Light in the Tunnel
I was researching yoga books for the Menopause Mondays Hatha Yoga class I teach and I came across a passage in Judith Lasater’s book, Relax and Renew, in the Opening to Menopause chapter she says in reference to a post menopausal resurgence of energy many women feel: “It is good to know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. But I assert there is also a light in the tunnel - in the fruitful darkness of menopause.”
I’ve been pondering this in light of the dark shadow that is looming over Portland, Oregon cast by the federal government announcing and directing the military gear up to attack the “enemy within” and specifically naming Portland. In my opinion, Portland, the citizens and those elected to represent us and our state have been that bright light in this tunnel of darkness that we are being pushed through. All the lovely facebook posts about how peaceful and beautiful our sweet city is, the folks in giant animal costumes, dancing protestors, seniors singing This Land is Your Land accompanied by their ukuleles in opposition to the rhetoric that our city is “War ravaged Portland.”. The quintessential Portland response has been heart warming and a good antidote to the fear many of us are feeling too.
I often think that our bodies mirror what’s happening outside of us. So if there’s a dark tunnel you are walking through or a shadow is cast upon you physically or emotionally, what light are you finding there as you walk through and inhabit the tunnel? What light is at the end of the tunnel? What can you do to cultivate the light and how much can you see that this tunnel or shadow is some sort of rite of passage or place for you to rest, recuperate and transform until we get through to the other side of this. Do you have a Defense Department or a Department of War? What is appropriate for what is happening internally and externally to you?
If you are having a hard time figuring out what to do when a shadow is cast over you, you can’t find your light, can’t muster a defense or mobilize for war, it’s a call for reflection, strategy and support. On a personal level, maybe acupuncture, therapy or a visit to your primary care provider can guide you toward the light or offer a flicker of a flame, enough to seed hope and healing.
In my reflections I also find that it’s nice to take inspiration from what I’ve done in the past (particularly as a child) when I’ve travelled through a tunnel. As a kid I used to have some rituals when we’d drive through a tunnel – sometimes it would be honking the horn. Other times it would be holding breath, closing eyes and taking feet off the floor of the vehicle while making a wish (not safe to do if you’re the driver). What are your equivalents to doing this in your life? In Andean traditions shared by my teacher, Puma Fredy Quispe Singona, a tunnel or a bridge have special significance as a time of profound transformation and birth. One is to contemplate what they want to let go of before entering the tunnel and then as you approach the light or the other side, you wish for what you want to welcome or birth into your life.
There is no doubt about it that as dark as this time is or feels, whether you’re thinking about your menopausal journey, your journey into old age or through illness or pain, or the journey through the current president’s term, it is a potent time for transformation and you can take an active role in seeing the light that exists, finding the light at the end of tunnel and choosing what you want to bring forward and what you want to leave behind. You can also choose to not take an active role and you will still be transformed. And if we are in each other’s orbit and you are still reading this, my guess is that the light will still find you because I have enough to share. With love, Laura
