We could really use some mindset and intention shifts — some cleansing of diction that harms. I know this is especially difficult when we’re surrounded by media and people and bosses and systems that use the language that promotes us “killing ourselves” to be successful and worthy. And the truth is that we can’t change all those things in one day or with one powerful and well-crafted statement.

TLDR - hope is punk AF and I’m on a mission to spread it.

If there’s anything I’ve learned through my own time-management struggles and self-cultivation practices, it’s that we have to be willing to break our own unsupportive patterns in order to evolve. And this is inherently uncomfortable. Sometimes (speaking for myself), just the idea of interrupting a pattern can feel like a real live threat to my nervous system.

I don’t do the super unhealthy things anymore, and I really try to enhance my own self-care practices to nourish my whole body, but it’s hard. And sometimes I fall back into my old patterns of negative self image and beating myself up about food choices. And I feel bad about it. Just like I would if I treated someone else like I treat my body sometimes.

You’ll probably recognize all of these, but to have the language around them is powerful because you can express what you need that much better, to yourself and your supportive circle (or star or rectangle), and that’s some potent self care.

Part of thriving self care is observing these things and creating change so you can evolve. We are moving beings by all definitions. We are not meant to stay in one place or practice or state of mind for all the rest of time and forever and ever.

In our busy lives and schedules we’re often looking for ways to shift what’s already there and find the smallest ways to fit more in. We cram our calendars until we’re exhausted, exerting much of our creative energy in playing Tetris in our dayplanners rather than other creative endeavors (imagine what we’re robbing the art world of!). 

Within the 8 limbs of yoga, the physical yoga practice is actually meant to help you prepare for meditation. Movement makes meditation practice more accessible (think of it like getting your wiggles out first), and if you’re not into yoga, any kind of movement can work. It also helps to drop any expectations. Loudly. And with a thud if you can.

We give our time and energy so readily to many other things that we find worthy without a second thought. Let’s learn from that. Own your worthiness and show yourself that you mean it by investing your own time and energy in you.

Mindfulness shows us a wider, bigger truth: the universal law of giving and receiving. Everything is an exchange that requires balance. You taking care of yourself keeps the universe (and the YOU-niverse) in balance.

Let my discomfort and body aggravation be loud enough for us all to remember: keep your small pockets of self care at the forefront because they create BIG goodness.

It’s really easy to confuse brain business with body presence. Brain business (or brain presence, if you will) is you trying to tangle intellectually with whatever’s happening — trying to puzzle over it, work it out, or solve it. Body presence is literally being with it. Noticing the sensation and your breath, and then whatever happens next. Not trying to exert force or make it into anything in particular. It’s riding the wave with wide open inner eyes.

Most of us have learned to numb because it feels easier than restorative care, but it can be really hard to notice that’s what you’re doing. So I’m inviting you to get better acquainted with your own personal numbing habits as a loving step toward breaking that pattern.

Do you enjoy moving around? When it doesn’t feel obligatory? If you don’t, did you ever? If you notice that it’s shifted to not enjoying it over the years, what changed to cause that?

Choosing which version of a shape you explore gives you much needed autonomy over your own practice, your body, and your mind. You can accommodate a physical limitation, a low energy level, a busy mind, and overly boisterous body sensations. Plus you can tap into all these bits of yourself just waiting to be acknowledged with the simple shift of standing up, laying down, and even sitting in a chair.

Flirting with variation squashes the dull staleness that comes with exhausted routines. We don’t flourish if we eat the same things all the time, and the same applies to our physical movements. Vary your menu. Not only will your body thank you, but so will your brain, and that’s a hot time 🔥

We would benefit from getting down with some silly to balance out these extremes. But first we need to reconnect with our grander sense of playfulness and wonder. I’m sure many of us can relate to losing touch with fun and silliness in response to “trying to hold it all together.” Because silly feels a little useless in those situations. Except it’s not.

People often come into a conversation about yoga with me with common assumptions of what yoga classes are like or what being a yogi is about. Many of these things are untrue for me. Being open about what I’m not as a yoga teacher and differentiating what I specifically offer has helped me be seen just as I am, and outside the yoga realm, clear communication has become a way that I feel loved and seen.

We’re seeing firsthand how this affects our society on a very large scale: political and social divisiveness, lack of social navigation skills, inability to have challenging and constructive conversations, algorithmic echo chambers, etc. etc. etc. It’s hurting us at the macro and micro levels, and it’s something we can affect directly with personal action.

It can be challenging to sit with yourself in your own home, doused in chores-to-be-done and essence-of-busy-life. If, despite your efforts, you are finding yourself mid-hullabaloo, a little frantic, and/or struggling to connect with yourself, it might be time to observe where your attention is going, particularly when you’re actively engaged in a mindfulness practice.