Balancing Motherhood, Yoga and Writing

I’ve been thinking about why I blog, and why it’s so strangely addictive. I like being part of the ‘virtual world’, and even if no-one reads my blog (which it sometimes feels like, but then a friend will mention that they read it!), it forces me to simply put words on the screen and unfold the narrative of my life.

I like to formulate my ideas through writing about them, explore new topics that excite me such as raw food and activism for mothers. And I’m hoping it will give me a chance to get back into my photography again by taking some pics to illustrate! Today I’ve managed to write an article for Suite 101 on raw food recipes for Christmas, and do some character work for my novel.

And finally, blogging helps me to get past my internal ‘editor’ because I don’t spend an extensive amount of time on a piece, unlike writing a feature article or essay. So, I get closer to ‘first thoughts’ (as creative writing expert Natalie Goldberg would say) on things, although not of course as much so as personal journalling.

Tonight I participated in my first Falun Gong, or Falun Dafa, session at Manna Cafe. I tried to go last week but was five minutes late so missed the boat. I was blown away by how powerful it was. I went through a full ‘detox’ reaction while doing the movements and meditation: headache, extreme nausea, stomach cramps. I felt things shift and encountered my usual blockage of persistent pain in my middle back - this is something that’s come up during White Tantra or White Tantric Yoga as well as intensive Kundalini Yoga practice in general.

The facilitator explained that Falun Gong gets you in touch with your core truth, and people have been known to cry in sessions, as well as have the reactions I described. The postures look deceptively simple and even easy, but actually being in them is another matter.

I had to drink a lot of water afterwards and lie down. But when anything affects me that intensely, I’m intrigued. It was hard going but I’m going to try it again. I’ve been interested in Chi Gung for a few years and never got around to doing any, but tried some Tai Chi in Mexico with one of my fellow participants in Daniel Stone’s shamanic course. I found it so still, peaceful, and flowing, but I didn’t expect the power I experienced tonight with Falun Gong. Apparently it’s extremely controversial in China, with practitioners being tortured and persecuted by the Communist Government - like many self-development practices through the ages.