Category Archives: Family

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All it takes is a little courage…

… to find balance, self-love, and compassion

This week I am trying to be brave and explore outside of my comfort zone. To take it that extra step further, I’m trying to be excited about my “courageous” choices, but realistically that’s not always feasible. This is part of my month of practicing and observing Ahimsa in my surroundings. So September is my month of nonviolence (well, since I started late in September, I’ll most likely continue with my month of Ahimsa through Halloween).

Today my brave choice was to confront my fear of confrontation. It wasn’t exactly a negative confrontation so I don’t know why I was so afraid. I guess I can kind of be supersensitive and reserved sometimes; honestly I just dislike hurting others (so my month of Ahimsa should be a piece of cake), or perhaps it’s just that I dislike being in uncomfortable situations. But how will I know if I’m hurting someone if I avoid them altogether? Continue reading →

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Do Good and Be Good

I’ve never been much into reading what I used to think were dull self-help and spiritual books; I’m fond of a little excitement in my reading, so I’m more of a classics and mysteries kind of gal. Although I don’t attend church every Sunday, I consider myself spiritual and I meditate, or pray if you will, to something divine and dissimilar to God as described in the bible, the Koran, or the Torah of some organized religions. Despite my positive experiences getting picked up and dropped off by the Sunday school bus in Santa Paula, California, and hanging out at Wednesday evening bonfires and playing volleyball on the Ventura beach with the youth group, I hate to admit that I find organized religion kind of scary. So I take a little of this and a dash of that and hold my own simple belief: do good and be good. Continue reading →

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Hello world!

Well, I’d like to say I’ve been practicing yoga since I was a kid, but that’s only partially true; to be honest, it’s a bit of a stretch. The truth is I remember my grandmother practicing yoga at her Fresno, California apartment in front of her living room television set when I was a fresh three- or four-year-old little girl. I spent a lot of time with Grandma while my mom was working as a welder, a manicurist, an insurance salesperson, or another one of a number of different jobs she experimented with so we could get by. I was mesmerized by the sleek, vibrant colored leotards and graceful figures that my grandma imitated. She encouraged me to follow along too, especially when it was time to do the “sponge”, or what I know now as final relaxation. What a brilliant way to get a rambunctious child to calm down. I remember how limber I must have been and how effortless it was to do the full lotus. That was my first brush with yoga, so in a way I was being honest when I wrote that I’ve been practicing yoga since I was a kid. Continue reading →