Welcome to 2017, friends. We made it!

I spent New Years Eve at Zuda Yoga with my teachers and an amazing, sweaty community of crazy yogis. It was perfect. The class was two hours, some yin, meditation, and lots of flow. We set intentions and spoke them out loud. I've learned over the years that there is so much power in speaking your truth and sharing your hopes and goals with another.

By the end of the class I decided my intention for 2017 is to lead a life of purpose, passion, and connection. I think I'm pretty clear on what my purpose and passion is: to work with adolescent girls. But for the last six months I've been searching for jobs that will allow me to act on those passions, and I keep coming up empty.

It's been incredibly frustrating, on so many different levels. I've also had the majority of the month of December off from substitute teaching, and let me tell you, there is without a doubt such a thing as too much vacation. I have been driving myself nuts ruminating over the things that have broken my heart this past year. At least when I'm substitute teaching my mind is distracted for a good portion of the day.

Right now I think I'm working on finding that balance between totally shutting down and pushing the uncomfortable away versus allowing myself to completely sit in the much and mire. Too much work and deflecting and I'll never process the grief; too much wallowing and I'll never pull myself out.

The phrase yogas chitta vritti nirodha comes from the yoga sutras. It means, to stop the mind from turning on end. In 2017 I work on learning new, healthy ways to stop my mind from turning on end. I want to be present. I want to feel. And most importantly, I want to process and heal.

Namaste