Happy New Year! I know, I know, 2016 was a rough year on some levels. So many of us lost loved ones, friends, heroes, and idols. I was no exception to feeling the sting of loss in 2016. I had to hold more than one person in my arms as they grieved this year. The thing about grief and loss is that, no matter what the year, we cannot control the events that cause it. Loss, in my humble opinion, is an opportunity to appreciate abundance with more clarity. After this year, I appreciate the time I have with my family and friends that much more. To me 2016 was my opportunity to send love out in widening circles without hesitation. Saying “I love you” to people has never been easier. It doesn’t matter how long I have known the person, and it doesn’t matter what they do with it. 2016 has taught me that life is too short to be stingy with how much love you spread around.

Here is the kicker, the more I opened myself up to love, the more came back to me. It came back to me in the form of my high school students telling me about trying different meditations on their own. It came back to me in the form of trust my students showed me when I packed them up to Costa Rica and flipped plans. It came back to me in the random acts of kindness my students at the Co-op show to one another. It came back to me in the support my closest friends lent me when I was at my weakest. (You know who you are) I think the lesson here is clear, what you put out into the universe comes back to you ten fold.

I would like to thank 2015 for tearing me apart. From that ruin, I re-built. I would like to thank 2016 for the loss. I now hug a little tighter, let go a little easier, and live my life with more balance. 2017 is not here yet, but intentions are powerful and here are mine for the New Year.

I will embrace my talents and allow them to shine without hesitation and without fear.
I will honor my body and rest unapologetically when I need to.
I will facilitate growth. Growth in my students, my business, and my personal life.

Three is an auspicious number in yogic philosophy. Here is to a 2017 filled with opportunity! What you do with those opportunities is up to you.

The growth you see in your practice is a reflection of the growth within.