That photo was taken last week on a yoga deck overlooking the ocean, as a group of beautiful and brilliant women sat in circle together, hugging, laughing and crying.

We were wrapping up a 1 week retreat in Costa Rica, where we deepened into sisterhood, healed hearts, and connected with the depth and beauty of each woman’s unique gifts and message, and the full expansion of her work in the world.

But the whole experience almost didn’t happen.

There’s a reason why we don’t come together, choosing instead to hold back, isolate ourselves, or shield our hearts. We assume…

They won’t understand.
They don’t have time.
They have their own issues, they don’t want to hear mine.
I don’t want people to feel uncomfortable.
I’ve been open, then burned, in the past.

Often, what feels natural is to isolate ourselves.

But disconnection and isolation aren’t in our nature, regardless of how natural they feel.

Depending on how healthy and secure we are, physically & emotionally, many unhealthy things can feel natural…
Violence
Junk food
Sitting all day
Lying
Overeating
Under-earning
Emotional disconnection

Another example?  Sugar.

Once used to sugar, a person could crave it all day long, pouring it into everything that it’s not already smuggled into. And the craving and consumption of sugar could feel like the most natural thing in the world. The impulse could be so strong, that going against it could feel like going against oneself.

But consuming mass quantities of processed sugar is not in our nature. Because it itself is not natural – it’s manufactured.

There are times when we have to go against what feels natural to honor our true nature. {tweet it}

At our core, our true nature is…
Sovereign
Generous
Open-hearted
Connected
Intimate
Tender
Grateful

It takes courage to choose to align with our true nature, rather than simply what feels natural.  It might be the most challenging work in the world.

It means having the willingness to let go of the familiar – the job, the man, the unhealthy pattern, the cigarettes or crappy food – in service of being here more fully.  It requires us to step out of our comfort zone and into our radiance.  It asks us to stop lying to ourselves and start living the truth.

A dear friend once told me that if you want to know your true nature, discover – at your core – how you truly want to feel.  Those moments of ecstasy are you, reflected back to you.  Only then, once we know how we want to feel, can we begin to courageously align our actions with the truth of who we are…

Knowing how you actually want to feel is the most potent form of clarity that you can have.   Generating those feelings is the most powerfully creative thing you can do with your life. – Danielle LaPorte

We are here in these bodies, in this lifetime, to live.  This is our opportunity to be who we really are.