Why "Cultivate Connection"?

The Philosophy and Meaning Behind the Name

Part of my practice is centered around the philosophy that we have this beautiful light that radiates within us. The light I'm referring to is our sense of self—the place where we can safely recognize and attune to our experiences, and how they shape our movement through life and relationships. I also recognize that we don't always know what we're feeling, what we need, or what the solution is to a problem, conflict, or disconnect that arises in our lives. The idea of this philosophy is that, as human beings, we are capable of building a strong sense of awareness to this mechanism we call a body, and the experiences that have shaped our perceptions.

One of the greatest facets of "Cultivate Connection" is the idea that we have this amazing resource deep within us—our capacity to hone in on the messages we receive from the world and those around us. Our body is this spectacular resource for survival; if we choose to listen, build a strong awareness of the responses our body has to world around us, we can develop a stronger sense of connection, not only to self, but to others as well.

I chose the name, "Cultivate Connection," because it centers around the very important part of building a secure attachment—building connection that takes effort and willingness to understand. We cannot build trust and understanding unless we are able to step into our curiosity and engagement with self and others. Ultimately, when you build a deeper connection to self, and start to acknowledge the impact of attunement (others willingness to engage and cultivate safety with us), or lack thereof (misattunement), and the consistency of this emotional safety, you can do the work to step into vulnerability with those closest to you.

If the goal is to build deeper connection to self or others, and we see this as the harvest, we have to cultivate the land before we begin to plant the seeds.

This process, like building a safe connection to self and others, requires consistent effort and willingness to maintain a strong sense of attunement. In the same way that I aim to be a model of secure attachment for clients that sit in my office, or shape a compassionate space for students that attend my yoga classes, I recognize that I have to do my own work to feel deeply attuned to self, and recognize where I need my own outside resource of co-regulation when I can't handle the struggle alone.

"Cultivate Connection" is a beacon of light through the fog. Before we can find our way through, we have to recenter (hone in on our capacity to self-regulate where we need to) and understand how to build trust and safety so we can turn to another when we need that sweet source of comfort—that sensation of ease, relief, and warmth that reminds us that we can continually grow and evolve, like the harvest when we cultivate the soil.