Hi friends.
Welcome to February.
I want to invite you to play with me, say the word: limitlessness.
Now say it five times as loud and as fast as you can, and if you are really brave, do this in a public place and see what happens.
Send me your text, emails, or have coffee with me and tell me what happens.
This week, I was teaching a class in our theatre and a colleague shared with me that this is what they wanted to be as an artist, limitlessness. I could barely teach the rest of my class. For some reason, I was floored by this. I've certainly heard this word before, but it never landed on me in this way. And then, I found myself amazed at that too. How we can hear, see, feel, touch or smell something and experience it as new again and again and again. Then I went down the rabbit hole of asking everyone I came into contact with to say this word aloud, five times. It brought up some funny versions of the word, even some tears of laughter, and I whispered it to myself when I walked on stage last night. Words are such gifts to our souls.
I have to remind myself of this over and over again.

 

So here we are.
Sharing together, maybe listening with each other, or maybe fueding with each other. Maybe you are in that limitless place of self where the world has opened itself to you. Or maybe you are in the limited place of self, where everything has piled up and the weight of life is burdensome. Wherever you are, I see you, I feel you, and I am holding you here. Showing up in our messiness or our beauty is valuable, it keeps us real to those around us, and reminds us that like the days change, so to do the moments of our lives. Today, I am feeling the word limitlessness. I had a deep and wonderful coffee date with a new friend, I shared creative music time with another friend and teacher, and then ate delicious Thai food with another friend. Tonight, I get to play on stage with a group of talented artists. But just yesterday, I felt incredibly limited. Time was stretched too thin, my sleep is never enough, my kids were driving me bonkers, and my underwear ripped almost in half between meetings. The underwear is a story only a few of you will want to hear :) If you are still reading I'll tell you more about this later. But what you should all know, is that the absurdity of my underwear ripping, made me lighter, easier, and full of glee for the rest of the day. I've since found a newer pair to wear.

 

This month, I'm calling on my courage as I dive back into work in the prison system, this time of the medium security side teaching theatre and poetry with friend and colleague, Carla Grant, where we will hope to illuminate the words we feel but can not speak. I'm sharing this poem with inmates next week, one of my favorites by John O'Donahue. Here's a taste of it for you to savor-

 

For Courage

 

When the light around you lessens

And your thoughts darken until

Your body feels fear run

Cold as stone inside,

 

When you find yourself bereft

Of any belief in yourself

And all you unknowingly

Leaned on has fallen,

 

When one voice commands

Your whole heart,

And it is raven dark,

 

Steady yourself and see

That it is your own thinking

That darkens your world,

 

Search and you will find

A diamond-thought of light,

 

Know that you are not alone

And that this darkness has purpose;

Gradually it will school your eyes

To find the one gift your life requires

Hidden within this night-corner.

 

Invoke the learning

Of every suffering

You have suffered.

 

Close your eyes.

Gather all the kindling

About your heart

To create one spark.

That is all you need

To nourish the flame

That will cleanse the dark

Of its weight of festered fear.

 

A new confidence will come alive.

To urge you toward higher ground

Where your imagination

Will learn to engage difficulty

As its most rewarding threshold!

 

As February begins to consume you, I hope you will consider finding ways to become limitless with me this year. I'm spending this year creating abundant, courageous journeys with more collaborators than I can count, and with limited space, you'll want in on these creations. Here are some upcoming events you can look forward to:

 

*Wild At Heart February 15-18: for women, with Karen Price in Mission Beach, California. A three night beachfront stay to heal, feel, and nourish your inner and outer wild woman. One spot remains!

*Wild Woman Roar February 22-24: a private retreat for OHSU practitioners. We will look at body mechanics, essential oils, and dive into the feminine divine through yoga, meditation, and creative time. If you work at OHSU, please contact me to join this offering.

 

I will be living and working in Harare, Zimbabwe teaching theatre, working on a few solo shows with local artists and refining my own, and sharing my yoga lessons in a community setting. If you know people or places we should visit, please share them with me. I'd love some ideas of places to visit and people to connect with.

 

*Pickathon Music Festival August 1-4 in Portland, OR. Join myself and a killer team of wellness practitioners as we serve up a delicious weekend of yoga, singing bowls, kirtan, meditation, and conversation. Limited to 8000.

 

* Vibrant Living Italy, September 7-14: for women, with Julie Jeske in Lucce, Italy. A six night retreat full of luscious accommodations, indoor/outdoor yoga, a private pool/villa, cooking classes, wine tasting, olive oil tasting, daily conversations and meditations on presence, pleasure, intimacy, and the time to reconnect to your most authentic self. A few spots remain!

 

* Soul Sisters Connect, October 11-14: for women, with Atieno Bird in Portland, Oregon. Join us for three nights of sacred circle time, yoga, psychodrama, hiking, theatre outings, tea and wine tastings, acupuncture, crystal healing, singing bowls, and soaking under the full moon. Limited to 20 women, not currently on sale. Please let me know if you would like to reserve a spot now, otherwise I will be sharing more information in the weeks ahead

 

If you would like to collaborate on a project, please reach out. I'm all about sharing and creating together, the more the merrier. May this month nourish you from the inside out, may it bring you greater depths of courage, and more moments of limitlessness.

 

From my heart to yours,

 

Nikki