The Ghost is Clear
Nevine Michaan, founder of Katonah Yoga®
the ghost is clear
That's what I heard as a kid. It meant it was safe to enter. The house isn't haunted. It wasn't until much later in life that I learned the saying was actually “the coast is clear.” But I still like my version better. It fits my process as a body worker and an artist. I approach all my work in this way. Clear out the ghosts, the stuff that haunts us, that we hold onto. The memories that keep us stuck and sometimes in pain. I seek to move, paint and surface what is ready to be revealed. I agitate and invite the knots to unravel and release.
In Katonah Yoga® we use the house as a metaphor for the body, also known as the magic square. So Imagine this: your body is a house; the house has three floors; each floor has three rooms, each room with its own personal story. The work is to make your house your home. Make it inviting. The place you want to live. This magic square is a constant and abiding tool in my process. It gives me a map - a route. It's the staircase, a way to find myself and know where I want to go.
In my yoga practice, I explore my body with a curiosity and sincere desire to make my house my home. We all have rooms in our house that we love to spend time in. The places we decorate and invite people to see. We also have those areas we store the junk in and maybe we keep the door closed. It's the work of this practice to embody and awaken, to turn the lights on and clean up. So maybe it was a misunderstanding or perhaps it was exactly right: the ghosts are clear. It's safe to enter. You can come in.