self-compassion

Valentine’s Day Chocolate Strawberry Skillet Brownies

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A Cozy, Shareable Valentine’s Treat

Valentine’s Day doesn’t need to be complicated to feel special. Sometimes the most meaningful moments come from simple pleasures—warm chocolate, juicy strawberries, and the joy of sharing something made with care.

These Chocolate Strawberry Skillet Brownies are rich, fudgy, and just a little romantic. Made in one pan and topped with fresh strawberries, they’re perfect for a cozy night in, a Galentine’s gathering, or a sweet moment of self-love.

Chocolate Strawberry Skillet Brownies

Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsalted butter (or dairy-free butter), melted
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar or coconut sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour (or gluten-free 1:1 flour)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced

Optional toppings:

  • Powdered sugar
  • Melted chocolate drizzle
  • Vanilla ice cream or coconut whipped cream
  • A pinch of flaky sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9-inch cast iron skillet or baking dish.
  2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.
  3. Add eggs and vanilla extract, mixing until glossy.
  4. Stir in cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder just until combined.
  5. Fold in dark chocolate chips.
  6. Pour batter into the prepared skillet and smooth the top.
  7. Arrange sliced strawberries gently over the batter.
  8. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until edges are set and the center is slightly soft.
  9. Let cool slightly before serving warm.

A Mindful Valentine’s Moment

Before serving, pause for one breath. Notice the warmth, the aroma, the deep chocolate color.

Let this dessert be a reminder that pleasure and presence belong together—and that joy can be a form of self-compassion.

Make It Your Own

  • Add a swirl of strawberry jam before baking
  • Use raspberries for a deeper berry flavor
  • Sprinkle chopped dark chocolate on top while warm
  • Serve family-style straight from the skillet

This is a dessert meant to be shared—or savored slowly, one bite at a time.

From Embracing Spirit Yoga

At Embracing Spirit Yoga, we believe nourishment includes moments of sweetness, warmth, and connection. May this Valentine’s Day invite you to soften, savor, and enjoy what brings comfort and joy.

With love,

Embracing Spirit Yoga

February Yoga Theme: Ahimsa — A Month Of Non-harming Compassion

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Ahimsa: A Month of Non-Harming Compassion

February invites us to slow down, soften our edges, and return to one of yoga’s most foundational teachings: ahimsa, the practice of non-harming. Often translated as compassion or non-violence, ahimsa is not about perfection or passivity. It is about care. It is about choosing responses that reduce harm and increase kindness—toward ourselves, others, and the world we share.

This month at Embracing Spirit Yoga, we explore ahimsa as a living practice—one that unfolds gently, week by week, through awareness, movement, breath, and reflection.

Rather than striving to do more, February asks us to listen more deeply. To notice where we push, judge, or override our needs—and to choose something softer instead.

Week One: Ahimsa with Ourselves

Non-harming begins within. The way we speak to ourselves, interpret our experiences, and meet discomfort sets the tone for everything that follows.

This week’s practices focus on cultivating self-compassion and awareness. We slow down enough to hear our inner dialogue and gently shift the tone from criticism to curiosity. Through mindful movement and breath, we practice meeting ourselves exactly as we are—without fixing, forcing, or comparing.

Reflection: How do I speak to myself when things feel difficult?

Affirmation: May I meet myself with kindness and care.

Week Two: Ahimsa with Our Body

Our bodies carry wisdom, yet many of us have learned to override signals of fatigue, pain, or discomfort in the name of productivity or progress.

This week invites a different relationship—one rooted in listening rather than pushing. Practices emphasize honoring sensation, respecting limits, and moving with awareness instead of force. Ahimsa shows up when we trust the body’s messages and respond with patience rather than judgment.

Reflection: What does my body need from me right now?

Affirmation: I honor my body with gentleness and respect.

Week Three: Ahimsa in Our Relationships

Compassion in relationship does not perhaps surprisingly—mean saying yes to everything or avoiding conflict. True non-harming includes honesty, clarity, and boundaries.

This week we explore how ahimsa lives in connection—with presence, listening, and respectful communication. Practices support staying open-hearted while grounded, especially in moments of emotional charge or disagreement. We practice kindness that includes ourselves.

Reflection: Where might kindness and boundaries coexist in my relationships?

Affirmation: I can be compassionate and clear at the same time.

Week Four: Ahimsa in Our World

In the final week, we widen the lens. Ahimsa extends beyond the mat and into daily choices—how we consume, speak, act, and participate in the collective.

This is not about carrying the weight of the world, but about recognizing the power of small, intentional actions. Steadiness, presence, and care become forms of compassion in motion.

Reflection: What small choice today reflects non-harming?

Affirmation: May my actions reflect care for the world I am part of.

Practicing Ahimsa This Month

You may choose to support this theme with simple rituals—lighting a candle before practice, pausing for a conscious breath before responding, or diffusing a grounding essential oil like cedarwood to remind yourself of connection and community.

Above all, let this month be an invitation rather than an obligation. Ahimsa is practiced one moment at a time.

May February be a time of soft strength, steady compassion, and living with care.

— Embracing Spirit Yoga

Karuna: Compassion in Action — How Mindful Compassion Transforms Your Life

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Compassion in Action

Karuna is one of my favorite Sanskrit words. Often translated as compassion, its deeper meaning is so much richer. Karuna is compassion in motion — the kind of compassion that not only feels but responds. It is the moment when the heart whispers:
“I see your suffering, and I will meet it with love.”

Compassion doesn’t need to be grand. Most of the time, it’s quiet and ordinary. It lives in the small choices we make every day.

Karuna is the way we soften our tone when someone is tense.
Karuna is choosing not to take something personally.
Karuna is pausing before reacting.
Karuna is reaching out, even when we’re unsure what to say.
Karuna is treating ourselves as gently as we treat others.

In yoga philosophy, Karuna is one of the Brahmaviharas — the four heart qualities that guide us toward connection and ease. It reminds us that our compassion is not passive; it is embodied, lived, and expressed through action.

And the beautiful thing?
Karuna grows when we practice it.

When we offer compassion to someone else, we strengthen our own inner resilience. When we extend compassion toward ourselves, we become more available to others. It’s a cycle of generosity that feeds itself.

Today, I invite you to practice Karuna in one small way:

  • Offer a kind word to someone who seems overwhelmed.
  • Give yourself grace for something you’re carrying.
  • Check in on a friend who has been on your heart.
  • Interrupt a familiar stress pattern with one slow, mindful breath.
  • Choose a response rooted in care rather than reaction.

Compassion in action doesn’t change the whole world,
but it absolutely changes someone’s world.

And that is enough.

May your day be guided by Karuna —
gentle, courageous, and deeply human.