Always Enough

I have come to realize again that our culture wants us to believe that there are not enough resources, not enough time, not enough love, not enough money, not enough opportunities, or whatever else we desire. Our minds want to keep telling the same old story that there isn’t enough which in turn causes us to act as if we live in a mindset of scarcity and lack. Spend an afternoon at Costco and you will agree with me! The overconsumption that happens within those four walls is startling. Also, think about the storage units on every corner, jumbo size everything, jammed packed big box stores where people get more, more, more, more.

Sickening isn’t it?

The truth is the human spirit and inner heart KNOWS that there is always, always, ALWAYS enough. When we sink into faith and trust that truth we can start to make more mindful choices. Aligning with the greater good of universal love we can actually feel that there IS indeed enough.

Always.

How many times have you been going through a really hard time and felt you’d never make it through? Or when you felt you didn’t have enough and suddenly random blessings show up.

Open your heart, open your mind and get ready to receive all that there is.

Trust that there is ALWAYS enough.

Clove Wellness Tea

Are you feeling under the weather? Did you know some simple spices that you probably have in your cabinet can give you the perfect potion for wellness. This yummy clove wellness tea will warm you from the inside and its powerful ingredients can help support the immune system.

Whenever I feel a little sniffle coming on, I pour myself some of this and take in the benefits. I especially love to use clove essential oil in place of the clove spice. I only use pure essential oils that are safe for internal use. You can learn more about the brand that hospitals and I use here.

Check out these interesting facts about clove oil:

In a study from 2012, researchers found that clove oil had the ability to kill staph bacteria cells in liquid culture and in biofilm. A biofilm is a community of bacteria that lives together, shielded by a protective, slimy film.

Most antibiotics aren’t effective at penetrating the biofilm and killing staph bacteria but, according to this study, clove oil seems to be able to. 

2017 studyTrusted Source looked at the antifungal activity of several essential oils. Of the oils tested, clove oil was the most effective at stopping the growth of a range of fungi with environmental origins. 

In a 2005 studyTrusted Source, researchers investigated the effect of eugenol, a major component of clove oil, on the yeast Candida albicans. This yeast can cause fungal infections such as athlete’s foot, oral thrush, and vaginal yeast infections.

According to the authors of the study, eugenol had the ability to kill the yeast, both in culture and in a rat model.

2018 studyTrusted Source looked at the effect of essential oils on a variety of bacteria that cause respiratory infections, such as pneumonia and influenza.

Although the effects were lower than the antibiotics tested, clove oil did have antibacterial activity when added to liquid culture or introduced as a vapor.

Pretty amazing, eh? If you’d like to have a sample of clove oil or talk about your own health and wellness needs, send me a message.

An Old Friend

It has been awhile since a certain old friend of mine made a strong appearance in my life. Honestly, I can say that I have felt her presence for months. A decade ago she had stuck around for many years and then disappeared. Or maybe she just stepped into the shadows for a while. I always knew though that in a moment of vulnerability she could easily step back into my life.

This friend of mine is smart, as well as sneaky, in how she can slip into my life and easily take over. Her presence is big even though she has a tendency to come incognito and honestly, I didn’t really recognize her this time until the middle of the night whispers invited me to take off the blinders and see the truth.

My old friend has name and it is control with a middle name of addiction.

Last fall as I was starting to experience more physical pain than I liked. I also started walking far more than I normally do. My old friend convinced me that this was to manage pain. She told me that the more I walked the better I would feel. She was right. For months and months I walked further and further each day. Indeed the pain felt less. My mind felt clearer and I was more content. Being outside for a couple hours a day walking was balm to my pain.

At first my old friend cheered me on and celebrated with me the miles and miles I would walk. She was step by step with me and the conversations we had were about overcoming the physical pain and building confidence in my body while not letting the pain be the focus.

She told me instead to see and celebrate what my body could do.

In her incredibly manipulative way, soon the walks weren’t enough. She convinced me that I had to have more. My friend persuaded me to attach an outcome to a number of steps and if I wasn’t there, then I was shamed and begrudged for letting pain win. Years ago she had convinced me that if I could just walk a certain amount of steps a day I would be amazing and that anything less than that number was weakness. It took a real friend at a beautiful restaurant in Sedona to shed light on the fact that a silly number was stealing joy from my life. That day, I let my friend control go and she stayed away until last fall.

I have been teaching the yoga principles called yamas and niyamas this month. I realized in the quiet moments of the night that I was allowing this so called friend to blind me from ahimsa (non-harming) and asteya (non-stealing). In demanding my body to perform at a certain level each and every day, I was stealing joy from myself. My walks have become no longer about nature, quiet meditation, health or connection. Instead they became about speed, distance and numbers.

Control + Addiction = Stealing joy.

In doing this for months, I have also turned an eye to non-harming. Yes, walking is the best thing I can do for myself. It DOES reduce my pain greatly. It does clear my head and help my mood. But many of my recent walking has also become a space for shame, anxiety and unworthiness. The addiction to performance and outcomes has begun to overshadow the benefits. The panic that takes over when I am not close to the target increases my agitation and negative thoughts.

One the best feelings in the world is my ability to trust in my inner wisdom to acknowledge it, listen to it, share it and own it. This awareness is the antidote to control and addiction. It also helps to have the real and honest friends who rather than join the negativity and shame, just listen and give advice that is from the heart and from that space of truly seeing me.

This morning as I walked that old friend called control and addiction was thanked because I know that she shows up every once in a while to reel me back into living the authentic life I want to live.

She comes around occasionally to help me peel away another layer of self-worth and doubt to reveal an even clearer and brighter version of myself.

I will keep walking everyday to manage my pain and to bring me joy. I will no longer allow the numbers to steal my joy and harm my heart. Instead I will notice the birds, the changes of the season, the aliveness that is in and around me.

I told control and addiction thanks for the insights and until next time…

Floral Essential Oils

I have never been a huge floral essential oil fan. Somehow the essential oils in this category are growing on me more and more. It is interesting that the primary benefit of all floral essential oils are calming and soothing, so maybe that explains it.

Florals are calming for skin, joints and mood. Sounds like a perfect solution for many things, right?

Clary Sage, GeraniumHelichrysumLavenderRoman Chamomile, and Ylang Ylang are all considered some of the doTERRA floral oils. Frequently used in perfumes, these oils come from the flower of their plant of origin, whether it be an herb or tree. This is with the exception of Geranium that comes from the flower as well as the rest of the plant.

About Floral Essential Oils


The common properties that the floral oils share include emotional benefits as well as benefits to the skin and hair. Lavender, Ylang Ylang, and Clary Sage have calming properties when you need stress-relief. To smooth or improve the appearance of skin, all you need is Geranium, Helichrysum, or Roman Chamomile. Clary Sage, Geranium, Roman Chamomile, or Ylang Ylang can all be added shampoo or conditioner (or massaged directly onto your scalp) to give your hair and scalp a healthy appearance.

A few of the best floral essential oils:

Clary Sage

  • During your menstrual cycle, apply two to four drops to abdomen for a soothing abdominal massage
  • Apply one to two drops to the bottom of your feet or on pulse points to take advantage of the powerfully soothing aroma
  • Apply one to two drops to your pillow for a restful night’s sleep

Geranium

  • Combine with Fractionated Coconut Oil to give your partner a sensual massage
  • Apply under your arms after a sweaty workout or a day in the sun
  • Place one drop in the palm of your hands, rub hands together, and cup over nose and mouth and breathe slowly for a grounding effect
  • Add to your next DIY potpourri
  • Put a few drops on a cotton ball and place around your home to naturally repel insects

Helichrysum

  • Apply topically to reduce the appearance of blemishes
  • Apply to the face to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and to promote a glowing, youthful complexion
  • Use Helichrysum in conjunction with a full body massage to promote vitality and energy
  • Massage into the temples and back of neck for a soothing sensation
  • Take two drops in a veggie capsule, as it may help promote a healthy metabolism*

Lavender

  • Use directly on skin to soothe the occasional skin irritation, or to reduce the appearance of skin imperfections
  • Take in water or a veggie capsule to reduce anxious feelings and help ease feelings of tension
  • Add a few drops of Lavender to pillows, bedding, or bottoms of feet for a restful night’s sleep
  • Refresh your mattress, car, or even the air with a light mist of a few drops Lavender combined with water in a spray bottle
  • Use in cooking to soften citrus flavors and add a flavorful twist to marinades, baked goods, and desserts
  • Take one to two drops internally in a veggie capsule for a peaceful sleep

Roman Chamomile

  • Take one to two drops in water to soothe the systems of the body
  • Has a calming effect on the mind and body when taken internally
  • Taking one to two drops in a veggie capsule may help to support healthy immune system function
  • Set the stage for sleep by diffusing one to two drops, or apply to the bottom of your feet at bedtime
  • Diffuse to soothe away feelings of anger and irritability
  • Apply to wrists and neck for a peaceful evening at home
  • Apply to chest over heart for feelings of well-being

Ylang Ylang

  • Add to doTERRA Fractionated Coconut Oil for a deep hair conditioner and beat the damaging summer heat
  • Diffuse two to four drops to promote a positive outlook
  • Take one to two drops internally for antioxidant support
  • Create relaxing atmosphere by adding it to an Epsom salt bath to help you unwind

How to get floral essential oils in your home

If you are curious how to use essential oils and need to basics, check out this gorgeous ebook and then reach out to me for some guidance and samples.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Practicing Gratitude

I think we get so caught up in life events needing to be extraordinary in order to be happy. Learning to pay attention and practicing gratitude is key for a fulfilling life.

I am with Brené Brown on this one.

Happiness is right in front of me when I am paying attention and practicing gratitude. ~Brene Brown

When I look back at my week I can say with certainty that it was a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences. It was also a week of ordinary moments in everyday life that can either be celebrated or denied. I had beautiful work, a profound experience with a dying woman, a pretty disappointing doctor’s appointment, amazing workouts, playing in my garden, driving over 750 miles for work, celebrating my sweet granddaughter’s birthday, and quiet moments on the patio.

Ordinary moments of life experiences.

Yet so amazing in many ways. I am grateful for my life in all of its craziness–the observing of joy and sorrow, celebrating small successes, experiencing humanness, giving and receiving love, and being the witness to the cycles of life. All of it deeply embedded in my heart.

Hope you find a moment to pause. To breathe. And to notice all that is good in your life.

Try paying attention and feeling gratitude.

It just may surprise you how ordinarily awesome your life is.

Photosensitive Essential Oils

Known for their bright, summery scents, citrus oils are among the most common essential oils that cause photosensitivity. That’s because compounds found in citrus oils – known as furanocoumarins – greatly increase UV sensitivity. While most photosensitive oils are citrus that have the same harmful effects with sun exposure. 

SAFETY FIRST

When we use certain oils topically where the sun is exposed to our skin, our skin can get a bit red and tender. However, for some people the effect are much worse.

Almost all citrus oils are photosensitive. Meaning they should be avoided topically before direct sunlight or artificial UV rays (think tanning beds or booths).

If you will be heading out in the sun, be sure any rollers or sprays you apply that contain citrus oils are applied “where the sun don’t shine” (AKA the bottoms of your feet, under your clothes, etc).

The following oils and blends have been labeled as photosensitive by doTERRA:

  • AromaTouch®
  • Bergamot
  • doTERRA Breathe®
  • doTERRA Cheer®
  • Citrus Bliss®
  • Clementine
  • Cumin
  • doTERRA Forgive®
  • Grapefruit
  • InTune®
  • Kumquat
  • Lemon
  • Lime
  • doTERRA Motivate®
  • doTERRA On Guard®
  • Purify
  • Slim & Sassy®
  • Sunny Citrus
  • Tangerine
  • Wild Orangw
  • Zendocrine.

To learn the basics of using pure essential oils, grab this free ebook!

Nurture Essential Oil Blend

Nothing say nurture more than a loving Mother’s energy. Plus, the renewal of spring reminds us that Mother Earth is soaking in the rain and nurturing her beautiful land and animals. 

This perfectly crafted blend is earthy, reassuring, soft, and feels like a giant hug. Applying this to your wrist and your heart so that you can smell the aromas all day long.

Did you know that Myrrrh essential oil is often referred to as the oil of the Divine Mother because it offers feelings of safety, healthy attachment, trust, feelings of being nurtured, loved and secure? Pretty amazing, right?

Adding myrrh first gives the bottom note of aroma a grounded element. Magnolia is often said to bring out feelings of compassion so gives you another layer of goodness at the end of this blend. Layered between these two essential oils are earthy, warm, love inducing essential oils with lavender petals and amethyst. Amethyst is a powerful and protective stone. It alleviates sadness and grief, and dissolves negativity. Amethysts are said to promote serenity and calm and is the perfect addition to this blend. 

Need some nurture in your life? Pop over here to grab one.

Benefits of Cucumbers

It’s gardening time and I am so excited to get my seeds in the soil! Last year I planted a few cucumber plants hoping I would get a couple cucumbers for salads. My green thumb must have been extra green because I had so many cucumbers that I made jars and jars of pickles. I am so excited to grow these amazing plants again this year.

Cucumbers have so many benefits and uses.

And to think all these years I’ve only been making salads with the cucumbers.

  • Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
  • Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B vitamins and carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.
  • Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror. It will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.
  • Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
  • Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes. The phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!
  • Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!
  • Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

And more!

  • Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe. Its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.
  • Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge. Voila, the squeak is gone!
  • Stressed out and don’t have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water. The chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam. This creates a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.
  • Just finish a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath. The phytochemicals will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.
  • Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your taps, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean. Not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won’t leave streaks and won’t harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.
  • Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing. This also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

True Yoga

One of my most treasured aspects of Yoga is how we go about with showing up for ourselves and others. True Yoga is often overlooked in our very physical posture based lens of Yoga. In the Western world it seems that Yoga is mostly asana and very little true Yoga.

What is true yoga?

True Yoga consists of the principles and attitudes known as the Sutras. The Sutras are a collection of text that guides us to live. Ahimsa (non-violence), the first and foremost of the five yamas(restraints) described in the Yoga Sutra, entreats us to live in such a way that we cause no harm in thought, speech, or action to any living being, including ourselves.

This is the essence of Pantajali’s non-harming Sutra known as Ahimsa.

Pausing to consider kindness (ahimsa) influences the choices you make and how you truly show up for yourself and for others. Ahimsa (pronounced “ah-heem-sah”) literally means “non-harming” or “non-violence” in Sanskrit. In it most basic level, it’s refraining from causing harm.

As we practice ahimsa in today’s modern life, there is more to this idea of non-harming than simply refraining from acts of physical violence.

We understand now that pain can be more than just physical – it can also be emotional and mental. The deepest pain we feel is often very emotional. It most often sprouts from our relationships with other human beings. It can be grief that we experience when we lose someone. Grief can also from a part of our life that meant so much to our identity. The loss of a relationship or a painful life change can bring about deep and soul-shattering pain.

When we practice ahimsa, we are thinking about how our actions could hurt others. Doing so invites us to take into consideration the potential physical, emotional, and relational consequences of our actions.

We pause to consider kindness.

Are you frustrated with the non-kind world that exists where division and opinions flood our everyday lives? The world feels sad at the lack of humanity and desperate need to be heard in what seems to be a constant “what about ME” mentality. There is exhaustion with the lack of kindness for fellow human beings.

Realizing that all we can do is change our own thoughts and actions, I am opting for kindness despite my own struggling emotions. Ahimsa is offered for the exhausted world. Together we must learn to pause, listen, see, feel and to give.

Kindness truly matters and it is the truest form of Yoga.

The Frequencies of Emotions

Yogi’s have known for thousands of years that there is something magical and mystical inside of each of that is influenced by our thoughts, surroundings, foods, and even our emotions. These frequencies that we emit are measurable emotions. The mystics have known this a long time and now scientists are catching on. People are realizing that our emotional well-being and our energy, can be not just measured, but it can also be influenced with a few adjustments to our everyday habits and attitudes.

Good and not so good vibes

I learned about this frequency of emotions mindset many years ago, but I didn’t have the language to make sense of it or share it.. We all have met someone who seems to have really “good vibes”. And we we have all had people in our life that seem to bring us down. That is their energy and how our own energy interacts and received it.

The great wake up

Prior to my great wake-up, I was living in constantly very low vibrating emotions; fear, anger, disappointment, blame, and shame. The outward manifestation of this chronic mindset was that I was physically heavy. Depression snuck in and I had trouble sleeping. There was very little motivation and even less joy in my life. I had yet to discover a purpose and a passion.

Since my transformation in my mid-thirties, I live in a nearly constant state of happiness and abundance. Experiences that I have wanted to happen, seem to happen. I find the right people at the perfect time. I am inviting into my life amazing opportunities on a seemingly weekly, if not daily, basis. There seems to be little to my life that I wish was different, except perhaps having less physical pain. However, despite having a chronic pain disease I am able to compartmentalize that experience into a place of better understanding and usefulness for my life.

What do we do with what life is

Not that my life is unique to anyone’s because we all have situations in our life that are less than ideal, but it is what we do with it that changes the game. Here is what I have in my world that could send me down the spiral of blame and shame, if I chose to allow it; raising a disabled daughter day in and day out, multiple chronic pain diseases that cause pain and fatigue, the grueling self-employment lifestyle of being 100% dependent on myself to make money and survive, having raised three children alone and with one of them is disabled who still lives with me (which means I have technically been a 24/7 caregiver for 31 years with no break), I have never received a financial windfall, my father chose to completely opt out of my life, my children’s father died from self-neglect at a super young age leaving them without any chance of a turn around, I have had multiple orthopedic surgeries in the last 5 years that have taken a toll on my body, and my joints continue to deteriorate despite my greatest effort to be healthy. Pretty heavy, right?

With all that heavy emotion how do we manage our emotional frequencies (vibes) and how can we work to raise our vibration?

Let’s imagine for a moment the image of a ladder. The middle rung of the ladder represents contentment. Contentment is often thought of as a Zen like experience where all is well. It is something that most of strive for at certain times in our life and when we arrive there, we sigh heavily feel as though we have arrived. Hold on. One step under contentment is complacency. Yea, complacency. That emotion where we feel like, ehhh I don’t need to put that much effort into this, or try that hard. Complacency is that who gives a shit mindset where half effort becomes routine. One more step down the ladder we are living in boredom. Then creeps in loneliness, sadness, blame, shame, defensiveness, anger, and then fear.

Feel that heaviness?

Go back up the ladder to contentment. Imagine again what that feels like. Now, one step UP from contentment is hope. One of my favorite definitions of hope is to expect with confidence. To me hope is walking towards something positive and good with a knowing that it will become. Feels amazing, yes? Well, above hope is curiosity. Above that is joy. Then above that is happiness. Just above that is bliss. Keep going and you will reach the complete wholeness of feeling grateful.

A grateful being is a person who lives in a constant (or near constant) state of high vibes. When we live in that plane, we attract all great things into our life–people, experiences, opportunities, purpose, and love.

Here is where it gets even better.

Simply by shifting our attention up, lifting our chin, looking up, elevating our heart we immediately move up from contentment to hope. I mean literally look up. So much of our life is hunched over, head down either worrying or working. Carrying SO much emotion that can feel heavy it makes our physical body shift downward. Constant downward looking, we begin to sink into the spiral of low and often heavy vibration frequencies.

Interesting ideas

The frequency of abundance measures the same as the frequency of a wild orange. The higher up on the tree, the higher we feel. This is why certain essential oils have the ability to shift our emotional state simply by smelling them. You can learn more about the brain and aroma here.

A simple and powerful tool to keep yourself on the upside of the ladder is to literally look up and notice the tree tops, the clouds, the sky, how your heart lifts with the simple tilt of your chin, take mindful and complete breaths and fill your heart with gratitude. Smelling pure wild orange essential oil is just an added aspect to this magic that can powerfully shift your mood.

Are you ready to work on your emotional frequencies and start attracting experiences and people into your life that resonate with you and your highest vision?

I currently have some personal mentoring session times available if you’d like to learn more about how to shift your emotional frequencies, including the use of crystals and gemstones. Reach out to me, I would love to hear from you! Also, enjoy this upward spiral and downward spiral image to see and feel how good it is to live above contentment.

Embracing Spirit Yoga

Eleven years ago I created my business known as Embracing Spirit Yoga. At that time I had been sharing yoga for awhile but hadn’t stepped into full time teaching. I decided to take the gigantic leap into the unknown, quit my j.o.b. and trust that my purpose would sustain me.

It never occurred to me to be a yoga teacher. I realized through my own awakening that there are many people who could not easily access a yoga class. Sharing mindfulness, body awareness and connection to the Self became my passion.

I also never wanted to be an entrepreneur. I dabbled with the idea of being a social worker. The funny thing is many of my social work friends now tell me my work is a beautiful version of social work. I spent years working in special education and raising my own unique kid sure paved some ways of understanding differences. Being an advocate for people with different abilities was also so important to me. Having all those pieces come together was a mystery.

Then it happened

People assume that teaching yoga full-time must be so “fun”. I would not describe it as fun. However it IS what I believe I am here to do. I believe 100% that I was given my special daughter to lead me down a path of teaching yoga to people with disabilities. The road with her hasn’t been easy. It is easier to see now that it certainly has gifted me with amazing compassion.

The beginning

Since I began my business in 2011, I have shared yoga in countless group homes and assisted living settings. Being a regular at nursing homes and beside in hospice has been so enlightening. I teach to all types of abilities in a variety of settings, including a small private studio. To some who witness a group of us huddled around a coffee table on leather furniture in a living room they may question if that is really a yoga class. Most of my settings are not perfectly curated yoga spaces with flickering candles, dimly lit room and soft comfortable pillows along the wall.

The classes I teach are designed to be accessible anywhere.

It has been a wonderful eleven years and I have grown so much as a person and as a teacher. I could not have succeeded and been able to touch so many lives without the support of others; my students, my family, my friends and those who have taken a chance on my offerings and who have seen first hand the dedication I give to my students. To some it may seem like I am frazzled and running like crazy. Those who love and respect me see that the hard work is a reflection of my passion for serving those with disabilities.

Every person who has generously said yes to my teachings has made the last eleven years magical and I am so thankful.

Grateful doesn’t even begin to capture what my heart feels.

If you are curious and want to learn more about what I do, check out this informative webpage and read about what I believe to be the foundation of any quality yoga class.

Simple Kindness

About six years ago I had a new student come into my classes who later proved to become a sweet friend who never asked for recognition for his mysterious, and always anonymous generosity. He was the example of simple kindness.

If you knew him, you may have not been able to recognize that he was a person living with a traumatic brain injury or that he struggled with all types of pain. His outlook and hash tag on life was #lovemylife. He never complained and was always up for a positive spin on things.

Through the years, I shared yoga and mindfulness with him. I schooled him on the proper way to eat cold chicken (only with mustard). I proudly sent him pictures of my garden bounty and the hikes I took. He returned this with endless versions of simple kindness; countless bags of chocolates delivered to my door, things for my shoes so I don’t slip on ice, he would send his own pictures of amazing hikes, and we often compared notes on Saturday steak nights.

Our friendship was based on simple kindness between two people.

Despite very different lifestyles we connected. What was most intriguing was our communication was only through texting. We disagreed politically and on issues we are both passionate about. Rather than attempt to convince each other that our view was the right view, we chose instead to focus on kindness. We chose to share things with each other that embodied what it meant to live your best life. He cracked lame jokes and always asked me about my health. I made sure he knew I was around and that he was on my mind from time to time.

Simple kindness was the theme of our friendship.

A few weeks ago, I went to see him in person in the hospital as he battled for his life. I rubbed his feet and brought him lemonade. Words were minimal and not needed.

His illness, injuries and life of pain came to an end recently. I know that what he was facing was not living his best life. He also knew it. His need to escape society and head to the woods for months at a time was not something he would be able to do.

I knew his fear and his pain.

Taking a much needed a hike in the trees, I had little chat with him and wished him well on his soul path. As I finished saying my goodbyes, I snapped this photo of the hill I was climbing and the light beam was such an obvious sign.

Nicely done, Scott. I will treasure your spirit and the gift your life was on my path. Enjoy the trees, the hawks and the views.