New Year's Eve 2018!

New Year's Eve 2018!

The moment of truth is upon us. What energies will we bring into the new year and what will we choose to leave behind. Today, I feel a very open vibration -- that of a new beginning. This past New Moon In Sagittarius on December 17th, I did an intention ritual. From then until now, whenever I felt that I had something I needed to release, I would write that thing down on a piece of paper and put it in a shell on my alter. Today I prayed over the folded pieces of paper, smudged with sage, re-read each intention aloud and burned them to release them into the universe. I literally felt the letting go deep within my energy body, and now I feel a sense of excitement about the coming new year and the full moon on January 1st in emotional cancer. I'm feeling it already -- that need to watch weepy romantic movies, wear soft fuzzy PJ's and meditate after heart-opening yoga practices. No wonder I just watched several old school Toni Braxton music videos while feeling a warm sense of nostalgia. There is a potential for deep healing here. I think that for me and many others, especially water signs, are experiencing the need for deep introspection and inner work. And this need feels not only necessary, but unavoidable, like whatever emotions you've been holding onto just want to spill out.  I think it's time to let them flow.

 



Today's tarot card from Sandra Anne Taylor's "Energy Oracle Cards" deck relates to the grounding energy of the third chakra. This card is letting me know that all my root chakra healing efforts over the past almost 2 months, and my intention ritual have been successful and that that way is open for me to embark on any endeavors that heal the past and bring stability to my present and future life. I feels shaky even writing this, but this card is telling me to have faith and to believe in myself and my hopes and dreams -- to know that I can do this and that help and support is available if I should need it, both in the physical and the spirit world. The energies of this strong and benevolent Warrior Angel are behind me and the universe has my back! I am forever grateful.

 

 



Let It Flow

Toni Braxton

First thing Monday morning
I'm gonna pack my tears away
Got no cause to look back
I'm lookin' for me a better day

You see the thing 'bout love is that it's not enough
If the only thing it brings you is pain
There comes a time when we could all make a change, darling

Just let go
Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow
Everything's gonna work out right, you know
Just let go,
Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow
Just let it go, baby

Don't nobody want no broke heart
And don't nobody want no two-time losers
Ain't nobody gonna love you like you are
If you take whatever he brings your way

You see the thing of it is we deserve respect
But we can't demand respect without change
There comes a time when we must go our own way

Just let go
Let it flow, baby
Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow
Everything's gonna work out right, you know
Just let go,
Let go, let it go, baby
Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow
Just let it go

'Cause sometimes love can work out right, right now
And sometimes you'll never know it
You never ever gonna know it
But if it brings you pain in your life
Don't be afraid to let it go

Just let go
Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow
And everything's gonna work out right, you know
Just let go,
Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow
Just let it go

Just let go
Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow
Just let go,
Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow

Just let go
Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow
Just let go,

Just let go
Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow
Just let go
Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow
Just let go
Just let go
Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow

 

 

Writer(s): Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds

Day 18. 2017 Is Ending!

Day 18. 2017 Is Ending!

I'm happy to say that this year is coming to a close. It's been a tough one, and I think I'm not the only who is glad to close the chapter on this one. It was been a year of tremendous growth for me, but also one fraught with monumental challenges and some hard lessons. I'm both curious and filled with a bit of trepidation about what the current year will hold considering that my moon sign -- my emotional house will be in Saturn. I'm guessing there's going to be a lot of emotional work in store for me. A large part of me welcomes this because I know I had a lot of inner child healing to do. I will have to remind myself to be patient and compassionate with myself.  My moon sign has three years to do this and I'm in it for the long haul. Maybe that's what all of the standing and balance poses were gearing me up for this practice -- gently nudging my subconscious to keep my eye on the ball. I'm focused on my goals and my dreams. Getting there isn't the most important thing for me though. It's all about the journey and I'm preparing myself for the long road ahead. If this coming year is about groundwork, I'm setting it all up in my head before 2018 even gets off the runway. Get set. Ready. Go!

Day 17... I'm Getting There

Day 17... I'm Getting There

I think I'm getting there. Of course I'm up pretty late writing this because I just realized that I didn't actually make an entry for today... or should I say yesterday. I'm taking one step at a time and I'm doing it. Over 45 days in. Double that, and it will be 90 days into the practice. I'm thinking maybe I should do something special on the 100th day. I don't know what I should do but it will come to me. Today was really about digging deep and healing and finding my "happy place". It's the place that if I sit for long enough in stillness, looking deep within, I can catch a glimpse of and feel it's sun-shiny presence. What that happens, a glow infuses my very being with warmth!

More Than Halfway Through

More Than Halfway Through

Today I am taking everything in stride and letting the chips fall where they may. That seems to be the order of the day. Everything is going to be OK. That's fine. I am learning to be compassionate with myself. There's a time and place for everything, including having an off day.

Dreaming Again...

Dreaming Again...

I don't know what it is, but today's  practice has set me dreaming again, planning for the future, hoping again and feeling... lighter and happier. Like Radiohead said "fitter, happier, more productive," but without the tongue-in-cheek connotations. I'm liking the way I feel today. Today's day 15 of my second month in and I'm halfway through a milestone goal! Ironically, just a few weeks after the New Moon in Sagittarius, today is the occasion of a literal half moon 🌙 in the sky -- all silvery and shimmering with the promise of new beginnings!  I want to start planning for my vacations and putting things in motion for the year to come! I know that I can do everything that I set my mind to. I can start to live more freely and openly. I can truly be me! I'm stepping into my own skin and feeling more comfortable in it with each passing day. I'm releasing the shame, guilt, grief, pain, resentments, regrets, and recriminations from the past. A new light is dawning on the horizon. I can dream again! Read again! Live life with passion again! Allow again! Hope again! Be again! I am me again.



Today's tarot card from the "Energy Oracle Cards" deck by Sandra Anne Taylor is  Caring Connections drawn in reverse. Again this is about coming to terms with loss. I guess my body mind and soul is still grieving and that is O.K. with me. I feel positive about the changes that are coming my way. I'm coming to terms with all kinds of separations and letting in new, fresh energy. I express gratitude for all the wonderful people, places and things in my life and I know that great things, bigger, better, awesome things are, to quote Disney's "Pocahontas", "just around the river bend"!

Just Around The River Bend

Lyrics

What I love most about rivers is
You can't step in the same river twice
The water's always changing, always flowing
But people, I guess, can't live like that…

What I love most about rivers is
You can't step in the same river twice
The water's always changing, always flowing

But people, I guess, can't live like that
We all must pay a price
To be safe, we lose our chance of ever knowing

What's around the river bend
Waiting just around the river bend

I look once more just around the river bend
Beyond the shore where the gulls fly free
Don't know what for what I dream the day might send
Just around the river bend for me, coming for me

I feel it there beyond those trees
Or right behind these waterfalls
Can I ignore that sound of distant drumming?

For a handsome sturdy husband who builds handsome sturdy walls
And never dreams that something might be coming?

Just around the river bend
Just around the river bend

I look once more just around the river bend
Beyond the shore somewhere past the sea
Don't know what for why do all my dreams extend
Just around the river bend, just around the river bend

Should I choose the smoothest course
Steady as the beating drum? Should I marry Kocoum?
Is all my dreaming at an end?
Or do you still wait for me, dream giver
Just around the river bend?

Songwriters: Alan Menken / Stephen Laurence Schwartz

Just Around the Riverbend lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company



Day 14: Resting On My Laurels...

Day 14: Resting On My Laurels...

Yes I did it! I finally surrendered to a day of complete nothingness... My tasks of the day were getting in touch with my emotions and my inner self, feeling like a motherf**ker, letting any uncomfortable thoughts wash over me, and just being. It was so nice to stretch out in this somewhat challenging practice with an attitude of mindfulness and allowing. I allowed all my worries, my fears, my confusion and imperfections to just be what they are today. I chose to live in a spirit of gratitude,  decide that those "flaws" are my greatest teachers and relax into the moment. My post yoga reflective activities consisted of being treated to Japanese food, (beef udon noodle soup and lion rolls sushi) and watching a K-drama about unrequited love in Paris. Next up on the to-do list -- at home beauty treatments and a bubble bath. Maybe followed by some soft music, and a little bedtime yoga? Why? Because I've gone through the fire and I deserve this time to recharge my batteries before I conquer 2018! So do you. Try it. Take off down the beaten path and plan your own day of R&R. It'll bring you insights and clarity and help you to recover from all the trials and tribulations of this this past year. Finish 2017 on a quieter calmer note. Re-access, relate, refresh, rejuvenate, and most of all... rest.

I drew a tarot card to represent the day from the "Energy Oracle Cards" deck by Sandra Anne Taylor. I got this deck for myself earlier this year when I felt a strong soul calling to do so -- an intuitive urge that has more than paid off for me. This deck resonates with me on a powerful level. Today's card is all about the aspects of community being reversed. It's really appropriate for the mood of today, which is one of isolation and withdrawal. Older partnerships and energies that no longer serve me are moving away to make room for fresh new dreams. On a sadder note, some loving members of my friendship community are non longer with us on this corporeal plane of existence and have taken their leave to the spirit realm. And that is something that I am really grieving over lately. The challenge is for me to find constructive ways to deal with that grief, and I think that I am. Yoga and meditation has been an immeasurable help, as well as the support of caring and loving friends and connections. They are reminding me of all the ways that I am still divinely blessed in my life. Namaste.

30 Days Of Yoga Day 13

30 Days Of Yoga Day 13

Christmas morning! So why do I feel sort of blah? Maybe I am feeling withdrawal symptoms from the rigors of the endless rat race. I'm not really sure what to do with myself when I have so much leisure time on my hands. I could spend more time meditating and getting the rest and rejuvenation that my body is craving. Also, I can take time to focus on my goals for the future and what that means for me. Right now with Saturn in Capricorn, I am being made to look at the foundations of my emotions -- the very fibers that make them up. I'm being taught to not be afraid of them, to express them, to own them, but to do so with thoughtfulness, mindfulness, compassion and love. Maybe more then ever, I need to cue up the temple sounds root chakra meditation video, select a few stones that resonate with my root chakra and spend about 10 minutes in mindful silence. Namaste.

Tis The Season...

Tis The Season...

Yuletide is upon us. My feelings are complex and a bit fuzzy at the moment. I'm just letting them be what there are and letting the day be what it is. It's time for me to relax and not think too hard at the end of a long road of craziness for me. What I'm realizing is that I don't have to have it all figured out right now. I am allowed not to have a beginning-to-end mapped out plan. I'm can just eat a tasty dinner and come home and binge watch "Stranger Things 2" or a K-Drama. I can let the evening unravel as it sees fit and there is nothing that I have to do or force to materialize or make. I can let things just evolve. That is the less I'm learning from this practice. How not to force tree pose. How to stand in the moment and just breathe.

Day 11 of My Second Month of Yoga

Day 11 of My Second Month of Yoga

Today was in many ways, somewhat of a breather. I got a chance to reconnect to the energies of my Reiki practice as well, and I am reminding myself  what it's like to give myself Reiki on a daily basis before bed. I love Divine White Light's Reiki YouTube channel. The energy that comes from her hands is amazing, beautiful and so healing. Today's yoga practice was all about that Shakti Divine Feminine energy -- the energy that I've been developing more of in my life by allowing myself to be in touch with the yin-driven vulnerable sides of myself. Allowing your heart to really feel is one of the most important steps towards healing. In today's society, much of our time is spent armoring ourselves to present a picture of "normalcy" and competence -- a sense that we are "O.K." Yoga is about honoring yourself and your emotions in the real and honest place that they are in each moment. I was able to do that with yoga and Reiki today and by relying on the strength of my spirit guides and divine angelic beings. The book of the moment for me is "The Essence of Reiki: The Definitive Guide to Usui Reiki" by Andy Chrysostomou and Dawn Mellowship.

A Third of The Way There...

A Third of The Way There...

I was able to recharge my batteries for another stab at the last day of this week and the last day of Mercury Retrograde in Sagittarius. I'm taking stock of my life, sifting through my resources to find what works and what doesn't. I'm feeling more accepting and allowing of life's changes and a lot less rigid in my Capricorn moon aspect. Hopefully we are all moving into easier times ahead. Goddess/God knows I need the break. I'm making it through this yoga challenge and that feels good. Everything I'm reading leads me to believe that 2018 is going to be a month of building and establishing foundations. I can sense that type of a future on the horizon for me. And I believe that will be a good thing. In my tarot deck, I keep pulling the Magician deck. It's telling me that I am have to power to be the creator of my own destiny. We all do! It's just for the first time, I'm really owning that fact and putting it into action. It's time for me to wave that wand, imagine a brighter, newer and better future beyond the storms clouds that hover today, and soar up high, scuttling over them towards the sunshine, rainbows and unicorns!

How Did The Universe Know?

How Did The Universe Know?

That I was going to need a yoga practice that would test my endurance just as much as the day did. Yuletidings! Today is Winter Solstice -- officially the shortest day and the longest night if the year. Saturn has arrived in Capricorn, my stoic moon sign and the sun is in Capricorn. "Yowsza!" To quote Inspector Gadget. Yes. I am unapologetically a child of the 80's, and I'm feeling like that meaningless exclamation that means everything.

I have had three finals in the span of 24 hours, and It's only a a few minutes before 8:45pm. How is that even possible? Saturn is in my moon 🌙 sign. That's how. I haven't even gotten to the part where I am attending the funeral of a close friend of mine tomorrow afternoon. I found out about his passing the day after my birthday. Surprise! Right. And there's more but that will have to wait until after Mercury Retrograde, so I can get my communication channels clear enough to express myself properly. That was today. Both my time on the mat and my day kicked my butt. I'm feeling like I need a long hug and some yummy comfort food to eat. Luckily Sagittarius is in Venus, and the beautiful energy radiating through my sign that is her domain, providing that for me. The Universe is having mercy on my soul and  I'm feeling the gratitude at the prospect of this well-deserved respite.

Day 8 Of 30

Day 8 Of 30

This week, much like the last, has been a bit of an emotional marathon. Mercury Retrograde has me feeling as if I am plodding through sand. I was incredibly exhausted. This evening my final was co-coordinating the Forum Magazine's launch party. Forum Magazine has been City College of San Francisco's literary magazine for over eight decades now.

I had envisioned the evening as a send up to the beat poetry era whose influence still reverberates through the San Francisco community. I had asked a few members of the CCSF Jazz Musician's club to accompany the poets. The event got off to a slow start but turned out to be a success. I had invited a talented poet I know to read his work. He lived closer to where I do in the East Bay Area and offered me a ride home,  only to find out his car had been towed. Of course I felt terrible because I was the one who had invited him. It also stung that at the end of a big accomplishment, my silver lining was a bit tarnished. 

This week has been full of these sort of happenings, and I am having to ask myself what the lesson is for me in all of this? I'm trying open a space for breathe and calm and awareness and for allowing. My yoga practice today was very yin, and I guess my spirit needed that rest and nurture for the evening to come. Ah well. Tomorrow is another day. 

I Pulled The Strength Card...

I Pulled The Strength Card...
Saturn moved out of my sun sign and into my moon sign. And today I just discovered some more bad news. This time it is firmly rooted in my emotional house. Because I don't want to expose too much information at the moment until I have more myself, I'm going to suffice by saying that I'm trying to hang in there. I'm going to need a lot of strength to deal with this issue. I can only keep positive and reach out to the universe and family and friends for the support I need.

Day 6 of My Second Yoga Challenge

Day 6 of My Second Yoga Challenge

Ok. So today's practice was as challenging as my day. Awkward conversations? Check! Mercury Retro time conundrums a la 'how did I start out having two full hours and now I'm still late?' Check! Unexpected confrontations with difficult people? Check! On the bright side there were mind-blowing, loving connections, unexpected moments of humor, understanding, camaraderie and friendship, and an amazing cup of coffee with a popcorn chicken and rice bowl from Quickly's. I feel like I still came out on top somehow dispute or maybe in spite of the challenges off the mat. And I can't help feeling such gratitude for all it. I'm growing so much from everything that I am going through right now. Somehow all these moments in the struggle and the flow feel precious and priceless... and beautiful.

New Moon In Sagittarius

New Moon In Sagittarius

The mysterious tug of New Moon in Sagittarius is caught in the thrall of Saturn and the energetic force of Mercury Retrograde is tugging at it's heels. I've felt this particularly as Saturn moves from my sun sign into my moon sign. I have had so many things happen in the last week that my head is spinning. I can only find solace in my yoga practice, meditation, the strength the red jasper and black tourmaline have lent me and in the company of a kind soul whose support I cannot repay. I am going to work on my intentions for this new moon which allows me to acknowledge the possibility of change, the sadness of endings and of new beginnings. I'm going to journal in my blog some of my hopes and dreams, and some of the wondrous things I'd like to manifest for myself.

1. I would like to have this blog grow into one that can help thousands of people.
2. I would like be become a published sci fi and fantasy author whose writings touch the masses.
3. I would like to become a world renown singer/songwriter and performing musician in my own right who creates art and beauty through music.
4. I would like to use crystal healing and energy work to help people all over the world
5. I would like to find the security of my dream home from which to work and life from
6. I would like to ethically embrace a lifestyle of loving and relationships free from the social mores that society would place on how a person can love another.
7. I would like to travel the world and see all the places I've dreamed of
8. I would like to become an accomplished yogi
9. I would like to become proficient in various types of dancing.
10. I would like to become an accomplished pianist and compose beautiful music that moves hearts and souls.

Just that. That's all. I'm sharing a part of my hopes, dreams and aspirations with you, and in doing so, some of my vulnerability. I wish to leave behind all people, places, things, and attitudes that no longer serve my soul's purpose so that I can step into endless love, bliss and abundance. Just that. And to everyone reading this. May all your wishes and dreams come true!

Healing My Root Chakra And. Day 4

Healing My Root Chakra And Day 4 of Yoga

It's day four of my yoga practice and I am remembering why I am wearing the crystals above. Red jasper is for strength and courage, black tourmaline is for transmuting negativity, and clear quartz is for clarity. I realized that today I needed all three. I have been under an extreme amount of stressors, my metal is being tested these past few days. I'm leaning on my yoga and crystals for support. They are helping and they are needed.

Day 3: Yoga Through Emotional Pain

Day 3: Yoga Through Emotional Pain

I'm on my way through my second month of yoga and I'm going through a lot of emotions right now. The yoga, Saturn and Mercury Retrograde are stirring up some very intense feelings within me. I am trying to breathe through them and let them go. The sunny high of my birthday and the hustle and bustle of the end of my semester are coming to an end and I am being forced to process the hurts and the grief. This sucks, but I know that I have to go through it in order to release it. It's times like these that I remember the fact that I can either focus on the lack and the pain, or I can choose to place my attention on the joy and the bliss that does exist in my world and on all the things I am grateful for. Namaste.

Day 2 Of My Second Yoga Challenge!

Day 2 Of My Second Yoga Challenge!

My practice today was invigorating and challenging and set me up to deal with a day where my energy level was low from the triumphs and low points of my week. My birthday week was a roller coaster of emotions. One day I went through the break up of a relationship, the next day I received accolades for my singing at the City College of San Francisco's Winter Jazz Concert from famous jazz pianist Larry Vuchovich, and from my jazz professor and peers as well as the audience. And the next day I found out that a close friend of mine who I had lost touch with for a bit had passed away over a month ago. I was plunged into grief again. This is the second close friend I have lost this year, not including my beloved pet of 9 years. I was able to gain a modicum of comfort from the fact that he passed away peacefully after a long battle with illness. Needless to say that to go to my last round of classes and just show up today, took a lot out of me. I am coping though, by trying to be compassionate with myself and letting in the people who care about me, and allowing them to well... care for me. Saturn is going out of my sign of Sagittarius on December 20th, and the stern and sometimes harsh energy of the planet is blowing a gale-force wind into my life. And boy is it going out with a bang. Up's and downs, crescendos and decrescendos, akin to ending of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" are building with steady intensity. I really am leaning heavily on my practice and on meditation to help carry me through. I know that "this to shall pass."

31 Days Of Yoga!

31 Days Of Yoga!

OK. So it's 30 Days of Yoga on the Yoga With Adriene YouTube channel. But Hey. I'm a glutton for bliss. I'm gonna keep going! This makes it day 31 for me. Trying my hand and 60 days of yoga. I'm going to see if I can make it to 1 year. Of course not all my posts will be about yoga even though I might make occasional mention to how my practice is going and what day I'm on. I'm gonna diversify and talk about my crystals, where I am in my healing journey and of course talk about my life passions. I invite anyone who's reading to make comments below this post and share with me your own personal healing journey, passions, and loves -- what makes you hunger for life and what gives you unadulterated bliss!

For me it was performing last night on my birthday with Larry Vuckovich a world renown pianist who has played with jazz greats such as Elvin Jones, Dexter Gordon and Mel Torme. Yours truly got to sing one of his favorite tunes "Serenade In Blue" written by composed by Harry Warren, with lyrics written by Mack Gordon. It was a song made famous by Glenn Miller's Big Band and I got to be that singer -- the one who's hand get's kissed like a proper damsel by Vuckovich himself. It was an honor and a definite "marker" in my life as a singer and musician. I also was offered by an amazing percussionist Leonel Hernandez to have my own band of amazing musicians to sing a selection of rare arrangements of jazz standards. I performed that evening with The City College of San Francisco's Jazz Improvisational Ensemble led by my mentor and Professor David Hardiman Jr. and MC'd by David Hardiman Senior who started the jazz program at the college. It was a remarkable evening! And I know that from here on out, not matter what's in store, I have to power to choose how I want to react to any situation, "bad" or "good" news and that I have to power to make my biggest dreams a reality!

It's All Me... I Am Unique!

It's All Me... I Am Unique!

Yay! Day 30! Happy birthday to me! 🎂 I made it to the finish line... or did I? Today was a free form practice. Adriene didn't lead me through the asanas. She didn't even have a particular mantra, but let her viewers come up with their own. I chose the mantra "I Am Unique". I feel as if this year I am discovering my own truths and becoming the free-spirited individual that my soul craves to be. This doesn't mean that I don't have boundaries, but rather that I define the limits and where I draw the line in the sand. Taking back parts of myself that have been denied -- maybe for many lifetimes -- feels so incredibly liberating! I'm back and I'm here to stay. I'm finally discovering the real me. I Am Unique! Don't ever forget that you are to. And that is beautiful.

I Love... Myself!

I Love... Myself!


A few years ago, I read an amazing book by Kamal Ravikant called "Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It". I remembered this succinct advice today as I was delivered some news today that really saddened me. I sat on my bed and cried, thinking that it's one day to my birthday, and this so sucks! That's when my surviving cat Fjord (I lost one of my cat's in September) looked up at me with such unconditional love in his little green eyes and literally crawled in my lap and put both his little paws around my neck and allowed me to hug him. He just stayed there as proof that there is so much love still in the universe. I thought about Dickens Faire, which just yesterday my friend Jay had made such an awesome birthday present to me with, and how much love I felt from the whole experience of yesterday, and I thought love is all around me. It made me think of the lyrics by 90's Brit pop stars Wet Wet Wet and their hit single "Love Is All Around". Love is there, if you just look for it, and it comes in the most unexpected ways. And then I remembered to quote the late, great Whitney Houston that "learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all." Cue the dramatic musical crescendo, because this is the honest and beautiful truth." So today, I place my focus on a mantra I modified from Ravikant's self-love meditation. 'I love myself. I'm loved. And I am loving!' I recognize my value, my worth and my place in the Universe, and I send this love to everyone in the universe, to the persons places and things I  have hurt, to those that have hurt me, and to everyone who supports me and my journey enough to love me right back!

I Celebrate!

I Celebrate!

With only two more days left in my yoga challenge, I have a lot to celebrate. Should it be the fact that I've come so far, The fact that I was able to reach back and grasp my ankle in a pigeon pose variation that had previously eluded my flexibility, or that fact that it's my birthday in two days and as an early birthday present a really close friend Jay treated me to my first Dickens Faire -- a Christmas, 19th century period-themed convention dedicated to the world of Charles Dickens? I have a lot to be both grateful and thankful for today. I'm basking in love, joy and appreciation. Day 28!

I Am Grateful!

I Am Grateful!

I really am grateful today. And for the first time in a long time, I feel like I'm on the right track to greater abundance -- feeling the glimmers of the edge of my destiny forming from the ether. I'm hopeful. I'm starting to plan out the steps I need to walk in order to begin to create the reality I've been dreaming about. And the Universe is lining things up along my path. These are what Janet and Chris Attwood refer to as "markers" in "The Passion Test" -- goalposts that reveal themselves when you are headed in the right direction. And yes, I've had plenty of setbacks. And yes, that's all part of the road trip. I'm really grateful for all of the challenges and detours because they've taught me so much. I'm really grateful for the journey. I feel like I'll look back and find it's so much more satisfying than the destination. Time to put one foot in front of the other -- full speed ahead, dangerous curves and all!

I Attract...Abundance

I Attract...Abundance

Or rather I finished this statement because there are a few things I love to actively bring into my life -- abundance, love, peace, hope joy, and clarity? Yes clarity. In my journey things had gotten a bit cloudy I was gaining some amazing things, a musical community, honing my talents both as a writer and a singer, and making strides as a performer, but I had lost the clarity to give myself a single-minded focus and had put my spiritual lens in a blur as well. Events have happened that remind me that I also came to this plane to walk the path of  the "wounder healer". I have the ability and the privilege to heal others as I am healing myself.

In  today's Yoga Camp practice, Adriene said something interesting. She remarked sentiments to the effect that she had attracted her whole YouTube channel, Yoga With Adriene. I looked at her thousands of viewers and all the lives that she's affected included mine; as evidenced through these posts, and I am in awe. Apparently she is too. I felt compelled to look back at my own journey. I used to be painfully shy, I had no confidence, I lacked a purpose, and I was severely depressed. Then I moved to San Francisco under the most darkest of shadows, grappling with the sadness I was feeling behind my late sister's diagnosis with cancer. It was everything that happened from the time she was diagnosed to her death in 2014 that put my life on this sometimes devastating, and sometimes exultantly joyful road. I realized that I am finally owning that legacy and allowing more good things to come my way. It is my dream for my blog, Facebook and YouTube channel's reflections about healing to affect and help thousands of people as well. There. I said it. Cat's out of the bag. There's nowhere to go but up from here!

I Am In Control

I Am In Control

So today's mantra was a bit tough because I am working on letting go of my control-freak tendencies. That is to say that most them are based on how I allow myself to operate inside of the world. I am very aware that by it's very nature, control is an illusion. But I think what this mantra and practice is striving to get me to recognize is not necessarily a grasping, gripping kind of control, which is very anti-yoga in my humble opinion, but an acknowledgement that while we can't control external factors in our lives, we can control our reactions to them. I let me explore my edge, and by it's very nature, this mantra and practice actually called attention to all the places I was holding in and retaining body-mind tensions and allowed me to focus on letting them go. Today's practice was a treasure because in that very same places that I found conflict, I also found release.

I Am Strong!

I Am Strong!

So "a funny thing happened on the way to the forum..." or should I say yoga mat? I finally did what my inner control freak had been dreading, and that was transpose a practice. So for all those micro-managers like myself you will feel my pain when I tell you that today is actually day 24 and I did day 25's practice. My more 'hang loose' counterparts will be like 'so what?' LOL. What was my first reaction to this? To go all panicky and be like 'now what? The whole thing is out of order now! I failed. It's not...perfect...' Than something happened that gave me a "stop-the-presses" realization. I didn't do any of that. I didn't really care. I'm truly taking the first steps to release my monkey-mania.

I'm not going to fight Mercury Retrograde this time, but I'm going to let it work to re-form and re-fit my life, gently, sifting through, and methodically being the taste-maker of my existence; deciding what goes and what stays and what challenges I need to face up to once and for all and where I need to get clear in my life. Actually this is the second time I'm writing this because the first time my post mysteriously deleted itself. I'm guessing that Mercury Retro was at play again, helping me to refine my words for better consumption by the reader.

I decided that the mantra and yoga sequence in this practice were what I really needed more that the one that "belonged" on day 24. It just felt "right" somehow. Mercury came along to shake things up a bit and maybe even deliver a one two punch.  But that's OK.  The planetary alignments that are happening right now are teaching me that no matter if I get rattled or delivered a strong right hook, that I have the power to decide if it knocks me off my center or if it makes me stand stronger and more sure. I realized that I got this and so do you! The Universe, my yoga practice, meditation routine, crystal healing, belief in myself, my loyal friends and supporters, energetic healing, Mama Earth, Papa Sky, The Great Spirit, and all my guides and spirit helpers, they've all got by back to! We got this!

I Am Secure!

I Am Secure!

So Adriene said that this mantra could bring up a lot of resistance and it did. But I found more ease in allowing the resistance to flow and breathing into the areas of strain and discomfort that those words conjured up. This practice made me examine how I can find grace and balance in times when I am thrown off kilter. It made me ask myself 'how can I surf the waves and currents that I can either allow to disrupt the flow of my life or cleanse away my soul's impurities?' I'm examining that as I am working my way through Mercury Retrograde. It feels totally possible to go with the tide of this planetary pull and let it take me to somewhere safe and help me learn along the way of the journey. Can I view delays on public transportations and in scheduling as an opportunity to go inward and grab extra time to do chakra meditation or clarify details that I need to handle for the day? Can canceled plans with friends or lovers be a chance to get to know myself? If I get sick, could maybe that time be used to recharge and heal my body? Or if communications cause upsets, arguments, or disagreements, could I examine my reactions and take the time to learn the lessons that the experience is trying to teach me? Can I have the patience to improve myself and become better one day at a time? In this frame of mind can I find security even in times of unrest and strife? I feel as if I can start to learn how to do that. I feel a lot stronger in the face of adversity.

I Surround Myself With....

I Surround Myself With....

What do I choose to surround myself with? Love 💘?  Peace✌? Abundance? Hope? Joy? Security? How about, D all of the above. When I'm feeling this much gratitude, I can afford to be magnanimous. I came to the yoga mat today with a heart that was a lighter and more joyful than before, and it was simply because of my more positive outlook. I'm am starting to learn to live in the flow and it feels good. I'm starting to learn new ways of being and breathing in my skin and it's beginning to feel beautiful.

I Believe!

I Believe!

I realized with today's mantra that I often have trouble believing in myself. But going into this day's practice which I finished at the end of my day helped a lot. 21 days in and I'm still committed. I'm seriously thinking about going on every day for a year. That's 365 days of yoga! I figure I'll take it one day on the mat at a time. But New Year's resolutions aren't even here yet, and my Yoga Camp challenge feels like it's just the beginning of a new year of accomplishments and breakthroughs. I am in it to win it. 3,2,1 countdown ad takeoff!

I Am Worthy: OMG Day 20!

I Am Worthy...

This practice wasn't for slouches when it came to exploring the subconscious mind and all the messages we tell ourselves about our worth every day. Tell yourself "I am worthy" and see what emotions, feelings, pictures or images come up. This is such an intense part of self-discovery because often times we aren't just dealing from that time that our ex-boyfriend told us that we were not desirable or a friend stopped speaking to us over hurt feelings. These feelings come from deep within our inner child, from our ancestral lineage or even from past lives (if that is one of your belief systems like it is mine).  Maybe your mother or father didn't value you much, abandoned you, or your needs weren't paid very much attention to as a child.

All of these things can knock you of center and damage the root chakra. This yoga practice pulled up not only mine own thoughts of unworthiness, but also all the ways in which I may have made other feel unworthy. It also pulled up a healthy amount of guilt which goes into sacral chakra healing. But as we've already discussed, the first 5 chakras are very linked. That is not to say that the 6th and 7th chakras aren't. We are all connected holistically to every part of our being, body, mind, and spirit. But the first 5 chakra's seem to interconnect quite a bit more in my opinion. Whatever the case, you can use this practice and other yoga practices along with affirmations to go deeper. It's a powerful thing. And this going deeper can lead to healing.

The good news is that with some effort you can heal and repair the root chakra. There are many ways to do that from meditation, to crystal therapy, to visualization and affirmations, yoga, dance, grounding exercises, visiting nature and connecting with the dirt under your feet. And it can be a lot of fun! In these activities you learn to fall, get back up, laugh, play and cry and then fall and laugh and pull yourself back to your feet again and again. You learn to approach life with acceptance and forgiveness. I am learning to forgive myself and others, be tolerant of even the people who annoy me and learn lessons from why they are or were in my existence and to stay open to all the experiences, heart breaking, wonderful, loving and amazing that come my way! 

I Respect!

I Respect!

Today's mantra challenged my ideas about respect. I was able to reflect on the ways in which I respect myself and others and what ideas that I hold true for myself about my boundaries and areas where I might transgress on the boundaries of others. It was illuminating. I have been wearing my red jasper and black tourmaline crystals to ground me and help me to understand even more about my personal space and where those ley lines reside. I have been doing a lot of musing around my first chakra whose mantra is "I Am". I focused on all the ways that I am respectful both of myself and others and how respect relates to the confines of the personal space.

We wear stones for grounding, but these stones also serve as a barrier to the energetic borders of our personal space. When we wear a black tourmaline it is also for protection from negative energy, entities,  thought forms and the like. These all relate to how much we own our bodies and how comfortable we are inside them. Can we sense when our space is being violated, or when we are violating other's space? Part of these lessons of course continue up the chakras, especially the first five chakras like an energetic daisy chain.

When we ground into our own self, our boundaries, our truths and our intuition, we become even more powerful and whole beings capable of making great changes in the world. And part of that realization of self, includes our respect for ourselves, others and all the things that make up the universe.

I Surrender...

I Surrender...

Today wasn't perfect, and that's actually great. In my quest to explore the boundaries of my body, I wanted to approach my practice today with a sense of abandon, and just simply let go. I've been focusing in on my root chakra and reflecting on what Mercury Retrograde might mean for me as it dials back it's trajectory on December 3rd. I wore two grounding crystals, red jasper and black tourmaline to assist in healing my root chakra. I thought about what Ken Dychtwald was saying about some my body imbalances in my root chakra that cause me to grasp for control on hold on too tightly out of fear and my past trend of rationalizing them and my current mode of acceptance. I knew that today would shake up this stuff in some way. I felt it.

I realized that I might not make all my deadlines when I was on the BART today, I got to class and made peace with that. I left my backpack inside the my office at The Guardsman, the City College of San Francisco Newspaper where I've spent the last year as a reporter and now a culture editor. That backpack had some stuff I needed in there, including my "Energy Oracle" tarot deck and my copy of "Bodymind". On the way to my jazz improvisation class where I sing, I bumped into a women who should have pushed all my triggers. She asked me if I wanted to go to a bible study. I told her I was more spiritual than religious, and what could have turned confrontational, actually helped me realized just how far I have moved beyond my bitterness of having been raised in a cult religion and my migration to a place of acceptance. More root chakra issues. I plan on exploring my inner child and facing more root chakra places where I am stuck. All in all, I'd say that today went pretty well. I plan to practice meditation and tap deeper into my root chakra. There is more gold to be mined there. No doubt Mercury will further help me to uncover any other unfinished business inside my root chakra. I am making it a point to consider all the ways in which I can unpack and let go of all the stuff, psychic debris, attachments, persons, energies, places and things that no longer serve me. I am ready to completely unveil a new me on the inside and the outside! It's time for an ultimate cleansing of mind, body and soul.

I Am Focused

I Am Focused!

Today I had so many tasks to complete, that this yoga practice was a god send. I am eternally grateful to all the practices that the Yoga With Adriene channel posts on their You Tube. They have been a source of immense benefit to both me and my massage therapy clients. I am learning to accept the challenges that my body and mind is giving me. I am tending to my first chakra because my circumstances are asking me to address my basic needs for survival at this time. As always my practice "has my back" to quote Adriene. And also so do my many spirit guides and angels. This statement may not connect with you, but take whatever works for you and let go of the rest. While I truly believe that there are beings in the spirit world that serve as helpers for humanity, that's not what gets everyone through their lives when things seem like they are weaving complicated webs. And that's OK. Yoga today has helped me to be mindful and to notice areas where I am gripping on all it's worth and not living in the natural flow of things with ease. Ken Dychtwald's "Bodymind" book is doing the same. I've been reading it voraciously all week. It's time for me to accept the changes that are flowing into my existence and live to my fullest potential!

I Enjoy!

I Enjoy!

I didn't enjoy today when I first woke up. But this little gem of a practice was powerful motivation for me to do just that. I realized later in the day that I did a significant amount of releasing of emotions. I was led by the universe to pick up a book that I've often revisited over the years called "Bodymind" by Ken Dychtwald. Every time I read this book, I discover something new. I realized that I was onto something earlier this year when I decided to devote two weeks to each chakra. According to the book focusing on one chakra at a time seems to be a way to support the energy body from the ground up -- literally. Only this time instead of only devoting two weeks, I'm going to devote at least two months instead and then at the end of that time, explore whether or not I feel as if I've done enough journeying there. I feel like deep healing is needed energetically in my financial and stability center. It's time to get rooted and grounded. This 30 day practice is only the beginning! I feel the change coming on, and I welcome it with open arms.

I Am Open!

I Am Open!

Halfway there! I'm almost there. I am staying open to whatever the universe has to offer me. I am open to change and open to letting go of the things I no longer need. I have learned a lot of hard lessons over the last 2 years and I see that Saturn is still teaching me. Mercury is around the corner and somehow this feels different. It feels like a lot of more impactful things could happen to me before this year is out, good and bad. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't feel a sense of trepidation. But I'm trying to be open to that too -- to embrace uncomfortable feelings and deal with them. It's tough allowing myself to be this vulnerable. It's raw and it's grating, and necessary and truth.

Going With The Flow

Going With The Flow

Today It was all about going with the flow. I woke up very sleepy and I just couldn't get going with any sort of real drive. I took my puppy outside to go potty and it was raining. I realized that I was kind of in a funky mood. And  you know what, that's ok. It's where I was and I just had to go deep into the breath of my yoga practice to assimilate those emotions and process how I was feeling and expressing them. to quote John Lennon, I just had to "let it be." I listened to two guided meditations, one a 10 minute meditation by "The Honest Guy's" YouTube channel, and one that was a chakra meditation that brought me back to myself. Mercury Retrograde is also just around the corner on December 3rd, and I'm dealing with being in it's shadow. Something tells me that I'm going to have to hold on tight this Mercury. But I'll be just fine, as long as I don't fight the waves of unrest, but surf them, continue to let go of what no longer serves me, and  finish, unfinished business. I'll follow the signs of the universe and navigate the uncharted waters with ease and grace. I'll step into the shadow with bravery and face the parts of myself that I find difficult. I'll end my time in Saturn with a show of strength, giving it all I've got, and come out on top!

 

 

I Deserve!

I Deserve!

For some reason, I had a hard time with this one later in the day. I told myself I deserve, peace, joy, love, abundance and yes forgiveness. I am thankful, immensely so, but I had trouble quantifying my worth in this way. I guess that just means that I still have some work to do. But I also have to accept where I am now and just continue to release what doesn't serve me. I will keep towing the line and continue on with my yoga practice, while accepting myself and accepting change. Ready. Set. Let Go!

I Trust

I Trust

This beautiful heart-opening practice allowed me to just sit with my emotions, and to examine all the areas where I resist situations and states of being. I could be present with all the uncertainties that have arisen and make peace with them. The battle is won just from being aware and allowing for all of the happenstance and unpredictable stuff. I was really able to "just ease into it and find what feels good," as Adrienne always says. This is the day after Thanksgiving  after all. Who wants to do very much of anything. I will use this time to reflect, reassess, realize and then move mindfully to down the next step on the path, knowing that my footsteps will land strong and sure. "I Trust".

I Release...

I Release...

Today "I Released" all the things that no longer serve my highest good. I woke up this morning feeling tired and depressed and turned to my yoga practice. Yoga Camp day 11, has been so rewarding. I realized that when you let go off the stuff you no longer need, that becomes like psychic junk that clogs the forward momentum of your life, you can move farther along a path that is closer to your destiny. From there you can begin to arrive in the places you need to be, what Janet Attwood in "The Passion Test" calls your "markers" -- the spots that serves as dogears to the pages in the book that is your life. And the things you need for your journey begin to show up effortlessly.

Today, I enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with my close friend Jay at the house of some of his dear friends. I had a Friend's giving. I felt so welcomed as we all held hands around the table, expressing what each of us was grateful for. We had fun and played games, and there were moments when I laughed so hard, I almost cried. I haven't done that in so long that I can't remember. I had this overwhelming sense that I was right where I needed to in in that space in time. I am truly grateful and blessed, and I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

I Am Present

I Am Present

Today's mantra "I Am Present", reminds us to take notice of every little thing and to be totally there in the moment. Going through the motions can sometimes be us unaware and dull our senses to the full experience of life. If we are going through a time in our life where we feel numb, out-of-it, listless, unfocused, a great first step toward wholeness is to simple notice.

Earlier before my yoga, I was at my friend Meo's place again and I walked to Safeway to get something I needed. When I came across the Starbucks they had inside, I found myself craving a latte. When you are in a financial state like I am at the moment, where everything is budgeted, you can start to feel sorry for yourself. I remembered at the point, that I had a three dollar balance on my Starbucks card. All I had to do was add another dollar or two and YAY latte! As I walked back to Meo's sipping my latte, I suddenly remembered all the times when my finances were better, that I purchased several lattes a week without a thought to how lucky I was. I savored each taste of my latte with a renewed sense of appreciation and gratitude. I made a resolution then and there, that I would be grateful for each reward and joy in my life not matter how small. The next time I am able to purchase lattes whenever I want, I will treasure each and everyone and feel blessed. Meanwhile, as I was really enjoying my current cup of coffee, I realized that if I wanted another cup, all I had to do was put that intention out into the universe and one would show up. When I got back to Meo's place, I noticed a coupon for $1 off a latte at Starbucks Safeway. I took that as I sign that there were more coffee cups in my future.

I was with this attitude of positivity that I rolled out the yoga mat I borrowed from Meo and started Day 10 of Yoga Camp on the Yoga With Adriene YouTube channel. I feel so happy that this channel is on there to enjoy, and that people like Adriene take time out of their busy schedules to allow people to benefit from the practice of yoga, so that even if it isn't in their current budget to attend a yoga class that can still deepen their practice. In her practice I was reminded yet again about the importance of being present. I could see the colors of the artwork around me, the masks and plants, the light flowing in through the window, and hear the rhythmic inhalations and exhalations of my breath. I thought to myself, this is yoga! "I Am Present!"

I Am Bold

"I Am Bold"

I am making bold statements today. Clearing the air about misunderstandings, making myself heard, and setting boundaries. It is time for me to create the life that I want, to get out of my current financial quandary, and move ahead to a brighter, bigger and yes, much bolder future. Adriene has been such a reminder for me that I am a whole and healthy individual who deserves respect and that I am enough. In the soft light of this Scorpio new moon, it's time for deep reflections, even deeper feelings and to live with all the passionate fervor that my body and soul can muster. Even if I make mistakes or stumble, that's OK. I pick myself up, dust myself back off and remember to breathe. I just take my days one breath at a time and live from my truth with an authentic mind and heart until my very being vibrates with the joy and rightness of it!

I Choose! 11/20/17

I Choose!

Today I woke up feeling a large amount of anxiety about the current status of my financial well-being. I started worrying and fretting and feeling at a loss. Where was all my support? Falling away. That is when my close friend Jay enfolding me in his arms and I was reminded that there are a myriad of people around my who do support me. I remembered the lessons of yesterday's practice and started to take slow deep breaths, repeating the mantra "I Am Supported" with every inhale and
allowing the toxic thoughts of stress to flow out on every exhale. I went into my the Yoga With Adriene Yoga Camp practice this morning with some residual fears that started to melt away with the affirmation. "I Choose". I choose to be peaceful, loving, grounded, safe, supported and kind to myself and others. There are a variety of ways I can choose to spend my existence and a myriad of positive intentions I can choose to bring into my world and thus spread out into the world. "I Choose."

Note: Today I will be posting two separate blogs. This is actually yesterday's blog which I didn't get to post. So do today there will be two blogs, one for today and another for yesterday.

I Am Capable!

I Am Capable!

What am I capable of? I pondered this question as I flowed through the challenging poses in Day 7 of Yoga Camp on Yoga With Adriene. The answer I keep coming up with is ANYTHING! So then why am I procrastinating, putting "hard tasks" off for later, doubting myself, fearing the outcome of decisions, limiting my dreams to safer options, wondering what other people will think about certain life decisions? Of course the answer is fear. I read a blog about a week ago where this amazing woman said that she had made a choice to give up on fear after remembering a question her sister had asked her. The woman's sister had said "How would your life be if you never considered fear?" I decided that I was going to put that into practice. For better or for worse, I'm going to put concerted effort into conquering all the fears I noted above -- the unknowns. I invite my readers to as well. Only you know what those are -- the monsters that lurk deep in your subconscious. It's time the air them out and turn them into fuzzy stuffed animals. Go ahead and try it. I know all of our lives will be better for it. We are capable!

I Am Supported!

I Am Supported!

It's wonderful to feel supported in your life in your goals and hopes and dreams. I love repeating this mantra. When you feel supported, it affirms your place in the world and your self-assurance that you live in a state in which you are loved by those around you and in which the very universe itself has your back! This is an amazing zone to be in. It is the home of the nourished and balanced root chakra to solar plexus connection. You realized that you are grounded into the all the bounties that mother earth has to offer by accessing a healthy root chakra. Your sacral chakra is swimming and navigating the waves in the ocean of your existence with ease and fluidity, flowing around each bump and bend in the river. And your solar plexus is beaming with sunny energy and you are in control of all of your emotions, happy to see the joy that others can enjoy and you use your considerable amount of personal power for both your highest good and for that of others. This flows into you heart chakra and the path of enlightenment grows upwards from there. Imagine this. Be it. Live it. Say "I Am Supported!"

I Am Alive!

I Am Alive!

Today's yoga practice reminded me that I am alive and that I am full of gratitude to be so blessed to be living on this planet at this time, when the work that I am choosing to do as an energy practitioner and healer, as a writer and creator and as an soul being, is vital and important to the amount of healing that is needed in the world. If I can be just a small part of that positive equation than I can count myself lucky. Today, I am alive with strength, creativity, truth, love and joy. "I Am Alive!"

I Awaken

I Awaken!

"I Awaken!" joy, truth, clarity, peace and understanding. I showed up to my yoga practice today because sometimes you just have to get onto the mat and let it all out. I can feel the seeds of commitment to my practice taking root and bearing fruit. My practice today signaled the start of some deep hidden awareness from within me. I opened space for questions of existence and awareness. It let in infinite possibilities.

I Embrace

"I Embrace"

Day 3 of the Yoga Camp 30 Day Yoga Challenge on the Yoga With Adriene Youtube channel starts out perfectly. I'm am spending the day with my close friend Meo who is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) student in training. I have had a particularly stressful week fulfilling my duties as a Culture Editor at the City College of San Francisco (CCSF) newspaper The Guardsman. And that week is not yet over. I'm pursuing a liberal arts degree at CCSF, with a focus on journalism and
music. I'm am under constant deadlines and the tension that can build up in my body is literally palpable. I have been able to unwind with this 30 day practice in ways that I cannot even begin to express. Being at Meo's place also allows a sense of calm and focus to take place within my energy body. His house always smells of the homemade incense he cooks up, and herbal teas and is alive with positive vibes and crystal energy.

It was an honor to be able to practice yoga in his space and be treated to the wholesome vegetarian fare that he serves. Day 3's motto is "I Embrace". There couldn't be a better phrase for me right now. The practice reminded me that even in times of chaos, the universe can provide a quiet sanctuary in the eye of the storm - a balm of succor for the weary soul. It can be a portal into the realms of love and joy. I realized that "I Embrace" a lot of things. "I Embrace" myself, understanding, peace, joy, love, life, hope and change. And most of all I even "Embrace" the chaos, the pain, the fear and
the sadness and learn from the realness that they have to offer my life as well. In this state of acceptance, I can move past all of these intense emotions with a sense of levity and ease. I know that "this too shall pass" and that there is a rainbow on the other side of the tunnel and the brightest burst of sunlight is awaiting me.

Meo's Place

I Create!

I Create!

Today's affirmation in my 30 Day Yoga Challenge called Yoga Camp by Yoga With Adriene is "I Create". It has made me really examine the things I am actively creating in my life right now, what I kind of life I would like to envision and what things need to come into alignment in order to make those changes. There seems to be within me a force bubbling up that wants to do so many great things. And then theres this equal push toward completion,  the dedication to the process of getting there and the amount of follow-thru that is going to be needed.

Even while typing the words that are contained in this blog, I am examining what intentions will help me to go further in the pursuit of my dreams. Sometimes we get stuck in a reality. And I think that I have been. It's time for me to go beyond the box and really color outside the lines. I was only able to do one half of the 2nd day Yoga Camp video, and I was about to beat myself up over that. Then I had to realize that that simply commiting to the effort of changing is enough. I will make an effort to finish the rest of the practice or maybe even restart the whole yoga video later. And if not, no big deal. Better luck tomorrow! This experience of getting everything in where it fits in will help me adapt to the times when not everything goes as planned. Finding what works is sometimes my greatest asset. I have to remember that. I choose to let go of all the things that no longer served my highest good and move into a space of strength, vitality and movement. I have so many beautiful things to create both with and for the world!

I Accept!

I Accept!

 I haven't written in the That Healing Girl blog for such a long time. I've decided to recommit myself yet again to this journey towards wholeness.  I guess I never really left that journey. Recently tragedy has struck again, leaving me reeling in the aftermath. I've struggled to reconcile the dichotomy of so many amazing things happening to me amid the dark times. My creativity has blossomed, I have gained more clarity about my role as the wounded healer (more on that later) and I am developing my skills and talents as a singer, communicator, body worker, writer and many of the other hats I find so fascinating to wear. Yet I have experienced the loss of many dear loved ones. Just at the beginning of
August of this year, I lost one of my best friends who was like a sister to me and a month later my cat of over 9 years died.

 There are many times when I have been devastated by my emotions. In those periods of turmoil, I have turned to my yoga practice, crystal healing and meditation as well as Reiki and other energetic therapies and mindfulness practices. I have found them to be invaluable to me and have also turned to the practice of expressing gratitude for all the good that is still flowing through my life despite the trials and tribulations. It has been a hard road in the last few years, especially the last two years because am a Sagittarius who is nearly at the end of Saturn flowing through her sign. Saturn has been a firm taskmaster since the end of 2015 and hasn't let up much since. Now with the some of the lessons of Saturn behind me and possibly a few more to present themselves before the harsher vibrations of Saturn move away completely, it is very important that I take stock of the road ahead. Sagittarius goes in to Mercury Retrograde just as my sign exits Saturn, almost as if there will be more things for me to learn.

 It is the most appropriate thing in the world that I revive this blog with a 30 day yoga challenge. All the more so since it a yoga challenge was the exact seed of inspiration that allowed this blog to come into existence. It is also the vehicle through which I will re-enter this reflective terrain. I started today with the 30-Day Yoga Challenge called Yoga Camp from Yoga With Adriene. I've been following Adriene's yoga journey since 2015 and she has pulled me through so many hard. The videos and sentiments on her channel have helped me to channel my angst, grief, heart-breaks, and traumas. I began Monday
the 13th with the mantra, "I Accept". And I do accept all that life has thrown at me. I endeavor to keep breathing with grace and keep my vibrations elevated. I move through the uncomfortable parts of my life in surrender. "I Accept."