Dearest Joyn Community,
I write to you as I fly over the Great Lakes, traveling from Boston to Oregon. Summer is beautifully busy. The sun has a way of drawing people together, and I don’t know about you, but lately I’ve been leaning into that togetherness.
Whenever I write these newsletters, it’s an opportunity for me to pause and reflect on what feels true. I find little pockets throughout each day to slow down, but this flight feels like the perfect opportunity to string some of those moments together into words.
Last weekend, my dear friend Maeve guided me through my first breathwork session in the cozy surroundings of her home. It was one of the most profound experiences I’ve had in a long time. It created space for my emotions to simply be felt. I spend a lot of time in my conscious mind, thinking about my behavior and working to understand and undo patterns that have been etched into me since I was a little girl. But this felt different. It was as if the why behind some of those patterns and feelings finally had room to be heard, felt, and seen.
And lately, vulnerability has been showing up in other parts of my life, too.
I’m in a new relationship for the first time in a long time, and there is something incredibly powerful about allowing another person to really see you. To let yourself be known, rather than carefully deciding what parts of yourself are safe to share.
In many ways, this relationship has been a mirror. It has invited me to notice the places where I still protect myself, the stories I tell myself, and the ways I sometimes try to get ahead of an experience instead of simply living it.
It has also reminded me of something I think we all forget sometimes: We are allowed to embrace what feels good.
Sometimes when something brings us joy, our minds immediately jump ahead. We wonder how long it will last. We look for the catch. We try to protect ourselves from the possibility of losing it. We convince ourselves that if we can anticipate the ending, it might hurt less.
But what if we didn't? What if we let ourselves fully experience the good things while they are here?
The friendship that makes you laugh until your stomach hurts. The new person who makes you feel seen. The morning when you wake up feeling grateful for your life. The song that makes you want to dance in your kitchen.
Yoga continually reminds me that presence is a practice. We return to the breath. We return to the body. We return to what is happening right now. Maybe embracing is another form of that practice. Not holding on tightly. Not needing to know what comes next. Just softening enough to receive what is already here.
So this month, I invite you to notice where you might be bracing against your own joy.
Where are you overthinking something that feels good? Where are you holding yourself back because you're afraid of what might happen next? Where could you allow yourself to receive a little more fully?
You don't need to know how long something will last to let it matter.
Embrace what feels good.
Let yourself be seen.
Let yourself receive.
Let yourself be here.
Maybe the practice isn't learning how to hold onto the beautiful moments. Maybe it's learning how to fully experience them.
