Consider a time when you exercised, did yoga, or meditated. Or, consider a time you went to a concert, ran through a rainstorm, or laughed really hard with friends. After any of these experiences, you may have felt free, lighter, and more joyful. Even if something uncomfortable or challenging was playing out in your life, you were able to glimpse your true state of joy despite the external chaos.
Read MoreMost of the time, we are not victims like we think. Our excuses are not so valid. It is not up to anyone else to make the change for you. Your life is your choice. You can make a small change, take one step, in order to get closer to the life you want. As you move along, more will be revealed and you will discover new possibilities and options along the way.
Read MoreThe first time I felt desperate enough to admit I couldn't do something on my own was when my drinking got really bad. I had read all the books and just wanted to know the solution so I could take care of the problem - not bother anyone. Recovery meetings became so much more than a tool to stop drinking. Somehow, by listening to others share their stories, stories that were just like mine, I felt heard and seen for the first time.
Read MoreWhen I got sober, I had to make many tough choices. My recovery had to come first, and everything else took a back seat for the time being. I attempted to rid myself and my life of all things that caused undo stress. I simplified. I let things go. Life and my addiction forced me to focus on myself. At the same time, I was also getting divorced. I had to relearn my life as a single person, without a spouse, and this took time and practice.
Read MoreEverything that makes us stronger is spurred from a type of destruction, a tearing apart of old ways and beliefs.
Read MoreWhatever is happening for you right now, it is time. Time to do what's necessary. Time to take care of yourself. Time to say no. Time to say yes. Time to embark on a new adventure. Time to quit. Time to allow your heart open. Time to choose yourself.
Read MoreEveryone has self-doubt. Everyone has these stories about themselves. We all believe we are the only ones who fear our own capacity, but in fact, it is very human to wonder if we are enough. And it feels very safe to stay small, to let your ego voice rule and control you by keeping you in the story of "not enough" - not good enough, strong enough, smart enough, enough...
Read MoreFear will continue to hold us in bad decision-making as long as we let it rule our thoughts and our cells, as long as we continue to second-guess ourselves. We are so conditioned to make practical decisions based on logic rather than intuition, we never allow that part of us that already knows to actually be acknowledged.
Read MoreThere has been grace: Every time I've fallen down and had to begrudgingly and painfully pick myself up. Every time I've feared that I was making he wrong choice or that everything was all my fault. Every time I've heard people laughing at me as I walked away. Grace is when you're at the bottom and you're not sure how to get out. You know the next right move, you only need to muster the strength to put one foot in front of the other. And somehow, because of grace, you do.
Read MoreI never expected yoga to become a spiritual path. Yoga started as a way to get out of my house and out of my mind. Yoga started as an escape. But once there, on my mat, I observed sensations in my body, and instead of running from them, or drowning them in wine, I stayed.
Read MoreNone of my life looks like what I had planned. A lot of the time I feel like I am starting completely over. I imagined many aspects of my life would be easier and more clear-cut when I took those steps down the aisle. I knew my husband and I would go through losing one another's parents. I knew we would raise children and share parenting triumphs and trials. I didn't imagine my marriage would look like this, but maybe what it looks like doesn't matter. Maybe what it looks like is perfect the way it is.
If the point of marriage is to feel love, I have. If the point of marriage is to support someone through thick and thin, I have. If the point of marriage is to create and nurture a family moving forward, we do.
This month, I am challenging myself (and you) to do one small thing. Instead of piling a monstrous undertaking onto myself and my circumstance, and then abandoning ship when I can't follow through, I choose an attainable, close-up goal. I choose a honed-in view, something I can see and almost reach.
Read MoreWe come to our mats confused, alone, and afraid. We come to see what these poses are all about. We come to check out the hype and the trend. We leave lighter, and we wonder why. So we return, again and again, and pretty soon, we notice physical changes. Then, subtler, emotional changes. What is happening? We keep arriving on our mat. We keep up with the practice. And before we know it, yoga has seeped into the places that needed healing and growth, the places we hadn’t even considered or paid any attention. Yoga wakes up areas of our life we have long ago buried.
Read MoreYour pain is valid. Just because you're not starving, homeless, or experiencing some other form of major trauma, does not mean you don't have room and reason to heal. When we judge and compare our circumstance and our past to another's, in order to invalidate our own experience, we excuse ourself from the responsibility to heal.
Read MoreI do believe the body can be a catalyst for healing, especially if your body has been a source of pain or abuse. When we punish the body, we punish our Self. And this can only be determined through our intention. The act of eating ice cream is not unhealthy, but the story behind it is. Running is not unhealthy, but the story behind it is. Our bodies will oblige us. What are we telling them?
Read MoreOur society is like one giant hoarder, and there is no space left to listen or to be. Within the mess, there is no reality, only illusion and distraction. We drag around the residue of old wounds and relationships. We bend our heads over phones and computers. We expose our minds to continuous senses and information, and we carelessly grab at pieces to listen to.
Read MoreI wanted to write a hero story about my one year sobriety anniversary, a story about all the presence I’ve experienced with my children. About the peace and patience that have found permanent spots in my body. About behaviors that used to be wildly foreign and uncomfortable, like saying no, sitting still, and honoring myself. These behaviors have become more familiar.
I wanted to write about healing by unearthing pain from my body, and letting it go, but that makes the journey sound too transcendent. In reality, days have been hard, and often grueling. They require discipline and self-care.
There is no coping mechanism for being jarred awake in life.
Read MoreEmbarking on a quest brings tail wagging excitement upon anticipation. Images scroll through your mind, and you of course create a rendition of the final product – the photo snapped when you finally reach the mountain’s peak. But in the middle of the process, as you are climbing, thirsty, and with aching muscles, your mind forgets the initial euphoria and you wonder if all of it was a dream, or worse, a crazy, futile aspiration.
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