On the first day of 2016 I took off my clothes and jumped into a freezing cold body of water.
For so long I had avoided cold water, knowing that my body already runs on the cold side and I wanted to do everything I could to stay comfortable. But on New Year's Day, when I was on a hike with a group of friends and we came upon a gorgeous pond, I just knew I had to do it.
I felt amazing afterwards.
But a week ago I went up to Orr Hotsprings with my partner and found myself avoiding the cold plunge at all costs.
I watched as my partner jumped in the icy cold pool on the first night and wondered how he could do it when it was already so cold outside. Even though I knew I would feel amazing afterwards, I was still avoiding it.
Until one moment I just knew I needed to jump in. It was time to stop procrastinating and just go for it.
So I did.
And what I noticed as I jumped out was that I could suddenly fully sustain being in the cold air outside. My body was warming up more quickly from the inside.
Suddenly I stood a little taller, spread my collarbones a little wider and walked with confidence upon the cool, hard Earth.
So often in life, we do everything we can to avoid the "cold plunge." Those things that scare us, those things that feel difficult or challenging. We procrastinate and put them off...
But the thing is, as soon as we stop avoiding it, we feel bigger and stronger than ever before.
This is what the past year has been like for me - continuously jumping into a cold pool of water. It has not always been easy, and at times it has felt like too much...
But as I sat interviewing Achintya Devi for the Rising Women Leaders podcast and hearing her speak of finding the gifts in our challenges and difficulties in life, and how relieved and powerful we feel when we face them head on, I knew it has all been worth it.
Achintya spoke:
As we close out 2016, I knew this was the perfect episode to leave you with.
Achintya speaks so powerfully of what is happening in our world right now, how women are being called to embody their divine feminine sovereign power and how we can fully activate and align on our path.
Listen to the episode here.
For this episode especially, I urge you to listen all the way to the end.
About three quarters of the way through we touch on some deeply meaningful topics that I think you will want to hear. You may want to have a tissue on hand.
From Achintya:
In this episode we discuss:
Tomorrow I will be entering ten days of silence at a Vipassana meditation retreat with my friend Karen. I know there may be some challenge and difficulty that arises with meditating for ten hours a day, ten days straight, but I am willing to face it head on. I welcome any good thoughts coming my way (I will be in silence and away from all technology December 20 - 31).
Know that I am wishing you an empowered and loving end of 2016 and I deeply look forward to connecting and sharing more inspiring content with you in the New Year.
With love,
Meredith
Achintya Devi is the Founder of Goddess Rising, a Global Sisterhood and School of Women’s Wisdom & Moon Mysteries, dedicated to activating and empowering the Wild Sacred Feminine within women worldwide through Moon Priestess Trainings and Leadership Certifications, Wild Sacred Women Retreats, a HerStory Rising Publication and an Online Global Moon Sisters Temple.
As a Women’s Wisdom Guide & Teacher, Ordained Priestess, Wholistic Health Practitioner, Acupressure Therapist and Kundalini Yoga & Meditation Teacher, she is especially passionate about women reclaiming and embodying the rhythm of their Womb Moon Wisdom and rising together in sisterhood to reawaken the collective Feminine Power for lasting transformation within and to serve as Sacred Feminine Leaders in this era of great Planetary Awakening.
Achintya is from British Colombia, teaches and travels internationally and is based on the island of Maui.