The Bio-Energetics of Friendship
Einstein once wrote, “However rare true love may be, it is less so than true friendship.” The brilliant physicist knew that friendship is one of the most fulfilling and sacred relationships that you can experience during this lifetime.
It feels good to be with others. Simple. Even the most awkward of interactions yield a nourishing experience. Of course, community has always been a critical survival tool for humanity. But being connected and in contact transcends fighting off predators or ensuring sustenance for all. Community is a self-experience, an opportunity for self-expression, and a very basic, yet sophisticated technology for bio-energetic bliss.
Your biofield, the energy in and around your body, moves into different patterns and frequencies in response to your internal thoughts and external environment. Being in contact with others boosts your energy. Bits of attention stimulate dopamine, the biochemical related to quick happiness hits. Even if you don’t particularly like the person or group, being in contact will still trigger the release of serotonin and oxytocin, neurotransmitters that play a key role in long term feelings of happiness and positive perceptions.
This is so fascinating. Even if you do not “vibe” with the group or are experiencing crippling social anxiety, any connection still supports long term wellness. I’ve heard successful people say that they would rather roll with an enemy than roll alone. That is because even time spent with your worst “enemy” helps you feel happy.
Of course the connections made at the Sacred Community retreat will be far more fulfilling than spending time with those who don’t understand you or the support you need. We're a sincere, curious group with bold souls and free spirits - actively seeking to create an uplifting, big-dreamer support network. Yet it has always been told to me by my teachers that sangat (the yogic term for intentional spiritual community) isn’t about liking everyone.
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Community, per yoga, is an opportunity to experience the eternal. In a time when the new normal of brain chemistry is so depleted and everyone is trying to navigate back to happiness, community is the clearest way to steer yourself towards true, deep wellbeing.
Here are more ways that connection improves overall health:
Laughing simultaneously not only bonds individuals but it also releases endorphins, biochemicals responsible for managing stress.
Collectively singing or chanting a mantra, syncs up a groups' collective heart rate. The unifying heart rate relaxes the vagus nerve, making you calmer and more sociable.
Participating in group yoga lends a sense of intimacy, which enhances the wellness experience provided by the practice. The energy created in group yoga is priceless.
Community adds a social and emotional context to your being, which produces joy. Your personality can only be expressed and experienced in the state of relationship.
Community allows you to be witnessed, recognized and supported. We all need to be seen in order to feel understood and be uplifted as we set new goals, expand our dreams and carve out a life that reflects the greatest expression of our souls.
The ancients never lived without community. Our shared understanding of our infinite identities, our soulful self, indelibly unites us. It is instrumental to maintaining a healthy mindset.
Acquaint yourself with others to discover the real you, a thread in the fabric that is the universe, which cosmic force wove with purpose and intention. We have always been and forever will be inherently connected.
The most beautiful experience of humanity is to be with another human.