Why Use Present Tense in Stories

In this episode, Kimberly and Elena discuss and reflect on their life experiences through nearly two decades of knowing one another. They discuss radical forgiveness for our families of origin, the importance of stillness and meditation, children leaving the home, and menopause. They also discuss what led Elena to write her upcoming book "Hold Nothing," which offers stories and prompts as an artful contemplative guide towards personal, daily practice for self-discovery and self-wisdom. Kimberly reads powerful excerpts aloud, and you can preorder the book in the link below.

Bio

Elena Brower is a mother, mentor, poet, artist, volunteer, bestselling author, and podcast host. She is a celebrated international yoga and meditation teacher on Glo, guiding transformative practices since 1999. Her books include the "Art of Attention: A Yoga Practice Workbook for Movement as Meditation," bestselling journal "Practice You and Being You" her collection of poetry entitled "Softening Time," along with her courses, classes, and talks, explore stages of studentship, practice, life, and listening. Her latest book "Hold Nothing" investigates what it means to let go of narratives and return to the spacious emptiness within. She also has a column on Substack and podcast Practice You. She offers weekly classes and is a candidate in Upaya's Chaplaincy Training. She volunteers in hospice and penitentiary settings, bringing yoga, meditation, and compassionate presence to her local and broader communities.

What She Shares:

–Forgiveness, repair and acceptance

–Practice of daily stillness and stability

–Powerful excerpts from new book

–Excerpts read from new book "Hold Nothing"

What You'll Hear:

–What sticks with Kimberly from Elena's teachings

–Elena forgiving mother

–Mercy and forgiveness for family of origen

–Holding onto grudges instead of real repair

–Impacting our actual spheres

–Incentivizing holding grudges long-term in culture

–Having direct contact with the present

–In contact with body as medicine

–Everyone doing their best at all times

–Making our consciousness transparent to ourselves

–Why Elena wanted to write a new book

–Meditations and personal writings

–Universal permission slip to be tender with ourselves

–How stories, prompts, and artwork came about

–Impact of writing in present tense

–Getting reader in scene that unfolds as if happening presently

–Reading excerpt from book on uncertainty

–Daily sitting in stillness to allow thoughts to emerge

–Importance of humility in work

–Addressing accusations, controversies, and publicness

–Importance of relationships, close inner-circle, close proximity

–Bringing down women taking initiatives to serve

–Evolving definition of family

–Staying present and listening during hard conversations

–Children leaving home for college

–Mothering young adults

–Conflicting emotions with children leaving home

–Advice for mothers in new paradigm shifts

–Kimberly's fresh experience taking Cece to college

–Opening to stability

–Stabilizing principle at center of every circumstance

–Turning chaos to stability

–Working in a vacuum to focus on own work

–Addressing issues of AI as writers and teachers

–Focus, devotion, returning to what matters

–Menopausal transitions with weights, HRT, supplements, sleep, friends

–Regulating nervous system through menopause

–Elena's Matter of Menopause podcast for menopause education

–Kimberly's underworld experience of menopause

–Hormones are gods

–Preorder upcoming book "Hold Nothing"

Resources

Website: https://elenabrower.com/ and https://elenabrower.com/menopause/

IG: @elenabrower

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