The Ride (and the clarity it brought me)

“What do you do?” someone recently asked me.

I wasn’t sure of the succinct answer. I do a lot of things. I care for my family, hold space for breathwork, guide people through meditation and Yoga Nidra, teach Mind Body Melt and gentle yoga, and also lead goat yoga classes.  

“Um, I hold space for people,” I replied. She didn’t understand what that meant, so I broke it all down for her (long form). The question stuck with me. What do I actually do? It wasn’t until a meditative seven-mile bike ride in Hilton Head, that it became really clear to me.

You see, Hilton Head Island has been my home away from home since the early 90s. We have a house here, so the island is both an escape and a comfort. While riding the island, I made each pedal stroke a mantra: find peace, find peace, find peace.

And about 4 miles in, it hit me. Regardless of the method that I teach/facilitate, it’s always the same message: connect to your source, open to the release of old messages, vibrate in the space of living a courageous, honest life.

Breathwork is the quickest, clearest route to feeling embodied, in my opinion, but that doesn’t mean it’s everyone’s path back home.  Some love the quiet space of Mind Body Melt, connecting breath to movement, letting go of the ego and finding contentment. Others prefer being guided through Yoga Nidra, laying still and following my voice for deep relaxation.

And there’s something else. There are people who aren’t ready or interested in being still. Some find comfort through movement and sweaty, heart pounding workouts. The indoor cycling class that I created, Spirit Ride, was planned to launch a year ago, but I got lost in my own belief that I should teach just one method. My meditative ride in Hilton Head was a reminder that being on a bike and feeling my quadriceps and hamstrings fire up with my glutes was a great source of being grounded, and that grounded feeling allows the mind to be quiet and open to new thought patterns.

It’s time. I feel it. Time to get back on my bike and ride.

I am intending to teach Spirit Ride once a week. I don’t have a date or place yet, but I hope to bring it to it’s originally intended spot in Boonton. The thought literally just processed, so I haven’t even had the “want me back?” conversation with the owner. Time will tell. But for now, I’m letting the intention breathe.

I’m cutting back on my breathwork circles, only offering them at spaces that I feel the desire for circles is strong. I’m taking time to join classes and be the student, study, and read. I’m following the path of what I love.

The next time someone asks me, “What do you do?” I‘m going to answer with honesty and clarity. “I help people find their own way home.”