What is Spirit, anyway?

A few weeks ago I was invited to lovely Stuart, Florida to speak on the subject of Spirit. Now, I work with Spirit every day, but I have never gone so far as to define it. How do you define the ineffable? Being the good student, I started with the dictionary - a ubiquitous but time tested way to start a speech, eh? But it worked!

Spirit comes from the Latin word spiritus: breathing. It's root, spirare, means simply to breathe.

You may already know this etymology, however I failed one semester of high-school Latin and missed the memo. That being said, I am pleased to say that we all pass the spirit test each time we stop and notice our breath. We all have spirit, whether we pay attention or not.

Spirit speaks to us through our body. It lets us know through our heart, our stomach, and our muscle tension what is going on spiritually. In the Christian tradition, one definition of spirit is "god energy that imbues all living and non-living things." In Buddhist terms it is known as the "living, animating core" of a being.

Whatever your spiritual belief, you are spirit. You are life force. You are already perfect!

Find Warmth in Winter

Between retreats, private sessions, book clubs and workshops I have had the opportunity to spend time with more friends and clients than usual. The experience led me to contemplate community, and how important feeling connected is to our well-being as a species.

I recently started attending a yoga class in an actual yoga studio, Sol Yoga, in addition to my home practice. At the end of class I not only enjoy the benefits of yoga, but I am able to receive the benefits of connecting with others.

Yes, it has been cold and snowy here in Maryland, but if you venture into a yoga class or the Healing Book Club, you may just find its warmer than you think!