This week in Recovery Yoga we are continuing our journey through the energy centers of our being…the chakras. While the 3rd chakra focus is on our feelings about ourselves in relation to the physical world, the 4th chakra focuses on our feelings about our inner world. The heart chakra embodies the spiritual lesson that teaches how to act out of love and compassion and recognize that the most powerful energy we have is love. More than any other chakra, the fourth represents our capacity to “let go and let God.” By releasing our emotional pain, by letting go of our need to know why things have happened as they have, we reach a state of tranquility. In order to feel inner peace, we must embody the healing energy of forgiveness and release our need for justice. To quote Sooz, “Being happy

   Surrender   It prepares us for the rest of the path  In recovery we practice surrendering over and over again.  Sometimes it is the same issue…sometimes it’s the same subject in a different form.  To“turn it over” we must first acknowledge the part that the ego plays in our struggles.  True surrender moves beyond the control of our addiction, to surrender of our unhealthy behavior patterns. The ego fights hard to be right… to control and to judge.  Our work with the steps is to acknowledge and identify our personal challenges.  It requires trust in a higher power…a higher self…our inner wisdom. (Serenity prayer!!)  It requires doing our best with right effort and keeping the ego out of the outcome.    Our path is progress, not perfection.  It is a practice that can result in a beautiful unveiling of the true self. 

This week I’ve been thinking and talking with others about the power of connection and how important it is in our recovery, so I’d like to share some of Brene Brown’s wisdom with you. “Connection is why we’re here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives. The power that connection holds in our lives was confirmed when the main concern about connection emerged as the fear of disconnection; the fear that something we have done or failed to do, something about who we are or where we come from, has made us unlovable and unworthy of connection.” My addiction created disconnection within me on every level…spiritually, emotionally and physically. I became isolated, as many of us do, and and was a seeker of disconnection from the reality of life by numbing out. I felt unloveable, ashamed, and “not