There’s so much in traditional texts + teaching that get's tweaked, altered, or confused as it’s being passed down through generations. In traditions that have a foundation in oral transmission (i.e. the oldest ones), this can be easily recognized in the way one person tells a story versus the next.
In more recent written lineages, consider the translation of medical + philosophical texts from languages like Chinese, Pali, and Sanskrit to English. In these cases, direct word translations don’t always exist. And more often than not, the actual grammar of a language changes the way a person’s mind perceives experience. Some languages emphasize nouns as an anchor to a phrase. Others emphasize verbs as the focal point. It’s a difference of prioritizing things over actions. Put plainly, you can get stuck in an identity of ‘the right person’ rather than doing right actions.
When you think about desire in the English language, it is typically the ‘noun-desire’: a sense of desiring something. You’re going to get the house, achieve the promotion, claim your identity. Desire becomes synonymous with acquiring, which fits in conveniently amongst a colonial + capitalism framework.
I recognized this many years ago, and for a good decade or so, desire became something I shunned. I was celibate for 2 years, lived in monasteries and ashrams across Asia, and gave up most of my material possessions. I lived with one pair of flip flops, a handful of pants and shirts… and a shawl, which I used as a meditation blanket, a pillow, a towel, and whatever else it could function as during the course of those years.
The lessons you live (like the example I shared above) sometimes take you to two separate extremes before you find a middle ground. And it’s only more recently that I’ve begun to reignite my relationship with desire intentionally. This has been a threefold process:
Building the resource + resilience to sit with reality fully - accepting both the joy and the discomfort it presents. (Let’s be real, the learning is often more abundant in accepting the discomfort).
Making time to dream - whether it be journalling, skipping around the forest, or dancing to a bangin’ playlist.
Acknowledging + categorizing the desire that arrives in between - recognizing if it’s a noun-desire (wanting things, accumulating wealth), or verb-desire (experiencing things, experiencing wealth)
Here’s what I’ve distilled amidst the process so far…
Desire is natural. Primal. Ignoring desire often leads to a part of us that struggles because it has no space to be healthily expressed.
Desire can be imposed. It’s easy for your desire to be influenced by culture, family, and relationships. Imposed desire can become as unconscious and second nature as breathing. You want a house with a picket fence because the people around you do. You crave a partner because the movies have said it’s what people need and modern commerce has marketed a nuclear family unit so incessantly.
Authentic desire is emergent. It comes from accepting reality, sustaining a dream practice, and spending time with yourself. Listening to the inner whispers + feeling what is resonant in your systems: physically, emotionally, mentally, energetically, and spiritually.
Balanced desire comes from within, and is checked with healthy external relationships. It can be expressed outward without shame, and gets honed through communication in ways that are liberating- for yourself, and for those around you.
Liberation isn’t about getting what you desire, it’s about moving collectively + supportively with desire.
So tell me… what do you want? What do you really, really want?
In a time when the global reality is actively rupturing, your life may look radically different than imagined. There may be some grieving to do. I’m here to support you being with the reality of that and equally present to listen to your dreams. Because there’s a kind of authentic, emergent desire waiting amidst it all. I believe that desire may just light the way through surviving and into thriving. It’s healing. For you. For me. For all of us.
Now, excuse me while I go watch Heated Rivalry again…
May you/we all be liberated through desire,
Kevin
Feb 9-Mar 20
Manifest + Liberate Your Energetic New Year
40-day Virtual Somatic Yoga Course
Manifest with the timing of the lunar new year and equinox energy. Learn about the importance of karma (law of cause and effect) and samskara (mental + energetic imprints) which create context to understand the best conditions for you. Practice with your chakras (energetic centres) in a realistic way that is connected with your own + the collective context.
Liberate thriving relationships between emotion, energy, ether, and matter to support big dreams in your physical being.
This course includes:
An opening circle live on zoom* Feb 10 at 7-8:15am Pacific Time
Daily 20-minute practice (pre-recorded)
A weekly live zoom practice* (Tuesdays Feb 17-Mar 17 at 7-8:15am Pacific Time)
A closing circle live on zoom* Mar 20 at 7-8:15am Pacific Time
Practice buddy/small group connection for support + accountability
*All zooms will be recorded for playback later.
You will have access to all videos for 1 year minimum
It is highly encouraged that you attend all zoom practice session live, to create maximum benefit for you and the group. You are not expected to have “perfect” attendance (life happens), but there is a strong intention to be present for live zoom sessions.
🗓️ Feb 9 – Mar 20 (preparing for the Lunar New Year and the Energetic New Year
📍 Virtual on Somawell
🎖️ Certified for 18-hrs of continuing education under Yoga Alliance
Tuition: $158
March 7 at Land Studio, Chilliwack
March 8 at ALL Studio, Vancouver
Save the dates! Registration opening soon.
Dynamics of Qigong - your 3-hour intro to medical qigong returns this year with options in Chilliwack or Vancouver.
If you are....
navigating chronic pain or disease
in recovery (physically, mentally, emotionally)
curious about the healing intersections of movement + Chinese medicine
a Novice to qigong that want to know why something so simple feels so good
an advanced yoga or qigong practitioner that is ready to work smarter, not harder
…this is for you.
Discover your subtle energy body. Discern the root cause(s) of what you are experiencing, and embody qi (energy) dynamics in a way that is helpful + healing… for any body. Feel all of this through slow-paced, highly intentional movement that gives you space to cultivate healthful momentum + ease around the stickiest of stuck spots. Feel liberated in your body, and your life, on + off the mat.
Awaken your innate healing frequency. You’ll learn about these key parts of Chinese medicine:
Tui na (Chinese medical masssage)
8 principles of diagnosis
Common pathogenic factors (signs of imbalance)
Dynamics of qi (how to rebalance qi)
You’ll leave with a deeper understanding of how small, precise movement qualities will make a big, lasting difference to your health.
March 22-29
Retreat North of Ubud, Bali
We are just under 2 months away from this beautiful journey that will be a deep dive into Balinese culture through nature, ceremony, and healing. This cohort represents a group of diverse backgrounds (nations, colours, genders, ages) that share the common values of learning from local culture, healing holistically, and sharing joy.
Don’t miss your chance to join this heart-opening pilgrimage!
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