Musings....

Dear Year of 2020, You’ve gotten a bad rap. People are posting cheeky comics about you...                                        OK...that was me. I posted both on Facebook.   I mean, sure, it was a rough year with moments of intense stress, anxiety and fear.  People have suffered immeasurable loss and uncertainty. But I don’t think I ever wished you were “over.” I remember many moments of laughter. I remember the comfort I felt in having my parents safe and close-by for the first 3 months of the pandemic...and spaciousness. My soul leaps for joy at just the idea of spaciousness and you have offered plenty of the actual thing. I'm very grateful for that.  In fact, I look back on the year with deep gratitude for the “little” things which really aren’t so little.  Gratitude...

The resplendent Mexican Sunflower

We need inspiration these days. Now, more than ever. It's so easy to feel discouraged, anxious, frustrated, and angry and become immobilized, even before Covid hit and the election season ramped up. It's a sign of the times, and a sign of the choices before us. Inspiration can help us find our way.  I sometimes forget that inspiration can be found all around us. How about you? Sometimes I find inspiration in the gorgeous hue of the Mexican Sunflower. Other times it's the magnificent white pine outside my window that has one enormous trunk that has split off into multiple other trunks. One of those magical trunks gracefully curves out, a length of it parallel to the ground, and then reaches straight up to an opening between other trees to the sun. Nature gets creative when it seeks out the sun that nourishes it. That inspires and excites me, and makes...

“Why indeed must ‘god’ be a noun?  Why not a verb…the most active and dynamic of all?” ~Mary Daly, theologian How do we do the most with what we have in this life, creating a life of meaning, joy, and connection?  As part of my work and one of my passions, I collect information about teachers who explore this question. It's amazing how many different answers and ideas are out there --   There are a number of fresh, new voices on the personal growth/optimal living scene and then there are senior teachers:  Martha Beck, Caroline Myss, Krishna Das, Thomas Moore, Sandra Ingerman, Dr. Joe Dispenza and others. Because of the research I do on these teachers and my work with retreat centers around the country, I know about a lot of different topics and perspectives on personal transformation, though I don’t always dive deeply into the work.  Recently, I cracked open Julia...

Some things are meant to be a mystery or part-mystery. That’s why I’m ok with not having a clear definition and understanding of the soul. It’s more of an ever-evolving wondering and exploration. What’s more important for me is cultivating a connection to my soul-essence… that part of me kissed by the Divine and also very much “me.” My own personal imprint that I’m living with, working with, tending to and evolving, part of something greater than all of us. I recently thought about how often I see the phrase “self-care” on Facebook, magazine covers, books, emails and how easy it is to gloss over a phrase that I see so often. Then the phrase “soul-tender” popped into my consciousness and I felt a pleasant little “Hmmm…yesssss” inside. Soul-Tender. Both a noun and a verb. A person who tends their soul and is tender towards their soul. A way of being...

A friend shared an idea with me and I decided to run with it. This friend has taken a ton of fantastic workshops, learning inspiring and creative practices for sharing your experience and voice in a unique way.  The workshops are focused on growing heart-centered businesses. After all, in the realm of healing work, teaching yoga, and  personal transformation, there's a balance to be struck between marketing your business and maintaining a high level of integrity and openness. This is the first year of running my own business and I'm still learning about striking that balance. Serving others with integrity and openness is extremely important to me. Her brilliant idea: tap into the vast network of amazing teachers and thought leaders that I've come to know and love through my 9+ years working with the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health and my many years of walking the path of wellness...