That beat of your heart that tells you to keep going, listen to that. Tell the doubting voice you have everything you need. Tell yourself you are worthy, deserving, and capable. We spend too much time feeding and fearing our own self-doubt. Truthfully, not much can be avoided if we just keep at it.
Read MoreYoga teaches us that all experiences along the path are felt and processed in the body. Resisting an experience, today or in the future, is the same as refusing to let it go. Ignoring an emotion or situation does not make it disappear. The body holds on, whether the mind addresses it or not. A healing yoga practice processes emotions and wounds no matter how old, or how deep.
Read MoreWe are constantly meeting edges in life. Yoga teaches us that the edge, the point of discomfort, unsure-ness, or fear, is an opportunity to be the observer. Instead of searching for a solution, we can be a witness, and acknowledge our feelings with compassion and curiosity.
Join me at the RISE yoga and writing retreat this February! 3 days of yoga and writing.
Read MoreI have been on a spiritual quest for years, probably since my childhood when I craved silence inside old appliance boxes, or on the grassy hill by my home. I have been searching for meaning, for purpose, for joy, for unity with God, for self-acceptance far too long. I am now just realizing I have to stop the search!
Read MoreThe risk is worth it. We will not break open to the point of no return. Some of these past scars are begging to be healed. And to do so, requires a brave, open heart. I'm not saying to dive into the deep end with no regard for yourself. Chiseling down walls that we've necessarily built up over time as a means to survival needs to be done slowly, and with a compassionate understanding of Self. Start by forgiving yourself. Start with self-love. Start by looking in the mirror, and reminding yourself that you are loved, that you are brave, and that you CAN do this.
Read MoreI think you know who your people are. I think you know the people who have come into your life for a period of time and affected you to your core. They changed you. Maybe they hurt you; maybe they loved you, but after the encounter, you emerged a different version of yourself.
Read MoreOur view of others is always much more loving and accepting than our view of ourself. And according to yoga philosophy, and the concept of non-violence, these seemingly harmless critical whispers actually cause a lot of damage.
Read MoreEverything that makes us stronger is spurred from a type of destruction, a tearing apart of old ways and beliefs.
Read MoreThis weekend I was reminded that it's ok to play. In fact, play is one of life's greatest joys and human capacities. Play is part of our true nature, and our true purpose. To experience joy in the moment IS a spiritual practice. It's called presence. And fear will always wedge its way in to remind you to get back to "work". But laughter in the midst of chaos is one of the greatest gifts. Play in the midst of pain is one of the greatest healers.
Read MoreSomething more than great photography happened during the shoot, something magical and significant with the mirror, my reflection, and the mask. As we photographed, a sort of other-world energy made itself present. We started to not be able to tell the difference between my reflection and my actual body on the other side. Which one was real? In the photos, it’s hard to tell. Who is looking at who?
Read MoreIt turns out honoring who you are, at your core, is the most important thing. Honoring your true self is the winner of all lists, the ultimate deal-breaker, and your ace in the hole. When you know who you are, and you honor that, everything always works out.
Read MoreWhen we do get what we want, we call it fate. When we don't get what we want, we call it failure. Is there a difference? What if the story you would write for yourself is far less than what you deserve? What if our tendency is to sell ourselves short?
Read MoreSomewhere around the age of 37, I asked myself what I had done wrong. If life was supposed to look like marriage, a house in a nice neighborhood, friends, family, evenly mowed grass, two cars, two kids, two careers - I had all that. So why did I feel so unsettled?
Read MoreEven though we only lived in the new house for 10 months, the gratitude I have for the home swells inside my heart and raises goosebumps on my skin. Unable to really let go in the house where my marriage crumbled and my addiction soared, unable to see our future without the grime of what was, we felt stuck. Memories caught us off guard when we discovered a hanger full of ties that never got moved, or a drawer containing a photograph of the four of us together, smiling. We couldn’t move on because everything held the scent of our past, and the aroma wafted in and out as it pleased, never asking us if we were ready to meet it.
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 MoreWhen someone emerges from a situation better, stronger, more capable, it is because they actually acknowledged themselves. They allowed the difficult and painful sensations to rise and burn. They sat in the fire and felt the swell of life rise inside them like hot coals. In doing so, they discovered new truth, which allowed them to pass through the fire and emerge a different version of themselves. Maybe they discovered they were stronger than they thought. Maybe they discovered an old way of life that no longer served them. Maybe they released a past belief that used to habitually control them.
Read MoreWhen I avoid conflict for the sake of others, and to prevent my own temporary discomfort, I become victim to everyone else and every life circumstance that comes my way. Instead, I am learning to create my own reality.
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.
