 Spinning, by Rod Willner A year ago on Dec 29, I had just returned home to the Blue Mountains after 2 months of teaching on the road. I was pottering about at home when I noticed there were several missed calls on my phone. They were from my sister, left with a text to call her back.
Something in my heart sank. I called her number - no answer. I called my Dad’s number - no answer. I felt a panic ran through my spine. I called my mum - it rang for a while, and she answered. There was an awkward moment of silence. Then she said, ”Your dad is gone,” I thought I misheard her, so I asked her to repeat. She said the same thing. I tried to process the sentence in my head. She said to come home as soon as possible. I hung up and looked at the phone. My hands were trembling. I realised that I had been kneeling on the ground, because I couldn’t feel my legs. I called my sister again, and I knew it was true. The unthinkable had happened. ……. A year on. I found myself back in Singapore, after almost 12 years of wandering. I was on a quest to find myself... Within the span of a year, I walked away from who I thought I was, back to my birthplace - to remember who I am. ……. This, is my tribute to 2019… 2019 has been a year of love lost and love found. A year of navigating through the muddy dense water of grief and loss Death brings to light our looming mortality, as a family we hold each other, closer than ever 2019 has been a year of gratitude Friends and community Offered a soft place to land 2019 has been a year of being up close and intimate with the predicament of the human condition A constant reminder of my own (un)willingness to see the light across the bank of my despair, and to no longer ignore the truth Moving through the entangled web of my neurosis and confusion and denial... 2019 has been a year of understanding that the darkest moments of life are shadows from the past, chained to the systems that define us. A revelation of what truly matters A reclamation of agency and ownership 2019 has been a year of dreams and awakenings, challenges and resilience, hopelessness and courage, reimagination and recalibration A year in which I'm able to finally own up to my darkest fears and deepest desires. I learn how to listen closely to my heart. It beckons me to serve, to belong, to be fearless in love and in truth to come home to myself 2019 has been a year of evolution, and revolution. Of not living a life halfway Of allowing the porous seed of my becoming to shed its skin... ............  Proprioception and kinaesthesia, is the sense of our body position and movement in relationship to gravity and space. It is sometimes described as the "sixth sense". Proprioception is mediated by our vestibular system, proprioceptors, nerve endings motor-sensory neurons located within muscles, tendons, joints, skin, fluids, and organs. Our ability to hone our proprioceptive skills improves coordination, balance, posture and movement. It also helps to calm our nervous system, relieve discomfort, restore circulation, and gain awareness in how we interact with self and others.  The skin is the largest organ of the body. As a layer of immune armouring, it protects us from the elements, helps regulate body temperature, and permeates the sensations of touch, heat, and cold. The skin is both sensitive and vigilant. It is the boundary in which we begin and end. Through the container of our skin we move our body through space. The tone of our skin articulates the different layers of our being. It expresses our nervous system’s readiness to meet another from within to without.
 In somatic sensing practices, we learn to hold attention both within and without. Through interoception we inquire into our biological processes and how we are showing up in the world. The embodiment of this dual awareness in somatic practices helps us cultivate resilience in our nervous system, and create equanimity through relationships with self and others. |
Daphne Chua
Registered Yoga Therapist, Somatic Movement Educator, Bodyworker, Yoga Teacher Trainer
December 2021
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