Comments from the Embodied Practices Participants

The Embodied Practices Course was a lovely experience for me.  I loved being in such deeply sacred and caring conversations with people.  Here’s some of the feedback people gave me about the Course.

Dear Deirdre-

Thanks for your very thoughtful responses to my lengthy  rambling. I appreciate the insight and great care with which you respond. I  appreciate being “gotten” in this way as so much of the burden of the depression and dark parts is feeling so isolated with it. The blog helps me feel more connected as others share their difficult experiences so we know we are not so alone with it. Much to ponder and be grateful for.

As for the course. You did share a lot of information with us—but I don’t think it would be accurate to say it was “too much.” I imagine  we are a group with varied experience and backgrounds so the offering would need to be wide so each of us could potentially find a place to land.  It has only been 6 weeks! I love that we have the audios to return to time and again. Each time I listen I hear something new and sometimes I can take in a bit more each time.

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I have so appreciated your willingness to  respond to us on the blog. I can only imagine how time-consuming it is.  Thank you for your generosity of spirit

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Then working with offering that sadness kindness and warmth gave me something I could actually do. ….My initial reaction was to phone somewhere for some support. However  staying with the sensation and keeping listening to the audio helped me to  realise that I was not helpless, and I had a choice to act by bringing in  thoughts of kindness.

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I am so grateful for you ……  because I now know that others are out there feeling similar things,  working with the same practises. It makes it a less lonely journey. 

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I have been away  for most of the course and so haven’t been able to participate fully in the  blog. I have downloaded the audios and been working up to week 4 so far. I find  them extremely helpful and find I am deepening my mindfull awareness practice  through the sessions.

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Thank you for your  all of your thoughtfulness that does go into these, Deirdre. I appreciate  greatly all that you have invested in developing these practices and supporting  our journey

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Dear Deidre,

I have received great benefit from  all the practices. I have felt like I have truly turned a corner toward healing  and peace

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Your cues are  helpful.  I like your “welcome breath”  image – I find that a very nice opening and I like the idea of breathing from
the heart and to keep coming back to that to stay focused and loving.  this is the work that I came here to do and I  am happy to be struggling along to learn it.

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From a grateful  person

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Thank you Deirdre for what you share  with us, but the one response you made to the blog when the first poster shared her anger when even thinking about bringing kind awareness to her anguish.  You said simply, “Bless your heart.”

That is powerful medicine. Sometimes  we need to hear it from someone else when we can’t do it for ourselves.

Thank you.  May all our hearts be blessed–

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What I’m learning is that there  is no magic answer- but there is this beautiful practice -available to me for  the rest of my life. I have had great experiences and insights while practicing  and I actually felt Hooray! I finally made it.

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When I don’t do the things that I know will help me I must remind myself that  I’m setting myself up for the familiar struggle once again. So with love,  kindness and respect for ME I’ll remind myself of the practice and know I’m not  a failure because I didn’t keep the blissful state, that returning to anxiety  is part of life and now I have the tools to work with it in a loving way.

I have so much respect for you and  your work and the path we are on together.

Thank you Deirdre

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I’ve learned how to  sooth this part- something I did not receive growing up. These practices are an  added resource for this.

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Hi Deirdre

I am enjoying the audios so much!!!

THANK YOU

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The program was amazing and I see myself listening to the audios  over and over again.

Thank You!

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Our five weeks passed  quickly   Each Friday I eagerly awaited our next lessons—even if I  felt I wasn’t always able to do as you invited –or what some part of me thought  I should.  Thank you so much for keeping the embodied practices program  and blog open. I like knowing I can return to the audios at any time and I love  hearing what others have to say and your responses.  It helps knowing we  are all on the path together.

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Having  got through it and still alive however, I’ve felt stronger and as though  something had changed. Next day of course, the outside world is still there and  soon starts to impact again.

Nevertheless  it felt each time as if a small step towards becoming more  detached from whatever was so troubling had been made for me.

At best I can say that afterwards things I normally find  hard to deal with seem easier and I can sometimes sense a kind of distancing
from them. This can accompany a feeling of perhaps being more in control and  therefore more open to what is going on around. Any expansive feelings have for  me tended to come from other circumstances producing a change  mood which  makes the world appear briefly a brighter place, often short lived and illusory  though they may be

I  can only think it is because you have been unflinchingly understanding and  supportive that I was able to express all this. Your reply came as a great  relief.

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The  day after I wrote, I listened to the last two audios and could not have been  more astonished, mainly at the way they seemed to go some way towards answering  the question I’d posed at the end. After the second one, I felt remarkably calm  and peaceful even the first time I played it. And this was despite feeling on  the periphery, yet included too …rather like an observer of something that  I’m not priviledged to be part of. I have problems with some of the words and  concepts but strangely, it hardly seemed to matter and I know shall really  value these recordings.

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Is this really the last week of the practices??  It  came up quickly!  Although I haven’t emailed you much, I hope you  don’t take that as meaning I haven’t been working daily on using and integrating  the practices into daily life. I have continued to be faithful to  the exercise of finding your core and am quietly and patiently being  curious about feeling the energy inside.  I have faith that there will be  some discovery of this inner energy if I keep working at it.  I  feel it is an important practice for me and would like to continue to develp  this capacity within.  I know I feel more  peaceful in general and have thoroughly appreciated your input to fellow  seekers and to myself.  You are such an accepting, warm light and  have offered wonderful guidance.  Thank you!