Every morning I rise out of bed committed to my morning practice. I'm tired and bleary eyed but I don't pay that any attention. Instead I change into my yoga clothes, head downstairs and get on my mat. I light a candle, pull a healing card, dab some essential oils onto my wrists and temples, and then settle in for my practice.
I begin by sitting cross-legged with my eyes closed, then I move my body.
Sometimes I follow along with a recorded practice and sometimes I follow my intuition.
Sometimes I practice for 10 minutes and other days for 45.
After I practice I write down my goals, my fears, and my affirmations...which takes about 3-5 minutes.
This is my morning routine and I show up for it daily because it changes the trajectory of my day.
When I begin my day on my mat I am CLEARER about my priorities for the day, I feel grounded, and I feel taken care of. When I feel this way, I am kinder and more forgiving to myself and others. I am also more relaxed and have more fun with my...
Everything is temporary. I have said this to myself so many times in the last five years when life has been challenging...sleepless nights with a newborn, a non-existent home practice, working from home while caring for a toddler, a messy disorganized home, social distancing, school being out of session for months, not seeing friends or family.
Hard moments feel like they are the new normal and will last forever.
But it always shifts and becomes something new. Just like the seasons.
Our lives are not fixed. We...
Most of us are living in some form of organized chaos as we work remotely, take care of kids, and manage our homes....all at the same time. Some days everything goes smoothly and joyfully and other days we want to scream, pull our hair out, and quit everything.
We are, as a result of Covid, struggling to find balance in our daily lives and it is unsettling and exhausting. Without steadiness to a rhythm, we become jumbled, unclear, unmotivated, and uncreative. But thankfully all is not lost and we can develop a new and more helpful relationship to balance, one that serves us in this current state of being.
Often balance is confused with symmetry, which is focused on two parts being the same. Balance, on the other hand, is all about grounding and finding steadiness.
If we focus on our lives being symmetrical, with all parts receiving the same amount of love and care and we fail to create that experience (which always happens), then there's the...
Hey there,
Do you ever have those days where you feel stuck? Like, there’s something you want to do/accomplish/create and you’ve dreamt about it and wanted it for so long but when it comes down to actually doing the thing, you feel stuck in cement.
Nothing is moving.
You can’t focus on it. You don’t know what to do or say or how to get started.
You’re not sure that you even want it anymore (but deep down, you know you do).
But the momentum is gone.
All you feel is the distance between where you are now and where you want to be. And that distance feels insurmountable.
When you close your eyes and ask yourself why this is so hard, all you feel is fear. You are afraid that you will do it wrong, that you will make a fool out of yourself, that you don’t know how, that you don’t have anything unique to offer.
These fears feel real and justified.
You believe them even though you don’t want to. You wonder whether you should just give up.
You...
I have always wanted to accomplish something really great, like something that matters and changes people - and our world. I've held this dream for so long I can't remember when it began.
This dreams walks with me wherever I go. It is a constant partner. The thing is I don't know the specifics of the dream - like what is the thing I do that makes a difference? And how do I know when I am doing it? And what form does it take? Is it through writing, movement, teaching, art, collaboration?
I don't know. But this dream calls to me nonetheless.
I do know that I want to write a book, one that maps my life and winds its way through the hills and valleys of trauma, heartbreak, shame, courage, and self-love.
I know that I love to teach and want to have a platform where I lead, guide, teach, and support others.
I also know whatever I do it needs to meld art, movement, writing, and teaching together in some way.
But here’s the thing, I hold...
Last week I sent you an email about why we are all feeling so tired right now and I received many responses that included "Thank you, I thought I was the only one". Believe me, you are not the only one (that is tired or having a hard time).
The pandemic is wearing on us. We’re worn out, feel isolated, everyday feels like groundhog day, we have zoom fatigue, we miss our friends and family. We are burned out and done with this situation.
Right now, we need each other more than ever. We need community and we need to know we are not alone.
I want to do more to help all of us feel better. So I am going to be offering more support here in the newsletter and also more support and strategies within the Brave New Yoga Membership, which will come in the form of:
I think you can relate when I say I am tired, like bone tired, from the pandemic and the many hardships over the past year. Anxiety and stress have been steady partners of mine during this pandemic but now I am mostly feeling weary and worn out.
I thought it was just me but after listening to a podcast by Brene Brown recently, I learned that weariness and exhaustion are rampant right now. Why? Because our brains have been constantly bombarded by first times. Like working remotely while homeschooling kids, holidays without families, constantly running a risk analysis around going to the store or running errands in town, being isolated from friends and family, connecting with people primarily through Zoom, the list goes on and on and on. And then on top of that we are experiencing a racial reckoning that is long overdue and still has a long way to go.
All of these situations are firsts for us...we haven't...
Who says you have to play by the rules to succeed?
My free guide, Rule Breaker Mindset: 10 Affirmations to Help You Unleash Your Full Potential, will help you break free from the status quo and achieve your goals on your own terms.