A Sanctuary for Individuals
Circling back to the first part of this blog series, I shared some stories about my personal relationship with the studio. In short, I find that Sanctuary is a place where I can come to take care of myself in a variety of embodied, emotional, intellectual, and social ways. The studio plays an incredibly important role in my overall well-being and I’m grateful to everyone that contributes towards making such a space available. In this post I’m going to further explore this aspect of how Sanctuary can be of service to the individuals in our community.
A simple Google search will offer the most widely used definition of the word “sanctuary” as “a place of refuge or safety”. While there is a history of the word being used within religious institutions, I personally find the modern uses of the word to be much more relatable, such as wildlife sanctuaries and sanctuary cities. In any case, a sanctuary can play a critical role in one’s ability to heal, grow, and connect. And from what we know about our animal and plant friends, sanctuaries provide the protections and resources needed for them to thrive. It’s in this spirit that we are committed to Sanctuary being a place of safety and healing for as many people as possible in the Valley.
Don’t get me wrong. I know Sanctuary won’t be everything to everybody, but it can be enough for a lot of folks. I guess you could say the same is true for the City of Northampton committing itself as a sanctuary city. It’s not possible for Northampton to be a place of refuge for everyone in need, but it does play an important role in the greater context of these human rights issues. Nor can a single wildlife sanctuary provide shelter to all living creatures and plants. It has physical boundaries and a set of regulations that limit its potential. We’re not naive about what Sanctuary can and can’t be for individuals. We will do whatever we can to welcome and support our fellow community members as they navigate the numerous challenges life throws at them. Because if there is one thing we all have in common, it's that life is full of complications and complexity.
I acknowledge there is no way I could capture everyone’s unique stories in a single blog post, so that is not my intent here. I use some generalizations in order to set the scene, but I hope there are seeds of truth scattered about for most of you. My own personal story is obviously what I know best, and I can relate well with others who have similar lived experiences, but there’s a great number of folks in our community that I am still becoming acquainted with (or don’t really know at all). That being said, it's my ongoing intention to listen, learn, and honor everyone’s story in hopes that I may better understand how our space can be of service.
As a place of personal healing and collective well-being, where people can come and process critical parts of their life, Sanctuary inherently holds space for a lot of big feelings and difficult realities. Be it physical, psychological, or systematic, life can be quite complex, challenging, and even out-right cruel. Issues such as racism, gender inequity, and mental health are just a few of the things we know many folks in our community are dealing with on any given day. Not to mention the universal experience of personal loss, grief, trauma, and all the other shitty parts of just being alive. There are of course a lot of good things that can happen in life as well, such as the birth of a child, a new job promotion, or simply taking a walk through the woods. No matter the case, life is full of things we need to hold and feel, and Sanctuary is intended to support individuals through each new journey.
So, when it comes to creating a Sanctuary for Individuals, this is where we start:
We acknowledge that life has many different phases, filled with all sorts of challenges and blessings;
We acknowledge that everyone has a different background and sense of identity that deserves to be honored and handled with respect and consideration, and;
We acknowledge that every body is different and has their own abilities and limitations.
In short, Sanctuary meets you where you are! We don’t have any preconceived notions about what people should be feeling or what they are capable of, and we recognize that these things are in constant flux.
Personally speaking, I feel as though I’m still fairly new to my journey of self-awareness and self-acceptance, which probably isn’t all that much surprising considering I’m a cis-gender, able-bodied, white male, with a reasonably comfortable upbringing and a college degree. Up until a few years ago when we lost our first child to a stillbirth, I hadn’t experienced much in the way of challenge or trauma, due to my privileges. There was definitely a time when I was ignorant to these conditions. My privileges have created huge blindspots, so participating in the offerings and services at Sanctuary are tools that I believe help me with these growth edges. My yoga practice centers me emotionally and builds my physical confidence. Getting routine and/or corrective bodywork helps me to feel more aligned and functional. And, participating in educational workshops offers me the insights and inspiration I need to level up as an attuned and responsible human being.
Sanctuary is evolving to become a more holistic space for healing, growth, and connection because it's what our community needs right now. We don’t need distraction or transcendence. We need a nurturing space that supports us while we lean in and confront one of the most important parts of our lives—our personal health and collective well-being.
More specifically, our Yoga Teachers ground their practices in mindfulness, alignment, and accessibility. Our Healing Arts Practitioners are highly attuned with the natural integrity and movement capabilities of our bodies. Our Educators are deeply committed to unleashing the potential we have as emotionally literate and engaged humans. Together, these individuals comprise our collective. And in all these components, our Collective members share the core values of Equity, Community, Vulnerability, and Compassion (more on these in Part Four of this blog series).
We believe that it is this composition of professionals and scope of services that can best serve the individuals of our community. By providing multiple modalities of embodiment we allow for a wider range of accessibility and a deeper sense of healing. The concept of difference is one that we embrace. No single practice or self-care routine is going to work for everyone. No single learning experience is going to reveal all our faults, strengths, and growth edges. We need a comprehensive space that allows individuals to examine the deepness of life. We need a place that in some moments we can lean on, and in other moments be encouraged by. Life is often a matter of give and take. It involves the light. It involves the dark. And we welcome you just as you are!
And so, as we take these next steps to support the community in greater ways we invite everyone’s feedback for how Sanctuary can show up for you, your family, and your chosen community. We want to support people through every phase and season of life. And we will do so through facilitating safe and nurturing Yoga, Healing Arts, and Transformative Education experiences for the individuals of our community.
