SR & SC Masters Projects
Abstract
Five years ago, upon completing a 200-hour, 30-day intensive yoga teacher-training course, we took this group photo. Painted on the wall behind us are the words, “Feel pain? Change positions.” At that time in my life, my understanding of this assertion was shallow: if it feels as though something is ripping, pulling, or tearing, move out of the yoga pose. But as for other physical and emotional pain, I had been taught to sit with it and accept it, and by doing so I would demonstrate strength and continue to grow stronger. Turning away from pain seemed cowardly. It wasn’t until this program that I learned that pain is one of many expressions of feeling that carries inherent wisdom, and learning to feel fully and to respond appropriately is the essence of sustainability.
Disciplines
Civic and Community Engagement | Environmental Sciences | Family, Life Course, and Society | Inequality and Stratification | Natural Resources and Conservation | Place and Environment | Sustainability
Recommended Citation
McGrew, Elizabeth D., "Turning Toward Feeling" (2015). SR & SC Masters Projects. Paper 2.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/srsc_sympres/2
Included in
Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Place and Environment Commons, Sustainability Commons