Through the Gooo towards the Rooo

My breath is shallow. My heart beating too fast. I feel shaky, not grounded. I saw a headline yesterday that sent my body into fight or flight mode. I shut off my phone, picked up my book and tried to shut out the headline and the horrors behind it. I made the mistake of opening my phone again today and saw more headlines, more of the news, more of the pain, this time with photos of desperate, grieving faces. Sometimes the sadness of the world is just all around us. Social media brings everything so close to home. So now I’m in the thick of the “Gooo.” Gooo (Gu) in Sanskrit is darkness, shadows, absence of light. One of my favorite yoga teachers spells it Gooo, and although traditionally it’s spelled “Gu,” I prefer the 3 o’s. 

In yoga, we flow with breath to movement. We try to let go of what is not serving us, let go of the narratives, the stories that we tell ourselves every second of every minute of every day.

Two Sundays ago I came down from the mountains in North Georgia with the most light-filled high, fueled by 2.5 days of new friendships, vulnerability, laughter, tears, compassion and laughter through tears as we all waded through our Gooo together. We learned about the “Gooo”- the shadow and the “Rooo (Ru)” - the light. Our retreat leaders shared that we have to embrace the Gooo, throw it in the compost, let our shadows transform us and help us find our light. When we sit with the Gooo and allow ourselves to feel it in our bodies, without trampling all over ourselves with our monkey minds, we’re doing the work to help move through the darkness and make our way back to the light. From the Gooo to the Rooo. 

Writing is another way I move through the dark times. After writing for the last 20 minutes and also just allowing myself to feel and name the physical sensations that these headlines unleashed… My breath is deeper, my heart beats not so jumpy, I feel my seat and my weight against the chair cushion, my back against the upholstery, the air conditioning on my shoulders. Be still. Inhale, exhale, quiet the mind and just feel what’s real in your body. I am that: “so hum.”

I pick up my phone, out of habit and impulse… and I see messages from my new retreat friends, and I let their beauty and light help lift me up. Through the Gooo to the Rooo… every day I am thankful for my practice, my strength and the love of others, helping me through the shadows, back towards the light. 

Namaste.