Shannon Hillenmeyer, LCSW is a counselor at Rooted Counseling Center in Nashville, TN, a powerful and gentle spiritual leader, and is one of the most formative yoga teachers I’ve ever experienced, so I  can’t wait for you all to hear from her today

Our conversation was thwarted by internet connection issues, which means we sometimes talk over each other and the flow is a bit unnatural—but honestly if that isn’t your new normal right now, I don’t know if we’re living in the same reality. Interruptions aside, Shannon and I got into some really beautiful spaces about growth and ego work. We talk specifically about this spiritual path of transformation through yoga, teaching and leadership, counseling, and internal work.

Shannon and I return over and over to the concept and gift of presence. Presence to ourselves, presence to the people we love, presence to the task in front of us. There are SO many things we as humans let get in our way of presence—we fill up our schedules, we distract or numb ourselves, we give ourselves to the anxiety and fear that seem to offer us relief, only to find that when we buy into their false promises, our lives are ruled by that anxiety and fear.

Presence is the key to our freedom from this enslavement. When we practice presence, we start to make a home with ourselves. We start to engage in our lives with intentionality, and not simply trying to quiet the fear. Presence with ourselves allows us space to notice our reactions to the circumstances around us. And if, in that presence, we can offer ourselves acceptance, if we can find compassion and receive the truth of the present moment,

eventually the voices of fear, of anxiety, and of judgment start to settle down, and we find peace.

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