I told my coach about all the things
I’m juggling right now.
She said to me,
“Wow, you’re holding a lot!”
“Yeah,“ I said, wiping my tears.
“Where did you learn how to
hold space like that?“ she asked.
“Well,” I said,
“Before I was a Life Coach,
I taught yoga for 20 years.
And I was very good at it
and very successful.
My yoga studio held about 35 students.
And a couple times a week
I taught back-to-back classes.
Just as an example, on Sunday mornings
I would hold space for 70 people over 3 hours.
“That meant that I would
connect with each person as they came in,
help them get set up,
offer compassion to those who were down,
good cheer and humor to people
who were excited to be there,
manage my relationship with
the support staff who were present,
and mentor any trainees who were present.
“Then I’d have to hold space for
the sensations and emotions
that came up for my students during class.
People who liked the pose.
People who didn’t like the pose.
People who liked me.
People who didn’t like me.
People who came to yoga class that day
because they felt great.
People who came to yoga class that day
because they were processing horrible things.
“People in pain.
People in ecstasy.
People who wanted it to be harder.
People who wanted it to be more easeful.
“I did that for 20 years.
By the time I ended my career,
I had taught 10,000 yoga classes.
And even if you assume a very low average,
like 10 people per class,
that’s 100,000 student encounters.
“After my yoga career,
I went into coaching.
Of course that’s a very different discipline,
but I still had the skill of
holding space for people.
I knew how to allow them
to have their own experience.
I was comfortable with witnessing
uncomfortable feelings.
I knew that breakthroughs
can come from discomfort.”
“Mmm,” she said.
I thought for a minute. Then I said,
“If I really think about it though,
even before these careers,
I always had a talent for holding space.“
“Tell me more about that,“ she said.
I said,
“When I travel, I use a soft-sided suitcase.
When I’m at the airport,
I admire hard-sided suitcases,
because they look so clean and tidy, so sleek,
and they wheel so well.
But when I consider switching,
I remember that I really like the resilience
of a soft-sided suitcase.
You can almost always
tuck a little something more
into a soft-sided suitcase.
“I’m like that,” I said.
“I’m very resilient, flexible,
and I can hold a lot.
Even when I think I’m holding all I can,
I can often tolerate a little bit more.“
She said,
“Yes, and you recover well from injuries.
A hard-sided suitcase shows a dent.
But a soft-sided suitcase doesn’t.”
“Yes!” I said, “Exactly!“
She said,
“But you know, Emma,
soft-sided suitcases fray.“
I thought about that for a minute.
“Yes they do,“ I said.
“And the zippers break.”
After that, there was a long silence
as I digested our conversation.
During which, bless her,
SHE held space for ME.
~~~~~
Holding space is just one of my superpowers
I use to serve my Life Coaching clients.
Would you like to be one of them?