Simple.

My mat is where I feel most at home. Most alive. Most in tune with who I am and my place in this world. It's where I cultivate courage and confidence. Where I let go of the white noise that constantly plays in my head. Where I find the answers I so desperately seek.

If I’m being honest, I haven’t felt at home on my mat in a long time. Somewhere between the end of my travels and today, I lost my way. My home. My confidence and courage. My creativity. My voice. My time. Me.

But tonight, my dear friend and original life coach, Jackie, helped me find my way home. To my mat. To my breath. To myself.

At the start of class, like with many yoga sessions, Jackie asked us to set intention for the flow. Why did I show up? What did I need find? What was I asking of my body?

Strength. It was the first thought that arose. Strength in my breath, my movements, my practice. Strength in my mind.

What I quickly discovered was that strength didn’t come from a million chaturangas. It wasn’t found in arm balances or complex poses. Instead, it was found in the slowest of movements done with intention. With my eyes closed throughout the entire practice, I focused on the very breath that gives me life as it guided me through each simple move. 4 counts in. 6 counts out. Surrender.

Simple. Slow. Intentional. Movements. This is where I found my strength.

Since my return home from my travels, I’ve been busy building my empire - which, mind you, I will still do. However, I’ve been sitting in stillness quite a bit lately, reflecting on all this virus and time in quarantine is teaching me.

Early on, I heard rumblings in my soul about slowing down. I’ve wrestled with the notion that slow means unsuccessful. Tonight, however, I heard a very different message. There’s strength in slowness. In stillness. In simplicity. In listening to what the world is teaching you.

Looking back over the last 2 years, I see where my life became unintentionally messy. Complex, even.

Yoga was no longer about spirituality, breath and movement but instead about a complex series of poses that challenged strength and flexibility. A workout if you will.

My calendar became complicated and messy as I ran from one meeting to the next juggling the multiple hats I wear.

Without knowing it, I’d become entangled, giving into the notion that busyness equals success. Productivity is the pace at which society runs, and I was allowing it to determine my worth yet again.

Travel taught me to slow down and go with the flow, taking deep breaths as I saw the world with fresh eyes. There is a giant world waiting to be appreciated and explored. Slowly. Deeply. Intimately. 

Tonight, I was just a girl and her yoga mat. Exploring breath and movement. Intimately. Deeply. 

All the answers I’ve ever needed are inside of me. Through my exploration, I found found the answers I so desperately sought. I found my way back to me. To home.

Strength lies in the simple and slow. Simple yoga. Simple coaching. Simple relationships and friendships. Simple business. Simply me.