time when there are actual dragons.” (Unknown)
Some of us are raising humans, but we’re all raising ourselves. We are comforting our inner children while trying to learn how to slay actual dragons; we are scrambling to protect those suffering right now while also scrambling to do the laundry, keep up with spirit days at school, and get the dog to the vet for her vaccine. We are juggling mundanity and horrors all in the same hour, a burning world and the bank notifications all accessible in our pockets all the time.
This is not a time to numb out, become desensitized by over-exposure to trauma, or collapse into ourselves by way of martyrdom or a belief that self-care is indulgent, selfish, or worthless.
Whether it’s a breathwork ceremony or another self-soothing tool, please take care of yourself during these times - tending to your own healing is paramount to navigating the pain of this world. It is necessity.
If you’d like help doing so, come to full moon breathwork on Sunday.
Sunday October 29th 2023
10-11:30am PST
On Zoom (link to be provided after signing up)
TWO OPTIONS TO ATTEND:
Option one:
Attend just this breathwork ceremony by signing up here. Your spot is reserved once you Venmo a sliding scale payment of either $22, $33, or $44 for this ceremony to (VenMo) @melissa-pennel
Option two:
Join my monthly breathwork and writing community called Living Questions, Breathing Answers for $19/month. Gain access to live and recorded breathwork ceremonies, live group journaling sessions, a growing library of breathwork tracks and additional writing prompts, and an open-hearted community (OFF of social media) within which to heal. This $19/month is the founding rate for the first twelve sign-ups through this link only (this rate will never change for founding members; the cost is $33 per month for the public.)
Here is the unique link to the discounted $19/month membership.
More About Living Questions, Breathing Answers
This group includes:
- Live monthly breathwork ceremonies timed around moon cycles and seasonal changes. These are set weeks in advance and held on Zoom; you can plan ahead to attend live from anywhere in the world (or tune in to watch the replay when it works for you.)
- Monthly group journaling sessions: I'll ask a powerful question or two, we'll all write privately, then have the opportunity to share answers for witnessing and support. (You never have to share publicly, and can also use this as a time to receive compassionate virtual support around your own journaling.) These are not recorded or shared in order to provide a sanctuary of open sharing.
- A virtual "study hall" on Zoom: We'll have a brief check-in for those that want to share, then hunker down and work privately on our own projects. (This is great for anyone wanting accountability around a creative endeavor, job-related task, or something mundane that they just want support getting done.)
- Powerful journaling prompts (with a new topic centered each month.)
- A growing library of breathwork and meditative audio tracks to drop below the mind and release answers that live in the body (new tracks added monthly.)
A growing open-hearted community that provides a safe space for deep healing.
You can learn more about the community here.
Sign up for just this full moon breathwork here
Love you,
Melissa
PS: This song is in our playlist for Sunday but I need you to hear it now. Play it and let your body move intuitively - and see what arises. Remember why you came.