Overview

Overview

Haven Yoga and Counseling

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Overview

Haven Yoga and Counseling

A place to reclaim the beauty and wisdom of your perfectly, imperfect body.

Hi, and welcome to Haven.

We're really glad you're here.

Titles

Titles

Your body is more than an image. It's more than an object. Your body is your home.

At Haven, we believe bodies—all bodies—are elegant and wise. We practice yoga and engage in counseling to re-remember how to inhabit ourselves.

Stats

Stats

📸: @iambenwade
Have you ever done The Artists Way? It's a book that walks you through exercises to spark creativity. I absolutely love it, and even though I've never done all ten weeks or completed all of the exercises, the parts I do participate in give me so much joy. While looking through all of my belongings to see what sparks joy (thanks @mariekondo) I discovered my morning pages from when I did the Artists Way in 2016. In reading through them I discovered a piece of writing that I really needed to hear today, maybe you do too.
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Sweet one. You are alone,
but you are never alone.
Don't you feel those strings
of your heart connected
to all of the souls who have ever loved you?
Can't you allow yourself to lay back,
and rest into the web of connection that has been
sown into your soul?
That feeling of lightness in your chest
is evidence
that you are dearly loved.
When did solitude become a dirty word?
There are whole worlds inside of you
to discover.
Worlds that no one else can excavate.
It is deep, dirty work
that will make space inside of your soul.
That space inside your chest
,whether its heavy or light,
can either be locked away
or opened up to share.
And darling, you've always
been a sharer.
So open your heart
and sit inside of it.
Spend time with the the dark,
the wounds,
the shame.
Tenderly as you can, pluck the thorns out
and replace them with poetry.
Replace them with Beyonce
and Cheryl Strayed
and all the words from all the women
who have found their freedom.
The ones who have also found
their voice.
Take their words and
let them steep into
every cell.
Stand still for one moment,
can you feel those heart strings vibrating?

What're you up to this Sunday afternoon? I'm hosting a workshop with a team of incredible healers called Body Reclamation for Reparations: this is a workshop for white woman to learn how to harness the power of the nervous system to fight against white fragility while doing anti-racism work. We have inherited somatic frozenness from our ancestors that inhibits our ability to speak directly, move fluidly, and to stay grounded in the midst of discomfort. This event is hosted by Jenny Wade, LMHC, Lindsay Shea, Emmy Anway, and Heather Stringer, LMHC at Soma Yoga + Dance in north Ballard. Our teaching will weave together reflection, somatic awareness, yoga, and ritual to teach you how to develop a stronger, more resilient relationship with your body. As you develop this resilient relationship with your body, you will develop the strength and tools to stay engaged in the hard work of anti-racism work. All proceeds will be donated towards a scholarship for a POC to attend Biola Akanni's teacher training @yogabybiola

When was the last time you looked at yourself? Not just a glance in the mirror to make sure you didn't have toothpaste on your face, but a deep gaze into your own eyes?
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Over the summer one of my yoga teachers told me that if I was going to be my most powerful version of myself I needed to start everyday by looking myself clear in the eye and say to myself, "Jenny, I love you. This day is for you." This is the way you'll learn to take up space inside of yourself, she said. When I got home I headed straight for the bathroom and did as she suggested, and I cried. I realized in that moment I had never had that experience before, of being with my own image so intimately and speaking to my heart so directly.
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It is in these little moments of being with my own body, that I am learning to find home inside of myself. A moment holding my own gaze, my hand on my heart, massaging my feet, relaxing in the tub: these are the moments when I fall deeper and deeper in love with myself.
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Loving yourself isn't about feeling a certain way, it is about taking small actions on behalf of yourself and noticing what is on the other side. May you find the strength inside to choose kindness towards yourself today.

Physical and emotional pain are evidence of your body and psyche trying to communicate that a basic human need is unmet. We tend to dismiss, shame, and hate our pain, rather than see it as an important messenger telling us something vital about our internal world. Relationship with your body begins with the dialogue of taking action to respond to sensations our body gives us. When we are first learning to respond to our internal signals it can feel confusing about where to begin. In the link in my bio I shared an interactive self care guide, to give you ideas of where to begin when your body is communicating with you through pain. It’s called ‘so, you feel like shit’ and walks you through simple self care actions to take in order to respond to the shitty feeling rather than hating it or numbing from it. In order to be our most luminous selves, we’ve gotta take care of our selves! 💞 Shout-out to @rye_field For sharing this resource with me years ago!