The Light of Clarity

Sometimes I feel so much doubt. I catch myself swimming in a mind of confusion, questioning my choices and fearing that I’m wasting my energy on running a small business and maintaining a space where so few people enter.

After Covid, we have struggled to maintain our existence, and there has been so much loss. Students have gone, teachers have left with health issues, and I miss my sweet Michael as the first anniversary of his passing last Friday, Dec. 1.

It’s been a challenging year for so many, and inspiring new students to enter has been nothing short of frustrating. Am I wasting my vital energy when the rent has gone up, and the inflation of life has taken a toll on our costs? Do I have the enthusiasm to inspire healing during this dark season? These are the deeper doubts that haunt me when I am not seeing clearly.

Darkness is not evil; only confusion leads to poor choices. When the light is on and the clarity is revealed, there becomes a solid knowing of what is the right action.

Yesterday, I had the most extraordinary gifts presented by a student. When I least expected anything, I was humbled by a student's kindness. She walked in and gave me a special hug. I had not seen her in weeks, and her appreciation was medicine for my soul. She shared that my blog was a healing voice for her. When I think no one is ever reading another email, I am reminded that my words might just find a soft landing in someone’s open heart. She told me that she felt my words were the exact language of her soul.

In that moment, I was gifted with clarity. If something of my heart can help one other soul, then all is right with the world. I am reminded that I never need to reach masses, but to connect one-on-one is for me the blessing of being human. My deep desire in sharing these teachings is to experience the pulse of someone who is sharing their deepest fears by offering them a safety net in listening. This is my joy.

On this same day, I found a note on my desk. A student had taken the time to share her gratitude for YAF and honored me with the kindest of words. She acknowledged the hardships of maintaining a small business in these times of competition and rising costs. She herself maintains her own small business. The letter was so heartfelt and much needed. I love teaching. I love being of service, and yet, when in doubt, I am taken into confusion. Her letter reminded me that together, we can rise above the potholes of life and turn our light on to see clearly.

This season, we all must be gentle and kinder and try to turn our light on. When in darkness, we might experience feeling isolated and think we are invisible. We must remember that we are all doing the best we can and honor the small places in our hearts to keep shining. We just need to be reminded. And so I thank all the teachers at YAF; I thank the students who do keep coming back each day for their practice, and I thank the teachings of yoga that support me in awe and wonder about the miracle of the Divine in all of us.

Doubt is a wildfire and spreads to all areas of our lives. To feel the strength of a steady mind and a still mind, the light reveals a path of “knowing.” In gratitude for my practice, I can write these words, let go, and trust all is peaceful in my heart today.

This holiday season, here are some ways to spread the intention of healing our hearts with an act of kindness:

• As a practice of compassion, write a note of gratitude to someone in your life, or just give them the quality of your attention.

• Our sweet Joyce Owens, the most dedicated YAF teacher since we opened our door in 1998, has decided to pause her teaching. Her husband, Charlie, passed away on November 24. It has been an especially difficult year for her as she is also still navigating the obstacles of a broken leg. For those of you who are inspired to write her a note, we will happily deliver it to her.

• Embrace community service by dropping off food donations at our studio for our local food bank, Downers Grove Area FISH. We will be collecting through December 20.

Let us keep the light shining throughout the holidays and into the new year.

Blessings for all abundant health and happiness,

Laura Jane

Kindness as Kuruna

The Sanskrit word, KURUNA,  is understood as “compassion.” The word itself has no meaning until it is experienced in action. Two qualities of attitude must be engaged as we shift the mind from thinking to feeling the actual experience of living from the heart. We must be willing to embrace humility inspired by our deeper wisdom and, at the same time, cultivate a quality of gratitude.

These two much-needed attitudes are inspired by the actual living experience of being exposed to the wonders of life itself. Humility is the doorway to our more profound longing to connect to something greater.  Accepting uncertainty as a human condition and dropping the armor of shame or guilt that we are not “good enough.”  Embracing gratitude in the midst of living in our fears and doubts. Yet being kinder as we learn to embrace the changes.  To be grateful for the opportunity to cultivate a deeper wisdom of living with compassion.  It takes great effort or tapas to live from this space of our hearts.

Practicing compassion takes a deep desire to walk in others’ shoes as we calm our fears and doubts with a desire to become aware of our breath. This action is kindness not only to ourselves but to the world. This attitude is introduced in Patanjali’s yoga sutras (1-33) as KURUNA—this willingness to bring our mind into a focused place and let it rest in the heart.  Kindness in our thoughts, words, and actions towards ourselves and others allows the entire body and mind to rest in an ease of being present. It only takes a few minutes to shift the perspective. And this shift becomes a practice of living a lifestyle of peaceful possibility.

---

In the spirit of cultivating a compassionate lifestyle, I am excited to announce a new class, Meditation Healing Circles, set to take place on Wednesday evenings. This gathering aims to provide a nurturing space for exploring the depths of our yoga practice and understanding how compassion serves as the cornerstone of our journey. Through guided meditations, thoughtful discussions, and shared experiences, we will explore what it means to live our yoga.

This is not an asana-based class but will include gentle movement as we come inward with the mind linked to the breath. The intention is to turn the fire of anger and fear into the grace of light. Experience a collective intention to heal the outer world.

Meditation Healing Circle—Studio

with Laura Jane Mellencamp
5 Wednesdays | 6:15-7:30pm
11/22-12/20
$20/class or use your subscription

SIGN UP →

---

This is World Kindness Week, so let us embrace the desire to live with compassion for all beings as we notice little acts of kindness. Let us extend a smile as we inhale and inspire the smile into the world as we exhale. Let our actions inspire joy within. Today's best effort is to be the light in the dark night.

Blessings of love,

Laura Jane

Collective Healing Begins with the Retreat Inward

We’ve just returned from another wonderful journey, hosting our retreat in the incredible Dordogne region of France. During these turbulent times on Mother Earth, nothing is better for the soul than having an opportunity to practice going inward as we travel outward. Our mind is the only vehicle we have to make the discerning choices of how we perceive the outer world. This is a heightened opportunity for the community to unite with the highest intentions to heal hearts.

The entire practice for our retreat in France revolved around the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh. A year ago, after his death, I decided we all needed to be at Plum Village, his created haven of loving-kindness. We spent the months prior to our arrival studying his words and creating for ourselves a place of inner smiles in the midst of the outer chaos.

As we traveled to the Dordogne region, we enjoyed staying in a lovely Chateau, enjoying our practices for sustaining our own inner peace as we realized the turmoil going on throughout the world. With the community of living from the inside out, we were the peace and love in the world. We were the love we wanted to see in the world.

We walked together in silence as we spent time sharing the beauty of Plum Village, which was twenty minutes away from our retreat center. Together, our full intention was to raise the consciousness of how we can serve when our inner loving hearts are not spinning in the external noise. The silence brought our attention to our hearts; we were able to smile and share the beauty of our souls.

Collectively, we must raise our vibration to be the love. We all want humanity to be safe, and together, we can be the living consciousness of divine intelligence. Our best transformational state is to serve the healing of all mankind.

I am so grateful for the grace unfolding and our joy to be able to be the light in the midst of these darker days and nights. Let us keep the light shining from our inner space. As a beacon of light around the world, we can build energy to transform anger into a more compassionate world. Despite the loud horrors of wars inflicting all the pain, we can hold the opposite as we are seeding new beginnings within collective practices. Please do not lose the joy of being alive now, and do not collude with doubt and fear. Beam out the smile. Breathe in and out of the heart and experience the gentle peace within. The bigger picture is to be the warrior of love; creating a better world begins within.

This November, I have been called to action to share these beautiful teachings of meditation as we all hold the vigil for the coming Solstice. I will be hosting evening practices into the soul as we share community for inner peace. These will not be asana-based classes, but the classes will include gentle movement as we begin the practice of coming inward with the mind linked to the breath. The intention is to turn the fire of anger and fear into the grace of light. It must be experienced as a collective intention to heal the outer world.

Please join me for each Wednesday night, Nov 22-Dec 20, from 6:15-7:30pm for Meditation Healing Circle. This five-week series will offer a deeper understanding of how to live our yoga. Developing compassion for all humanity starts with being kind to ourselves. Nourishing the soul is the key to living in peace.

“Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.”

— Thich Nahn Hahn

Love and light,

Laura Jane