Jenn McCullough, Certified Yoga Instructor & Owner

"Off the Mat"  

“You’re grounded!”

The Evolution from Punishment to Practice

When I was growing up, “getting grounded” was not something to enjoy.  It meant a loss of freedom and privileges.  It was a punishment for breaking some kind of house rule.

I got grounded quite often, always pushing the envelope to feel out where the boundaries were in my family.

As much as I hated being grounded, it served a purpose that I can now appreciate. Grace, that unseen force that supports us even when we are not “getting what we want” or “doing what we want” is a force that knows what’s best for us. My parents were graceful forces during my developmental years. They were dutiful in guiding my brothers and me toward choices that generally helped our family and on a larger scale, society function more smoothly, with us participating in it more successfully.

It has been a long time since I left my family of origin and I have had plenty of time and opportunities to fumble around in discovering, creating, and strengthening my own internal sense of boundaries and the practices and behaviors that are “for my own good”.  As I have now learned, this process is not about “being good” per se but rather moving toward my highest expression of self in this lifetime.