This week, I am diving deeper into the meaning and the power of ‘the collective’.  It’s a big word, but what does it actually mean?

A simple Google search reveals the meaning of collective as ‘forming a whole’ or a ‘characteristic or action jointly owned and operated by the members of a group’.

Whether we realise it or not, there is always a collective experience. When one member or part of the collective experiences stress, discomfort or pain, this sensation can be felt by the entire collective.

Have you ever walked into a room and the energy just didn’t feel quite right? Or walked through the mall the day before Christmas? Or have you ever visited friends and simply by being there you picked up they had a fight minutes before you arrived? On the other hand, have you ever walked into a yoga room and you immediately felt at ease and taken care of?

As human beings we are astoundingly attuned to the subtle emotional shifts in the people and environments around us. Slight changes can either make us feel comfortable, supported, relaxed and nourished or anxious, suspicious, stressed and frightened. All of us have probably experienced the range of those emotions at some point in our lives.

You might remember a time when you were fraught with despair or fear and the safety, care or a simple act of kindness of a friend or family member immediately helped you to shift your perspective about or an emotion in a particular situation. I know I do.

The collective has the power to open us up to a new way of thinking, acting and therefore being. It works like a wave: a single action can cause ripples to grow into waves that create big movements.

When we feel safe, supported and held, it creates a space where we can open up, be vulnerable and not only show up for ourselves but also for others.

How can we create that space?

Love. Consideration. Kindness.

When the collective is fraught with fear, love has the capacity to calm that fear. When the collective is in need, consideration has the capacity to support that need.

It’s nothing the mind can do or ‘figure out’ (unfortunately) – it’s a transformation through the heart, not the mind. It’s about connection, about being real.

From my own experience I know this can be very difficult, however it’s possible. We can begin to practise this right here within ourselves and our environments by reminding ourselves that it is never necessary to react negatively to the world around us. We always have control over choosing our point of view or action to the things happening around us – however difficult, uncomfortable or negative they may seem.

We have the choice to connect to something greater than ourselves and find compassion and love for ourselves and others.

So, how do we do that?

Love. Love everything. Support each other.

And when you feel this is the last thing you or someone else deserves, choose love anyway. I know, it is not always easy, but it is possible.

When we choose to love, we bring love to the collective.

If a part in you can relate to that idea, I would like to invite you to our fundraising yoga practice and community get together this Friday, 13 April from 7:00- 9:00pm at Qi Yoga in Freshwater on behalf of The Hunger Project (THP).

We will be tapping into the support of the group and create a sense of connection to ourselves in order to connect with others.

Please head here for booking or here for a little more detail.

We are all connected and honouring that connection through partnership makes life a little richer.