where I am from

beautiful image by my dear sister Cindy Giovagnoli

I first encountered this particular writing prompt “Where I’m From” in

Skill in Action: Radicalizing Your Yoga Practice to Create a Just World by Michelle Cassandra Johnson.

I highly recommend adding her book to your READ NOW list.

My first session with Michelle was in a group format in a community yoga studio in Seattle, WA. Gathering with dedicated and curious practitioners is one of my favorite feelings. However, this room, this gathering, this practice, delivered me to a place behind my own eyes and within my own heart that simultaneously invited a more full expression of my own identity and declared more space for every other identity. Michelle and her book encouraged me to claim my own roots with an intimacy that begs more Truth from my memories, biases, education, and bones. Because I love tangible application of contemplative practice, I appreciate the workbook style of Skill in Action. As snow fell on Crystal Mountain, I sat by a fire and wrote my version of this poem. I’ve since shared with family and friends and even used this as our long infusion writing prompt for Daily Steep May session. (and a Mother’s Day card.) Excavating our history, personal or collective, does not always yield poetic reflections of beauty and fondness. Truly, merely recollecting experiences will not necessarily deliver the tenderness and healing required to integrate them into who we are becoming. And we must begin somewhere, again and again. Though my living practice is centered in my own experience of life, it is absolutely in service to fostering compassion, empathy, and skillful action as an active participant in shaping the world we all share. “Where I’m From” assists us in creative, contemplative writing that brings our past to the present and our story to life.

Consider the living history you hold through stories, memories, and experiences that weave your senses and understanding into each day. This poem, adapted and shared through classrooms, books, and conversations among friends, helps us cultivate, as Michelle says, a personal sense of place. Feel free to muse on multiple possibilities for each blank space. Incorporate as much detail or vibrant description as you can. Imagine your senses coming through the words. Evoke your senses through your contemplation and creativity. Take your time and notice tributaries of thoughts, emotions, or insights that arise.

Please share. I would love to hear more about you~