My students often look at me incredulously when I share mindfulness tools and practices for the first time. The look on their face is as if they are saying to themselves, “Right, if it were that simple, why isn’t everybody doing this stuff?!”  In all honesty, the trite reminders to “just breathe” as an antidote… Read more

There you are scrolling through IG and seeing one post after another remind you that you MUST HAVE a written gratitude practice.  These posts might promise that your life will completely transform if you simply purchase a gratitude journal and write 5-10 things you’re grateful for.  Gratitude is awesome. I happen to love gratitude journaling… Read more

Sharing my failures and shortcomings with my son and my students is one of the best parenting and teaching tools in my toolkit. Being a mindful parent (or teacher) doesn’t mean you’re a perfectly calm parent that controls her thoughts and emotions with guru type perfection.  I mean let’s be honest, even gurus aren’t perfect… Read more

The coronavirus pandemic has had a massive impact in our lives. Who would have ever thought that our wee ones would be zooming into the classroom? It’s something that I certainly thought would never happen at such a young age. I also thought I would never have zoom dates with friends and family. It’s hard… Read more

Trauma-informed practices have been making headway into many public domains, particularly in education as it relates to student engagement, emotional regulation, and behavior management.  Since Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk released his highly acclaimed book in 2015, The Body Keeps the Score, we have an extensive, and continually growing body of research to help us… Read more

Moving is stressful for everyone involved. If you’re a family who tends to always be on the go this might seem like a great adventure for your little tribe but for those who have a difficult time with change, moving might be one of the scariest and uncertain times of their life. The majority of… Read more

Your day is going awesome. Everything is flowing right along. You feel really confident about your next big thing scheduled for the day – teaching your next class or heading out to your next meeting, having a conversation with your kids about their day, trying to connect with your partner, or just trying to wind… Read more

Experience the little joys to feel the big JOYs inside. I remember sitting on my sofa many years ago bawling my eyes out while reading a yoga and happiness book one of my teachers recommended. I was separated from my former spouse at the time and going through a shitstorm of emotions, grief, and existential angst. I had… Read more

My older son and I try to take solo adventures together at least once a year. It’s a great time to re-connect and re-discover what matters most in our lives. I’ve found that hiking and backpacking in nature is a great reminder that peace isn’t a destination or a place, it’s a state of mind… Read more

Many of us think that if our kids have enough knowledge about how the world works then they will be steadily on their way to success. It’s true, as Nelson Mandela has said, “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” However, there’s an important factor we must consider… Read more

We’ve been learning about safety drills.  How to check temperatures when students arrive while having our own checked each day. Where they should stand on the 6-feet apart markers with our super cute school logo. Masks on. No hugging or touching. Wash hands, use sanitizer, rinse and repeat.  Wellness surveys must be completed the night… Read more

Educators know that teaching is stressful. Sure, it’s a lot of other things, too. It fills our hearts with joy, passion, and purpose.  But to be real and extremely blunt, it’s one of the most stressful careers in modern society.  That was before COVID-19.  Post COVID-19 Mental Health With the introduction of this expansive, sinister… Read more

With several weeks of the coronavirus hitting the U.S. like a freight train on a country-wide mission that has suddenly derailed its entire cargo system, we’ve felt the jarring impact on almost every level: physically, economically, mentally, psychosocially, emotionally, and spiritually.   The physical impact is heart breaking as the death rates around the world increase… Read more

Many students come to school with so much emotional baggage, classroom engagement often looks like emotional storms.  And, if an educator in the classroom or leader on campus isn’t tending to these emotional storms, they are re-directing multiple students’ attention.  Now, don’t get me wrong. There are tons of educators doing a fabulous job providing… Read more

I heard these two menacing words throughout my school life – that sounded part drill sergeant and a well-intentioned mom who was beyond stressed from her kids not listening the hundredth time – “Please focus!” Easy enough.  But, somehow more challenging than the algebraic equations or Homer literary compositions we had to learn.  And, that’s… Read more

“I don’t have time!” one leader with hunched shoulders and a desperate look on her face said to the group as if the pleading in her eyes would signal me to give her THE answer.  While facilitating mindfulness trainings to groups of busy educational leaders in large urban districts, this exclamation, proclamation almost, is unfortunately… Read more

My hubby and I were in a conflict the other day. It was one of those everyday conflicts that pops up in the seemingly “everything is ok”. It caught both of us by surprise.  As my stress levels raise, naturally my ability to regulate my emotional state becomes a bit more compromised. My sparkle filter… Read more

“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” ~ Blaise Pascal, French mathematician I was recently speaking at a conference for educational leaders (some of you reading this may have been there!). During my talk I guided the audience through a mindfulness practice. We did a simple breath practice… Read more

Do you cringe when you hear the word, “meditation”? If you do, don’t worry. You are not the only one!  I often hear, “meditation isn’t my thing… I just can’t keep my mind still and free from thoughts.” So, this is my attempt to break down the illusion that meditation looks like peaceful bliss all… Read more

It’s officially summer here in H-town (aka Houston, Texas) and that means summer adventure time!  So, who doesn’t love a good summer adventure?  Imagine yourself sipping on your fave flavored sparkling water in a chilled glass with those cute and colorful umbrellas for all the aesthetic appeal, sitting in your beach chair, book in hand… Read more

I love this time of year. Mainly, it’s because I love a proper celebration. There’s so much joy, laughter, and so many LA worthy model smiles.  I get giddy just thinking about it. All the special award ceremonies recognizing the commitment and hard work of the previous years – from primary school to the big… Read more

You might find yourself scrolling through the highlight reel aka social media and wonder, “Is that really how they are behind the screen?” Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love to share bright, vibrant, and fun photos to celebrate all the amazing things of life!  And, what’s also true is that in the bright, vibrant… Read more

Do you ever wonder why you set a goal and have trouble reaching it? I’ve wondered that for years!  I get so excited about tackling a new project, learning a new skill or subject, and then that thing happens.  Actual life slowly seeps into our exuberant excitement and pulls us away from the new thing… Read more

I recently attended a professional development workshop organized by Teaching Tolerance. We learned some amazing techniques for social justice teaching 101 and facilitating critical conversations around race and racism.  We talked a lot about identity in these workshops.  There was an exercise we did that I found quite intriguing. We wrote 8 categories of identity… Read more

Have you ever looked someone in the eyes and thought, “Man, I wish they really got me!” A lot of emotional turmoil, drama, and conflict could be prevented if we didn’t have that thought. The thing is, we all just want to be understood. We want people to get us.  We want people to see… Read more

Within a few minutes I declared that my world was falling apart. I looked at my son and I realized that something was terribly wrong. He was in trouble, close to the brink of death. I had to intervene or else.  My heart was pumping erratically, my hands were sweaty, and my breath was short… Read more

“It really works, Ms. Davis, it really works!”  The truth is when you engage in mindfulness and mindset practices you will slowly start to change your life. Yes, even in some of life’s toughest circumstances. You, and those in your life, are literally one breath, and perhaps a few positive affirmations, away from changing how… Read more

Privilege. It’s not really an icebreaker at a party. And, no, I’m not talking about the “privilege” of say, having a nice dinner with your family. I’m talking about the thing no one ever wants to talk about, especially when we find ourselves standing in a room of white, black, and brown people and see… Read more

You know these little insights we get in moments of struggle? Usually something clicks inside of us and we say, “Dang! I wish I had known that before and, if I did, I bet this whole mess could have been avoided.”Maybe you’ve said something similar to yourself before. But, here’s where it can get really… Read more

Have you ever spent time learning about something only to find out that you really aren’t that interested in the information?  Sometimes you have to learn some things you might not find interesting just to get to the stuff you really do want to learn. You may recall some grade school moments here. Awe, big sigh… Read more

Have you ever started something and not finished it? Perhaps you had great plans for an amazing workout routine at the very beginning of this year and now you are finding yourself less and less excited about it. With less excitement you may even find yourself skipping your workout routine commitment every now and then… Read more

I want you to imagine your favorite food. It can be anything. Your favorite snack food, dessert, or dinner. See it now in your mind’s eye – that place in your brain where you see images. Now, see yourself eating and enjoying it. It’s so good right?!  One of my faves is a good mix… Read more

If you are like others around the new year, you are steadily working on your new goal. Perhaps, things are still going great for you. You know your goal. You are working on your most important thing for the year. And, you scheduled all your actionable steps on your calendar.  Better yet, you are actually… Read more

Happy New Year! It may seem like a simple calendar change, but the beginning of a new year is actually much more than that.  There’s a whole mindset shift that occurs during the big holiday season. Many schools and businesses go on break during this time to adjust to the transition from closing one year… Read more

And, well… it’s almost another wrap! Can you believe it’s nearing the end of 2018? As I celebrate the holiday festivities with my family, I’m also thinking ahead. I was once called the task master of life. I was born a planner, you guys. Turns out, it’s a good trait to have. Praise thee! I… Read more

It’s November and ‘tis the season to celebrate family and being thankful. You know what else we are celebrating this month? Gratitude! I know this can be hard when life throws us so many roadblocks and rainstorms. Yet, despite the roadblocks and rainstorms, we can cultivate a feeling of being grateful in our lives. Gratitude… Read more

I’ve been thinking about influence. What does it mean to influence? There’s a lot of talk in the on-line and social media world about “influencers”. What I gather from the conversation is that these on-line influencers have a lot of followers on their social platforms. In other words, they have a lot of clout. You… Read more

I’m growing. I mean, it’s true… Sure, each day I get older, but I’m talking about a different kind of growth. So, here’s the thing. I am going through some big, earth-like shattering big, growing pains. There’s a reason they don’t call it “growing happiness” or “growing joy”…. ummm… You know why? Because it’s painful… Read more

I’ve been thinking about those people in our life that put the little extra heat under our bottom. Come on… You know the ones. Those people in our life that have us breathing fire instead of all the chillax vibes. We all have those people in our life. All. Of. Us. Maybe you can even… Read more

I often remind my students (whether ages 5–105!) when we are working on using our mindfulness tools, that it’s ok to be angry! There’s nothing wrong with anger. And, we are not wrong for feeling angry. In fact, one of the worst things we can do for our health and well-being is to pretend like… Read more

It’s October and many of you know what that means. It’s one of the busiest times of the year because we have so many holidays back-to-back. There are multiple occasion decorations, parties to attend, costumes to dust off or buy new, school parties and festivals, lots of amazing food to make and eat, and so… Read more

If you’ve ever said, “Yeah, I see…”, all the while shaking your head in agreement or seemingly trying to acknowledge the person that is communicating to you and your mind and heart are travelling in a completely opposite direction at lightning speed, then you will completely identify with this message – I hear you, but… Read more

Whether you are a student, parent of a student, educator, or an adult in the business world, you are likely feeling the buzz of the back to school season with seeing pictures of half sleepy-eyed and half excited kids in their dress-for-success first day of school clothes shared by proud and zealous parents on social… Read more

I trust you’ve been busy using the tools from Part I of Dressing Your Brain (and Heart) for an Awesomesauce Day. It takes time to incorporate these tools into our home and school life. So, be kind to yourself if you’ve missed something or didn’t quite make it to your goal yet. Keep practicing a… Read more

We can over complicate things. We can bring too much structure, too many charts, and analysis to any given issue. Of course, we need structure, charts, and analysis, but too much of anything turns out to not be a good thing. And, too much of the wrong thing, well, can get us somewhere, but takes… Read more

I spent a good portion of my young adult life blind to my purpose and passion. When my son began playing soccer at age 3 (now age 12) I coached a few of his soccer teams. Upon watching my coaching work with the young soccer players, my spouse at the time told me I was… Read more

Did you know that our U.S. Navy SEALs get trained in positive speak before they are deployed for high stress and intense missions? Neuroscientists developed a new training for our SEALs to help their brains respond to fear by maintaining calm in the midst of chaotic environments. [1] Positive self-talk overrides the fear response and… Read more

We love easy. The trajectory of our technological evolution makes things faster and more efficient. This is true from the food we eat, the clothes we wear, our travel options, and the way we communicate. From travel by horse, railroad, boat, car, plane and, right around the corner, with self-driving cars, our travel plans have… Read more

During my last stay at the Dharma Ranch in San Marcos I bought a t-shirt with their tagline “Life Wide Awake”. I love that phrase and everything it represents. Certainly we are all walking through life thinking, doing, and being during our waking hours. Aren’t we already awake? Not necessarily. Think about all the times… Read more

I’m coaching some participants in Landmark Worldwide’s Self-Expression and Leadership Program in Houston, Texas. If you are not familiar with Landmark and the transformational courses they offer in self-development and leadership, check them out because they are amazing! Their programs have had a great impact in my life – both personally and professionally. I was… Read more

Get up and create. Save the consuming for later. You might have heard that making a list is a good thing. And, nothing ever gets done until we take action to make it happen. However, if you are like me, there are multiple things in my day that get in the way of accomplishing the… Read more

It’s a new year and with anything new we have the opportunity to create our life in a way that has us smiling a little bit more along the way. And, there’s also the piece of creating from new beginnings that doesn’t feel so soft, but feels rather difficult. Transformation feels like that. It’s enticing… Read more

There’s something about the end of the year that feels light, heavy, and fulfilling. It’s freeing to let go and exciting to move on. Of course, this time of year can be filled with heaviness and angst about the unknown and creating from anew. Some of us are eager to implement new things and some… Read more

My son came home the other day with much excitement saying he received a score of 100 on his recent social studies test. I found myself get excited, too. Even though I was excited about his grade, I think what made me most excited was the maturity I see that helped him get that grade… Read more

With Thanksgiving around the corner I’ve been thinking quite extensively about gratitude. This Thanksgiving is extra special because I’m getting married to my superhero love the day before the big family holiday that officially kicks off the holiday season in the U.S. I’m excited and my heart is filled with so much gratitude for finding… Read more

Mama moon was in her full brilliance. They were howling rainbows towards the Milky Way. Just as the howling vibration hit her heart, she noticed glitter on her fingertips and chose not to wash it off. Instead, she smiled, cackled in harmony as they sang Hallelujah, and rubbed the glitter all over her clothes, giggling… Read more

Feelings. They are fun. They are exciting. And, they are scary! That inimitable pain swooshes by and shoots a different kind of arrow straight through the heart. The message isn’t from cupid, but from cosmic chaos. Our tendency is to run, numb, and run further away. Yet, what happens when we pause and notice our… Read more

We’ve all been there. Completely levelheaded and calm one minute. Then, seemingly out of nowhere our bullhorns start protruding out of our forehead and we morph into something else we barely recognize. Not only would our kids call us moody at this point, but also more accurately, when the bullhorns start protruding we’ve gone mad… Read more

This poem was inspired by all of my students and written in their honor. Thank you for the many ways you inspire me, make me a better teacher and person, and give my life purpose. What Health and Wellness Means To Me The silence that sits atop the branches The whisper in a bird’s wings… Read more

What a catastrophic natural disaster we’ve experienced here in Houston, Texas. All of us living here, though many of us have weathered countless storms and hurricanes living so close to the Gulf Coast, have never seen anything like it in our life. There has been wide spread damage from Corpus Christi in the south to… Read more

Stories are the lifeline of our humanity. I am reminded how important words are each time I have the honor of teaching and speaking to the thousands of students, educators, parents, clients, and various audiences that have crossed my path over the last two decades of my life. There’s something sweet, enticing, and magical about… Read more

Every time I go adventuring in nature I am reminded how deeply interconnected we all are – every human, animal, drop of rain, cloud, ray of sunshine, rock formation, tree, and insect – and from this poignant reminder is an ever heightened understanding that the creative force that runs through all of it is the… Read more

I’m in the middle of a juice fast. Nothing extreme. It’s a simple 3-day juice fast. I’ve experienced different kinds of fasts over the years – water, kitchari, raw, and juice. Though I haven’t done them all, I’ve experienced my fair share. Each one brings a different experience. Some bring up emotions more than others… Read more

In my last piece, The Dream Life – Invisible Graces, I stated that I would share some practical tips in all things awesomesauce. Some of you are in some really stuck places and you may not know how to get out. Yes, it’s ok to say it out loud because that’s the first step –… Read more

I was watching a student the other day in complete awe of the growth she’s made over the past few years. Certainly as a youth she’s physically matured and is much taller! But, what I noticed was an emotional awareness and maturity that suddenly came together as if weaved into the finest Navajo blanket. I… Read more

I’ve been love struck. It’s, dare I say, rather awesomesauce! It’s a superhero kind of love. More on that later, but consequently, I’ve been deeply thinking about love. How can we touch something that is untouchable? Perhaps it’s not the touching that is important, but it’s the reaching towards the untouchable. If we are able… Read more

It’s 2017. We are all leaping into the New Year. Perhaps some of us, or most of us may be slowly waltzing instead. The classic slow waltz steps to a tune and beat that is smooth and sweet – not too slow or too fast. But, within the dance itself, there’s a commitment. And, yet… Read more

While I’m drinking my pumpkin spice smoothie and still on my workout high from my spin class this morning, I was reminded that there are a few more days to go before we wrap up another year – 2016 – like it or not, we are closing out the old and ringing in the new… Read more

I pulled in, got out of my car, and stepped into magic. It was late. But, the magical sparkles I felt were the kind you don’t have to see with your eyes. It was the kind you can feel inside. I couldn’t see anything. It was pitch black except for the few lights on around… Read more

It’s part of the colloquial speak now. It’s a good thing, well, most of the time. Before your finger pulls the trigger on the type keys and you hit “send” on the emotionally heightened email or message, pause and take a few mindful breaths. And, then what? You may feel your bliss until your head… Read more

In the mid-summer in Texas the heat can be quite the scorch to the skin and suffocating near the coastal areas with near ninety percent humidity and above. Once in the hill country there is a little relief from the humidity, but in all respects, it’s still summer and very hot. Shade and water are… Read more

There’s a book out there that’s the buzz of the buzz, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluterring and Organizing by Marie Kondo. While I haven’t officially read this organizing bible, I have vicariously lived its tenets from a wide range of friends that speak of its super powers on lightening… Read more

If you have ever participated in a yoga class before, you are likely to have encountered a one-legged balance pose. It is even more likely that once you are in that balance pose, you discover just how challenging it is to focus and stand on one leg quickly discovering the subtle and not so subtle… Read more

The feeling was so immense you felt like your heart was going to explode. It felt really good. So good in fact that all you could do was think about the feeling. Naturally, you wanted more. A lot more. You dove right into this feeling and didn’t look back. But eventually you would get this… Read more

This is where the fireworks are. When you mix two colors and create a new spectacular one. It’s where two conformist ideas come together mixed with enough inspiration and new thought is born. It’s where science and art coalesce, neighborhoods and factions dissolve, and the universe illuminates. It’s the ultimate artistic experiment. And, it all… Read more

Everyone has them. Well, let’s be clear – everyone that is cool has them. And, if you are worthy enough, you will have them too. When you put them on, they are magical. They take you from the Hood to the Land of Oz where all things are possible, unless of course you have to… Read more

We’ve all been there. It can happen anywhere. Anytime. The lyrics start exploding like fireworks in our brain with each word connecting neuronal get jiggy with it pathways and perhaps we even catch ourselves singing, dancing, or putting our hands over our head wondering why we are singing THAT song! You know the song –… Read more

Is it empowerment or another form of masked objectification? If you practice yoga and are on social media, particularly Instagram, you may be intimately familiar with asana photos running rampant through your feed with various hashtag markings from #yogaeverydamnday, #yogalove, #yogachallenge, and so on. Some of these photos are inspired by yoga challenges, while others… Read more

Last week I talked about Purification in the Smart Life, see link to that piece here – https://www.solsenseyoga.com/2015/11/11/purification-in-the-smart-life/ This week I’m diving a little more deeply into exactly what we are purifying and why, what that looks like, and how we get there. Sri Swami Satchidananda in the Bhagavad Gita says we practice yoga and meditation for… Read more

We live in the modern world of commerce or more precisely what intellectuals and philosophers call the post-modern world. We have smart phones, smart tablets, smart watches, smart boards, smart cars – essentially those of us in the industrialized nations are living in the Smart Life generation. There are so many gadgets on the market… Read more

Let us remember to honor the beauty in the light and the dark, for not with one, but two, our breath and our lives are magical. Into The Dark Depths I Float I sit in the fall sun Watching the rays flicker On the wings of a bird Whose Grace pulled And tugged me back… Read more

It was just another day, another morning as she walked sleepy eyed to the bathroom massaging the wall to find the dim light. Switch up. Eyes down. That was the usual mode, but this time the light flickered in her right periphery and she caught a glance of a woman’s face. She took a deep… Read more

Lights, brake, and stalled again! We may flip our lid in a rage of heavy metal jamming out of the mouth or zen out in the sea of red brake light bliss with the gentle hums of the motors calming our neuropeptides down to mellow yellow and vibrations surrounding us from all directions that evoke… Read more

Resentments are poisonous to our inner world. We forget why we love. We forget how to love. And, the most painstakingly long-lasting effect of resentment is that we forget who we love. Then there’s the after shock. The ugly clean up. The emotional battle wounds that leave life long scars. Sometimes we get to open… Read more

We are educated. We are poor. And some of us have lots of money. Then there are those of us that are ignorant. Some of us think we are ultimately enlightened. Many of us love God, we are compassionate, grateful, and are active in our religious institutions. Others prefer to prove things with science and… Read more

When I envision peace, I see us looking at each other without walls or tinted lenses. I see us breaking down social constructions of self and other. I see the poorest of the poor in the richest of the rich. I see you in me, in us, in all. My problems are your problems and… Read more

Family. Ah, how sweet it is and how sour it can feel sometimes. Some of us read that word and it evokes love, joy, and connection. Some of us may read that word and cringe at the craziness we were born into and our life’s journey may have become a long road to understanding how… Read more

We are constantly changing. The cells in our body are renewing and regenerating every couple of weeks. We are malleable beings held in special symbiotic relationship with our environments. Wherever we decide to place ourselves, we will become. Each morning we wake up we have the choice to put on a frame of reference that… Read more

I recently returned from a prayer fast/vision quest in Big Bend – the big majestical Texas desert country. My spirit called me to sit in quiet union with the Divine in nature and I was honored to accept the invitation. As I was getting prepared to take my solo journey, I was excited, as I… Read more

When we roll out our yoga mats to make various shapes, breathe with conscious intention, and rest to integrate the new information, the cocktail of chemicals we invoked during our practice often leaves us rolling up our mats feeling great. We are note quite sure why, but it feels good and has us coming back… Read more

We spend so much time and money building an image that is saturated in delusion. Imagine for a minute what life would be like without all of your possessions. Would you know who you are? Waking up from a materialistic delusion is a bit like tripping sideways on our spiritual journey. It does not happen… Read more

Congratulations! You have made it through college, you have reached your goals, you are churning and burning in your career, you make good money, are married and have kids, you own a beautiful home, your kids are in all things soccer mom/dad worthy, but sometimes you get this odd feeling that things are not quite… Read more

Yoga provides us with an austere inner discipline and self-control. Yet, this inner discipline is often a result of many committed external practices. Many of the yamas and niyamas extol the virtues of external practice. The yamas and niyamas are essentially habits that guide us to foster self-discipline and control. Without a commitment to the… Read more

We can follow the most complex, richest, and most poetic plans to meet our goals of a thinner, happier, and more productive self, but until we make an appointment with our highest Self, the other stuff is just stuff.   Think about it like this – when we collect too much material stuff our physical space… Read more

I was recently talking to a colleague at a community yoga event where we were guiding a kids yoga class alongside the adult class. She mentioned to me after the event that one of the parents she met that just moved to town said, “You are not just babysitting, it’s really yoga for kids?” Since… Read more

Foundations are important. And, I am not referring to those physical structures. I am referring to the foundations in our relationships, particularly the relationships with our kids. Principles are the foundations in our relationships. We are not born with principles. We learn them. We develop them. If you are like me, and many people I… Read more

Worker Needed: the pay is low financially, but priceless emotionally and spiritually. Hours are 365 days a year and on call 24 hours a day. There is no vacation and no vacation pay. The ideal employee will have experience as a chef, maid, taxi driver, counselor, teacher, bargain shopper, activities coordinator, and business manager of… Read more

With springtime in full bloom and summer plans bursting to be experienced, I am finding myself recently with the car windows down, jamming out to my favorite tunes. You know the ones, the tunes that get you singing at the top of your lungs, the cure to turn any mood blues into the Moody Blues… Read more

Life seems to be speeding up. We live in the ubiquitous Information Age. Technology is booming and advancing at lightning speeds, and we feel like we are advancing just as quickly. If you are not feeling this way, my guess is that you are living in the jungle unplugging somewhere. As great as it is… Read more

Wake up to an exhilarating morning cup of yoga! The morning time is one of the most important parts of the day. When we wake up, the day is fresh and new. Yesterday’s problems and troubles are yesterday’s news. That is the beauty of the morning. We get to start all over again each and… Read more

Many of us come to yoga to get fit, to lose weight, to get some tone and shape into our body, or perhaps even to learn how to calm down. These are great reasons that have great results. Others of us come to yoga because we have experienced a great loss. We come to yoga… Read more

When I was in middle school I proudly wore my “attitude” shirts expressing my individuality and independence. I recall one t-shirt particularly clear, “If you don’t like what you see, then don’t look!” I loved wearing those shirts. I felt a bit rebellious wearing them. Perhaps there was some burgeoning teenage angst, but I think… Read more

Losing someone in our lives that we love is tough.  We cry, we feel immense pain, we grieve, and sometimes we get lost in the pain.  We also lose not just people in our lives, but close chapters in parts of our life that sometimes feels like we have lost a piece of us and… Read more

We yoga teachers often talk about tapas in our yoga classes.  You may have heard your instructor mention tapas in relation to creating heat in the body to further deepen the postures in the practice.  This is one kind of tapas. Tapas also means burning through the impurities in our hearts, minds, and bodies.  This… Read more

We have seen these people before and wonder how they do it – you know “those positive people” – the ones that always see the glass half full, the optimists that always see the silver lining in the dust, and we wonder “How did they get to be like that?”  Positive living is real.  It… Read more

“We are spiritual beings having a human existence.” said French mystic and philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.  So, aren’t our kids naturally spiritual and there’s nothing left to teach or say?  Why am I even suggesting we raise spiritual kids if our kids are already spiritual?  We are all spiritual beings, but if as a… Read more

“I feel amazing!” my second grader said at the end of our health and wellness class at an elementary school in the Houston Independent School District.  After I gave her a high 5 and said while catching my last energetic breath, “Awesome!” I told the kids to have an amazing day, shut the door, sat… Read more

Many of us focus at this time of year on giving considerable thought and energy to our diets.  We are modifying and changing our eating habits and instituting healthy alternatives for our minds and bodies.  How many of us are giving considerable thought to our drinking habits and what role those habits play in our… Read more

As we wind down the year, you may be taking inventory of what you liked most or you could be taking inventory of the areas that you wish you could just stow away in the closet and never visit them again, or perhaps a combination of the two. Maybe you are thinking about the goals… Read more

Life is an ebb and flow of beauty and ugliness.  It’s filled with swirls of light and shades of grey and darkness.  Walk into almost any yoga class and you will likely hear your teacher talk about opening your heart, guiding you through a sequence where you put yourself into various heart-opening shapes dancing close… Read more

I love the virtual world.  I can connect with many people at once and I can connect with a variety of people around the world.  In a few minutes I can have updates on all my friends and family, and possibly make new friends growing my network of connection and virtual love. I’m inspired by… Read more

On the eve of the eve of Thanksgiving, I’m thinking about how grateful I am for the authentic joy and laughter in my life. I love when I laugh So much and so hard That the pain shakes Right out of my belly button I feel like I’m floating On the clouds And the white… Read more

Living life in the moment is good experience and sometimes it’s also not so good of an experience, but either way, it is experience nonetheless.   Experience is everything.  If you want the secret of a healthy and happy life, part of the answer is in the experience.  I’m not talking about the kind of experience… Read more

I love innovation.  I love to have the world at my fingertips on my smart phone and connect to anyone, anywhere, and at any time.  I’m grateful at the ease that as a mom I don’t have to go to the library every time my son asks me a question that I don’t know the… Read more

*This is a satirical piece, not based on any particular real life situation, experience, person(s), using very broad brushstrokes of general truths with accents of hyperbole and oxymoron for effect.  Enjoy the laughs. Hi, have we met?  I’m a yogi, but not just any yogi, I’m a yogi human.  Here are a few of my… Read more

I often tell my students we must find our uncomfortable comfort zone on the mat.  So what is this paradoxical state I’m professing?  Some like to call this state our edge.  I think our uncomfortable comfort zone is a bit different from finding our edge.  I like to use the word ‘uncomfortable’ because it reminds… Read more

Are you comfortable in the okayness of your world?  Many of us run from the bad stuff, numb out from the ugly stuff, and consume to get to the good stuff.   What happened to okayness being good and good enough?  There are so many lessons waiting to unfold in the okayness of our world. We’ve… Read more

“A mother’s attitude toward her child at the earliest stage of development has a huge influence on the identity or the attitude the child eventually has about herself, her environment and the world.”, says  J. Pittman McGehee, D.D., in his book Paradox of Love:  A Jungian Look at The Dynamics of Life’s Greatest Mystery.  This… Read more

Between the gluten free, GMO, organic, farm-raised, vegan, vegetarian, fruitarian, super tips to tighten-our-butt-and-free-our-mind-donate $5-have-a-freer-soul-plans, I personally am a little overwhelmed at all the information coming our way at the available options to take when it comes to making transformative changes in our lives. The good news is that in our sensory and information overload… Read more

I loved someone once so deeply that loved their addiction more than they loved themselves and life.  Perhaps you have loved someone like that or still do. If you have been touched by the darkness of addiction in your life through your own addiction or someone else’s addiction you may resonate with the imagery of… Read more

If you look deep into my eyes and listen with your whole heart, if you take the armor off and the break the walls down, and show me your nakedness, and show me your soul – I’m in love, instantaneously.  You might be a stranger, but if you get naked with me, soul naked, I… Read more

I’ve been praying and setting my intention daily now for a while that I will be guided to detach from people, places, and things, so I can know and experience pure love and connection without the drug of attachment.  This has been a life long process for me.  Sometimes it’s a real struggle. Attachment is… Read more

It’s summer time here in Houston, Texas.  The summer days are a mixed lot of rising temperatures, plenty of sunshine, and much needed thunderstorms.  Summer provides just the right mix where the luscious blades of grass between our toes grows so quickly that it seems once you cut it, it’s time for a trim again… Read more

Our stories are the heart of our very being.  They are our life blood.  They are the maps to our survival. In each breath we take we are uniquely creating a story of our life, and as we connect with others in our life, we are spinning a quilt of collective stories of our human… Read more

When I practice yoga I always get yogi stoned.  If you have ever been or heard about a Forrest Yoga workshop intensive, then you probably have heard the term “yogi stoned” , and yogi stoned is a state of well-being in mind-body-spirit after an intense and deeply committed yoga practice where we turn off our… Read more

Last week, I wrote a piece on Shadow Surfing and in it I discussed Soul Warriors.  See the piece here:  https://www.solsenseyoga.com/2014/05/08/shadow-surfing/ To summarize, soul warriors are the winds at our back, they help guide and balance us, and sometimes they help us find the right key to open the door into our higher awareness.  Soul… Read more

Behind every radiantly posted, framed and displayed picture there is a familiar shadow cast not visible to every eye.  We get snapshots into people’s lives.  We don’t get the whole picture.  Generally we see the smiles, the victories, and the bliss.  Rarely do we see the snapshots from the belly of the beast – the… Read more

Artwork by Sam Brown.  I have been thinking intently about ceremony, what ceremony means, and why ceremony is the key to living a joyful life. Since reading Christina Sell’s blog piece On Faith – https://www.christinasellyoga.com/blog, and more particularly, the phrase Sell mentions in the piece, “to engage in the process of practice”, my thoughts on… Read more

Sometimes when we slow down to enjoy the pauses, the open spaces in our life, it feels uncomfortable.  For some of us, perhaps quite unbearable, and still others, it may feel like bliss.  Many factors are at play in regards to how we translate the pauses in our life.  We don’t know what those factors… Read more

Every time we move beyond our comfort zone in life we are living at our edge.   Our edge is the place where our open heart meets fear head on, and we charge right through the fear even though we are scared shitless, but we do it anyway.  That’s the edge we want in everything we… Read more

Ana Forrest, creatrix of Forrest Yoga and international pioneer in yoga and emotional healing, has a poignant phrase I often remind myself of, “Don’t Waste a Good Trigger.”  If you want to do the good work, you are going to have to get down and dirty. Two things we’re often doing in life – 1)… Read more

So many of us are running as fast as we can away from death with the winds of unbridled fear blowing at our backs.  The reality is that the day we are born, is the day we begin our journey to death. The Indian sage, Ramana Maharshi, said “befriend death, the ultimate teacher.”    Death brings… Read more

One of the greatest gifts of life we can give our children is to model how we regulate our own emotional arousal in a variety of situations.  Children must be around and connect to more organized and efficiently wired brains (either via their parents, caretakers, teachers, etc.) in order to develop at their optimal brain potential… Read more

What is life from the vantage point of no frills – fried skin, mutilated limbs, and a dismantled brain?  Imagine you are stuck in your mind totally disconnected from your body. Johnny Got His Gun is a 1938 war novel written by Dalton Trumbo about the hell, hounds, and horrors of war from the perspective… Read more

When I sit and go inward in meditation and prayer, I don’t always get the immediate guidance that I am seeking.  At times, for days and months, I walk through each day knowing that I have no idea what I’m doing, where I’m going, and what company will accompany me on my journey.  It’s called… Read more

I don’t have a 5-step, 9-step, or 20-step plan to tell you if you follow these certain things on the list, you will reach an epiphany and know happiness like you’ve never experienced it before.  Rather, the road to happy and really the road to joy is a process, it’s not something a numbered plan… Read more

We are often faced with major crossroads in our life – marriage, divorce, having a child, illness in the family, career changes, death in the family, recovery, etc.   At the time of these transitions, we may feel that when we are standing on the edge of the precipice that we are flooded with fear.  We… Read more

Welcome to the first day of your new life.  That’s what happens when you roll out your yoga mat for the first time, the second, third, etc.  Each time we roll out the mat we experience tabula rasa or blank slate.  Tabula Rasa is an epistemological theory indicating we are born without built-in mental content… Read more

Attuning is the act of bringing something into a harmonious or responsive relationship.  When we have static in our minds we are most certain to manifest static in our lives.  With static in our minds we can’t authentically listen to ourselves much less listen to another person.  With static in our minds we hear things… Read more

Hafiz, the Sufi mystic poet, said “The words you speak become the house you live in.”  How are you choosing to speak today?  Every word we say will lead us on a path of destruction or construction.  Start taking note of the words you say throughout the day and assess how they make you feel… Read more

There is this vision I feel, I can’t quite articulate it in words, but when I breathe deeply into my body I can feel it.  There is a deep resonance that vibrates through my essence when I deepen into feeling and allow my brain to rest. When this process happens, I begin to do things… Read more

Something is missing she said.  It doesn’t feel right she said.  Stop.  Breathe.  Slowly and deeply.  I was looking outwardly trying to fill up on anything and everything that could fill the void I felt within.  I went through things, people and places, and that feeling of completeness never lasted long. I’m reminded of Shell… Read more

Cracks in the sidewalk are reminiscent to the cracks in our soul.  They tell a journey of weathering the storm.  The cracks remind us of the ebb and flow of life. We can build the strongest foundation, but no matter how strong, the winds of life will guide us through the door of change. The… Read more

We create, foster, and maintain relationships through a new medium – (IM) instant messaging.  We communicate not through words face-to-face as a norm today, but through instant messages.  We even have apps filled with cutely created and fun emoticons that say in images what we no longer say in words.  Communication has shortened and become… Read more

Your breath is the camera into your soul.   Take a soul selfie.  Breathe deep, deeper, click, the image we capture in breath is unfiltered and undistilled.   When we breathe our soul image out we share our soul selfie with the world. We want to take a lot of pictures with our breath, hold, savor, and… Read more

After 10 years in a destructive and abusive marriage, I finally made the decision to make all my choices to live my life from a place of love and no longer allow my life to be ruled by fear.  As we walk our path, our dharma, the Right Way, or our sacred contract, we have… Read more

No two people meet by accident. Each person that crosses our path is here to show us something about ourselves and this journey of ours called life.  Each person that crosses our path – friend and foe alike, are here to awaken our divine nature and raise our consciousness level.  The problem is though, when… Read more

Last week I wrote a piece on The Art of Making Your Sacred Space.  Once you have your scared space prepared, you can now commit to the life transforming daily ritual of intention setting and meditation/prayer.  One must not sit in meditation for hours to reap the profound benefits.  All you need other than daily… Read more

Meditation is one of the eight limbs of our yoga practice.   For a lot of people, meditation is intimidating.  We must sit still, quiet the mind, and breathe; and repeat.  That’s challenging stuff.  Even more challenging is trying to meditate in a room, in an environment, or a space that is not filled with some… Read more

 Each time I take my shoes off, step my bare feet onto those softly crisp and vibrant green blades of fresh grass, open my toes wide, pressing them into the crust of my being and breathe in the divine life, I feel anchored to all things around me.   I root down through my heels and… Read more

Our lives are governed through 7 main energy systems or chakras that run from the root to the crown of our physical body.  The key to keeping our life balanced is keeping the chakras balanced.  The center of balance is the anahata chakra or heart chakra.  The heart chakra is at the very center of… Read more

One of the most toxic substances you can put into your body is resentment.   Harboring anger, resentment, and grudges are like the popular adage “drinking poison and wishing the other person would die.” Certainly we want to validate and honor our angry feelings and hold people accountable for their transgressions and betrayals, but when we start… Read more

I was raised in a fairly sheltered life.  I was mostly guarded from seeing people engage in acts of domestic violence and destructive addictions of alcoholism and drugs. Yet, because of the nature of my family connections, I always carried a very intimate relationship with trauma and violence in my life.  My blood father abandoned… Read more

I read recently the biggest obstacle to your health isn’t your diet, but your mind.  Stress related diseases such as heart disease, depression and anxiety, obesity, diabetes, headaches, and accelerated aging can be addressed with many simple life-style changes, i.e, healthier diet and exercise, both of which are necessary for a better and healthier you… Read more

When I started practicing yoga I became more tuned into the way Grace played a daily role in my life.  Before yoga became a part of my life, I saw and understood glimpses of it, but my relationships to others and to myself at the time created so much static I didn’t know what to… Read more

Each small,  medium, and large act of kindness you do does make a huge difference.   The  smile you give a stranger just turned a mom’s depressed state of mind into a  feeling of exhilaration and reminded her of the light within, and that same mom  instead of speaking harshly to the clerk at the store… Read more