For 2018...

I pray I can wake up each day and gracefully allow my heart to lead the way

I pray I can wake up each day grateful to be in this time/space reality 

I pray that I can savor the mystery of this great time/space reality and our very existence within it

I pray that I can speak more kindly to myself

I pray that I can speak more kindly to others

I pray that I can make more time and space for myself and for those I love the most

I pray that I can find more compassion when I drive

I pray that I can make necessary changes based on my desires to be the fullest expression of myself

I pray that I can be authentic in each and every moment

I pray that I can unplug more

I pray that the right opportunities flow my way 

I pray for the wisdom to say yes and the courage to say no

I pray for peace in the world

I pray for peace for my heart

I pray for healing old broken wounds that are still tender in my heart and mind

I pray for the courage to move forward even in the face of fear

I pray for more energy

I pray for more inspiration

I pray that I speak clearly

I pray that I incite change in some way

I pray that those I've hurt in my past know that I love them

I pray that I come home to myself more this year than ever

I pray for good health for myself and those I love 

I pray for the devotion to my practice to continue to deepen 

I pray I make better food choices in 2018

I pray I lose some excess stubborn weight that I'm holding onto

I pray for abundance 

I pray to never lose hope

I pray to always feel and give love



My INTENTION for 2018 is to move forward in every aspect of my life on the breath of a prayer...

A prayer is asking....

A prayer is faith....

A prayer is expecting....

A prayer is receiving...

May you move forward into the New Year nesting in that sweet refuge of grace that resides in each and every prayer that our heart speaks. 

I am grateful to you all for being in my life...truly. 

Namaste,
Justin

"What do I want?"

This is a question I often ask myself...the answers don't come easily...sometimes it feels like they will never come.

I have problems deciding what I want for dinner sometimes...the big life questions are even harder. This time of year we're starting to wind down quite a bit. We may be eating more than normal, craving more sleep, and generally ready to be done with 2017--in some ways I'm right there with you. It's this time of year when the big questions start to arise..."what do I want for my life?" I know a lot of my students and friends express the desire for new jobs, a change of scenery, or something else in life. They often struggle with knowing exactly what it is that they want.  And maybe there's a deep seeded desire for change, but an uncertainty as to what that change is that's desired. 

I'm starting to accept that it's ok to not have the exact answer to these questions all the time. It's ok to not know what you want. What's important is that we tune in and tap into that desire...that creative current that surges through our being. Most of us have our backs turned to that current.  We are afraid to make change, afraid to try new things, afraid to explore the big questions because WHAT IF WE CHOOSE INCORRECTLY? What if what we really want is too difficult to "get?" 

News flash...you'll never make the exact right move. You'll never know exactly what you want...and it will never be that PERFECT thing. It doesn't exist. And yes anything new requires some challenge. Our desires by nature change. Look at the great artists of all genres...their greatest works share common traits, but each piece is something new and sparks fresh ideas.  Do you think it was easy for them to create a new masterpiece after having accomplished the one before? 

The 2nd Chakra governs this creativity...it often gets jammed up and congested this time of year as we fatigue more easily, fight germs, spend time with family (our past gets thrown back into our faces), and start to think about a new year. If you're feeling like you don't know what you want...but you know you want "something" then chances are you're not letting that sweet watery 2nd chakra flow. 

This week on our mats we'll explore this watery 2nd chakra flow to unlock and open up that vibrant current of creativity that flows through us. Creativity that empowers us to KNOW what we want to create in our lives. On our mats we get STUCK in our heads...how often are we still thinking about two poses back in class when we are five poses ahead? It happens. Being aware of this will reveal to you how we get stuck in our own way. The practice this week will encourage a watery flow that will keep you moving, keep you making choices (they're not wrong--they are choices), and will unlock and open up that 2nd chakra (and all others as well).  

Join me this week yogis! I encourage you to keep strong in your practice through the end of the year. Your hard work is paying off in ways seen and unseen. You inspire me every single day in my own practice and as a teacher. 

I bow to you...let's create the lives we want to live, and affirm to not get stuck--but to keep moving forward. 

Namaste--
Justin