Thank you, Sally Kempton!
This week, one of my meditation teachers left her body. Sally Kempton was an integral part of my first yoga teacher training. I recall sitting at her feet at a studio in Berkley, California called Yoga Kula. The stories she shared have lived in me and I have passed them on in my classes over the years. Today, I will offer one of these stories in honor of the many lives she touched and will continue to touch as her teachings live on.
Sally said when she first began writing she would often spend so much time editing (crossing things out) that she could barely write. The inner critic, perfectionist, was stopping her before she could even get started. Are you able to relate to this in any areas of your life?
She expressed gratitude to a mentor that told her she was no longer allowed to cross anything out. Essentially, she could write, but not edit. At first, she was very angry and uncomfortable. In my notes, I reflect that Sally said she wrote badly for two years. As a result of this practice, she was able to write more freely because she lost the attachment to the perfectionism. She went on to publish several books and a large number of articles.
She used this story to weave the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, a text that she was passionate about and felt was a guide for life. She described the dialogue in the Bhagavad Gita to be between the individual self and the higher self. She also said that the heart of the Gita is the practice of 'letting go.'
Who am I? We played a game of all the identities our ego identifies with. For me, this included: sister, daughter, mountain biker, business woman, partner, dog mom, tall woman. She challenged us to feel beyond our egoic identifications. Here are my notes paraphrased from listening to Sally sharing teachings on the Bhagavad Gita:
What is the sensation of, "I am a mountain biker," verses, "I am the daughter of an alcoholic?" Feel the difference of what you identify with and then know that the spirit has no form, no content. You are spirit.
What are these selves that you think are you? Pause at the end of the breath. This is the space where you enter the self. The breath is the connection between you and the stillness.
The first teaching in the Bhagavad Gita is, be willing to let go of whatever you are identifying with.
The second teaching is, karmic responsibility. Everything that you have done has brought you here. You cannot, not act. The deep dharma (duty) is answering the call: what needs to be done in this moment?
You have a right to the action alone, not to the outcomes or rewards. Act without consequence, the art of letting go.
The last is my favorite, even though letting go can be crazy hard in certain areas of our lives. I have been playing with this in the areas where it is easy, or easier, and then reminding myself of how it feels as I consider it in the not so easy areas.
A fear of Sally's was writing badly. One way to shift fear is to be of service. "Do it for the sake of the work," said Sally. The work can be defined as the practice, the offering, the gift, the showing up. For Sally, it was writing and teaching. Her practice of being willing to write badly (her words) for two years has been of great service to the world. Thank you, Sally Kempton, for your service and beautiful offerings!
Here is a short (7 minute) meditation taught by Sally on, 'who am I?'
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With love & gratitude,
Angela