I'm a Gemini, an air sign. We who are born under this sign are known to be restless and with short attention spans, constantly distracted by the next shiny glittering object.

...this explains why I decided to change my blog name!

Well sort of...I certainly identify as a Gemini (June 6th!), but the truth is I've been wanting a name that makes more sense for who I am and what my blog is all about. Blame it on the elimination diet, but this name came to me yesterday and I ran with it (after polling a few close people in my life, of course!). With YTT starting on the 22nd, I'll be officially on the path to being a certified 200-hour yoga teacher, which makes this name change feel even more right.

I've loved having "la joie de vivre" as my title, and I do still think it lies at the heart of my work. However, I'm ready for change and feeling more focused on expanding and growing in whatever way the universe allows me.

Sometimes change is a good thing.

- S, the yogi therapist 

Karen Fabian is a well-known and respected Boston yogi; you could even say she is one of the original Boston yogis. She's been practicing and teaching for nearly two decades, and found her niche in her bones - quite literally: she is the brain behind Bare Bones Yoga. Her passion for anatomy is clearly evident in her work, and she offers her yoga students a safe and strong practice. Her care and attention to detail is MY JAM! She guides her students gracefully and clearly through every class, and promotes a safe and intuitive movement which helps one tap into one's own body. She manages to offer all of this without being the least bit intimidating or judgmental. 

Karen is also an incredibly intelligent self-made business women who has worked hard and diligently to support herself and others. She has a genuine sweetness and realness about her, and she's always ready to empower her fellow female. Her service to others comes not only in the form of her teachings in studios, but also in the form of instructional videos, webinars, and literature that she passionately produces on her own. 

I'm so grateful to have basked in her brilliance and to have picked her brain for this interview, I know you're going to get so much out of it! 

Our emotions can carry a lot of weight. Lately, I've been thinking more about the emotion "resentment." The Merrriam-Webster dictionary defines this as "a feeling of indignant displeasure or persistent ill will at something regarded as a wrong, insult, or injury." I have personally had a few moments recently sittin' pretty with it and I have found that it leaves me feeling like crap afterwards. I may find myself dwelling on something someone said, a situation, my own negative internal monologue, and suddenly I am aware that I'm feeling resentful. 

After a recent episode of ruminating, I asked myself, "what purpose is this serving me right now?" (you all know I love that question!) Basically, why am I feeling this so sharply? What is it doing for me, or not doing for me?

Resentment appears to have a purpose: it may validate us, it may make us feel more confident or better than someone, it may make us feel strong and vindicated.

However, resentment also makes us feel insecure, jealous, frustrated, depressed, ashamed, guilty, and so on and on and on...

One part of why resentment can be activating is frustration with a lack of authenticity in someone or something; another part is an insecurity within ourselves. Eeek, gross, right?! But it's true. As much as we may feel annoyed by something external, there's something within us that we wish to improve or change. When we experience this feeling, it's also important to remember it is our opinion and an emotional reaction we are having.

We must acknowledge that an emotion can serve a purpose and identify how it's serving us; we then have the option to use it or release it. We can accept it as valid, but it will not serve its purpose until we dive deeper by exploring the what and why of it. This can create meaning and offer a lesson, if we are open and nonjudgmental with ourselves.

So how can you actively turn ugly resentment into something beautifully positive? Go inward. Something in you is being activated by someone or something and that is stirring up this negativity inside of you. Set aside some time to really ponder this feeling; think about what is causing you to experience it...this will lead you to why you are experiencing it. Sit with that what and why and muckiness in a nonjudgmental way, knowing this is merely a reaction. Know that this reaction is fleeting, the emotion is temporary. Let go of what isn't serving you and your soul. Nourish the part of you that feels insecure, the part of you that reacted.

Tonight is a waning crescent moon and the Summer Solstice, so take a moment to think about what you may need to release. What are you holding onto that isn't serving you? What are old habits you wish to stop? Nourish your soul tonight to prepare yourself for the energy the new moon will soon bring.

Oh, and maybe do a couple stretches since, ya know, no big deal, it's International Yoga Day!

- S

I've been thinking a lot lately about living authentically. As you all know oh-so-well, with yoga I've really started to dive deeper into my being and developed more of an understanding of who I am, what my needs are, my dislikes, my goals, and so on... I'll be taking another trip around the sun in about a month and therefore I've been reflecting more on my life. Facebook also forces me to do this on a daily basis, with those "memories" that pop up...I have so many thoughts on this but will refrain.

Turning another year older is a privilege; each year we learn from our experiences and cultivate more awareness about ourselves and the world around us. It's beautiful, but can also be heartbreaking, if we're gunna get real with it. 

I remember being 15 and thinking, this is the person I am and will be forever. I remember being 18 and thinking the same thing; I remember being 20 living in Paris thinking the same thing; I remember getting married at 27 and thinking the same thing. 

However, the reality is that we are ever-changing and not fixed. We are constantly molded by our experiences, whether they be day-to-day events or rock-you-senseless-to-your-core moments. Feelings and goals and passions and thoughts can change on a daily basis...

Thus, living authentically is living in the present moment. It's honoring your being, your soul, in each present moment, without judgment. It's allowing yourself (with respect to others) to be yourself. 

It cannot be influenced by others; I'm a romantic existentialist, and I believe we are inevitably alone - as they say, we are born alone and we die alone. Our experience is only our own, therefore our authentic selves can only be shaped by ourselves and our perceived experience, not by anyone or anything else. 

Make the time to take a moment to be present, to breathe deeply and engage your five senses and come into that sweet present moment. Immerse yourself in the "this is it," without expectation or searching for meaning. 

...in this moment is where you'll find your authentic self.

​ - S