If I were on a deserted isle and had to pick only one practice of Jeanne's, which I was at liberty to do, at will, I think I would pick the heart chakra. Given the caliber of Jeanne's work, overall, picking just one would be the subject of intense scrutiny and debate!
I think I may spend a week doing the heart chakra, because I want to get compassion for myself, an expansive heart, freely expressed emotions, and warmth as a feeling tone throughout my body into my muscle and fascial memory. I want the wide, expansive, loving, embracing part of myself to have sway over judgement, shyness, and withdrawing. Whereas a live Jeanne might squirm at the request to teach the same class, every day,over the course of a week, the streaming version of Jeanne is up for practice, night or day, whenever I come with bolster and block in hand. Right now, for whatever reasons, my heart is my foundation, mainstay, and rock.
Thank you, Jeanne, for the exquisite practice you bring. At this moment in time, I soak in blessing daily.
Oh my goodness Peter, thankYOU! In Chinese medicine it is said that "the primary function of the Heart is to move our awareness in the direction of unity, and enable us to experience true community and connection with each other and the divine..." So a good choice for your desert isle stay! enjoy:)
I have moved on from my Heart immersion exercise, and I can commend the practice to anyone wishing to take a deeper dive into whatever practice in which one finds oneself at home. At its best, practice is about self-kindness and self-regard; and sometimes, in passing, a practice will offer an invitation to welcome something that has been hidden or locked away. Fear, shame, societal pressure, self-judgement, and peer pressure are wholly legitimate reasons for building up self-protective armor; yet the back story matters less than one's willingness to renegotiate it. Benefits of sticking with one practice include sufficient familiarity with the particulars to call them up on an as-needed basis and habit form self-love and self-kindness as a baseline for engaging with oneself and the world. The next time I receive an invitation from a practice to reside in its vacation cabin for an extended stay, I will thank and graciously accept it.
Peter this is so beautiful and so inspiring! Thankyou so much for sharing your rich and profound experience with us. Honored, humbled and eternally grateful:)