A New Week | October 23rd, 2023
Settle yourself into your commitment | Launch time
Yesterday, I kicked off the second women’s somatic leadership group with a new circle of 10 women.
It was beautiful.
It was intimate.
It was real.
It was vulnerable.
It was deep.
There was joy and sadness.
The full spectrum of emotions was present.
Before these groups kick off I encourage every woman to not look each other up:
”There is so much curiosity in starting to Google and "LinkedIn" search fellow members of this group. And I want to stop you here for a moment. In a connected world like ours, it is so easy to get a quick introduction to someone without ever having exchanged a word with them, knowing about their journey "in between the lines", and assuming unconsciously that you understand who "they" are.
I want to flip this for a moment and go back to the good ol' feeling of knocking on your friend's door for the first time and not knowing which family member is going to open the door. Feel that tingly excitement? Stay there :)
If you have already taken a stab at Googling others on this group, don't go any further. Feed your own presence, make conscious of what it is that you are bringing to this group, and become aware of your ability to just be curious about someone open-heartedly.”
This is an excerpt of the launch email everyone received.
And with that, all we did yesterday, was center with each other and answer three questions that everyone brought answers to:
Who am I?
Why am I here?
Where am I going?
Not one person mentioned their jobs.
Together, we’re ready for a fulfilling journey of self-leadership to fuel the leadership and service we’re bringing to everyone else as a result of it.
Below is the grounding exercise we did. I edited it, so that you can do it on your own terms or with a group that you are trying to shift the paradigm of connection and leadership with:
We stand in a time and space between worlds and truths. So many of the institutions, organizations, and traditions that we know and have led us until now are no longer able to responsibly respond to the challenges we face.
Our current worldview is being corroded. And with it, there is an invitation to evolve. As leaders, it is a time to sharpen our relational presence. We need to cultivate greater intuition, stillness, and relational intelligence to navigate the challenges and opportunities we face. This will set the tone for stepping out of our own ways and doing the “right“ thing - maybe hard, maybe uncomfortable, maybe anxious, but rooted in the knowing that we are deepening our ability to act as an instrument for healing and change.
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Settling into commitment (5 min)
Settle yourself.
Situate yourself. And when you feel comfortable add another 5% of comfort.
Pause for a moment.
Take two sips of air in. Hold. And exhale all the way out.
One more time.
Take two sips of air in. Hold. And exhale all the way out.
Look around while your eyes are closed.
What do you hear?
What do you feel?
What do you see?
Feel into the quiet frequency of the moment.
Mark this moment as a new and unfolding commitment to yourself, your self-leadership, and your service.
What word comes to body and mind that resonates with the commitment of the moment?
With each inhale, feel the fresh air of commitment moving in;
with each exhale the small risks it takes to meet yourself and others differently, newly.
Allow it to loosen your body.
Relax your jaw.
Let things roll down your softened shoulders.
Feel your heartbeat and the aliveness of it.
Breathe into your belly and allow it to open up space for you.
Let it land in your hips and strengthen your stance.
Shake out your legs and find the intention to walk with ease and dedication.
Scan your body for a moment.
Where does the readiness, the excitement, the tingles of uncomfortable steps reside in your body?
Breathe into it.
Hold your hand there and save it.
Save it into your muscle memory.
Save it so you can access this part of your body moving forward.
Save it so you know where to go inside of yourself when you need it.
Save it to nurture yourself from this fountain of compassion, courage, and commitment.
Before returning to the present moment, imagine the many people around the world
going through the same moments of embracing themselves, finding courage within themselves, and committing to their self-leadership.
Imagine sitting in a circle with each other, holding hands, connecting, and dwelling in the shared spirit: Growing ourselves. In union with each other.
We're all just walking each other home. - Ram Dass
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Journal what has come through for you. What surprised you? What inspired you? What humbled you?
Take a deep breath and just be with all of the sensations for a moment.
Don’t judge it, don’t be led by it. Stay here for a minute or two.
What is your next thought?
All the love, all the power,
Franzi
Credit: Intro text inspired by Nicholas Janni