Over time, I’ve learned I don’t need to banish my fear. There may always be a part of me that trembles and quakes. There may be times when I feel the severance between head and heart more severely. And yet, no longer does fear need to be my North Star.

But beneath the doubt and uncertainty was a deeper pull from my heart. A calling towards a more creative, adventurous, and courageous life. A voice that whispered, “Dearest one, you are ready. It is safe to say yes.”

So what if we embraced the waves as part of the design? What if we trusted that even as life blows burdens down our throat, there is still something leaning us towards love? Something waiting to bestow a moment of magic at our feet. To provide a raft of laughter, a hand of grace, a heart to beat beside our own. 

Rather than the fairytale ending, I get to experience something more expansive, more alive and interesting. A life where I experience both gratitude and grief,  where I am both aching and awe-struck by the ancient, mysterious beauty it is to be alive. 

A year ago as I battled with insomnia, pain and fatigue, a trip like this would have felt inconceivable. Yet even today, there are still swells of fear and uncertainty. There is still the little girl within who wants to stay small and safe in her cocoon.

And there is also the cerulean blue sky of potential and possibility. There is curiosity and courage brimming within my heart. There is excitement at the opportunity to explore another culture and land different from my own.

As the poet, Rainer Maria Rilke, says, "Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love." I invite you to give yourself the gift of turning towards what wants your love through this free practice on Insight Timer.

I share this poem in hopes that it may speak to your own wise heart and serve as a reminder to open a seat at the table for that which is calling for your love.

Glimmers are moments of calm and peace, of quiet noticing where your heart opens, where you feel deeply present or immersed in joy. For anyone who deals with a hyper-vigilant nervous system, spending some time marinating in the peaceful moments of your day can be incredibly calming to the mind and body. For as you take some time to tune into the simple moments of goodness in life, often, the goodness grows.

A poem I wrote for my body from my book of poetry, Between Me and My Bones.

One of the most inspiring practices for me has been to tap into pleasure throughout my day. The type of pleasure that comes from within the body. The type of pleasure that is innate to every living being.

The more I delve deeper into my inner world, the more I find there is a cast of characters living inside me, each with different needs and desires.  Through the work of embodiment, I have learned how to engage with these parts in a more kind and loving way. To listen to the voices that have been silenced, shunned, and exiled. To give each one a name and greet them with the gift they have been longing for—my attention and my care.

To be in the body is to enter into the present moment. It is to be one with your breath. One with your reality. One with life. It is the ultimate act of connection. For when we are seated within our body, we seat ourselves in the heart. We remember who we are. And we hold the paradox that we are both of this body and beyond this body, both human and divine. 

Even though the western culture may tell us otherwise, we are not meant to always be in bloom. The trees with their bare branches, the animals burrowed beneath the ground, the season of winter, all remind me of the necessity of rest.

I love the idea of creating a ritual around the start of a new year—to take the time to pause and reflect on the past year and look towards the year ahead.  Rather than setting specific goals and resolutions, I like to focus on broader intentions, focusing more on how I want to feel and what I am calling into my life. In this post, I offer you my New Year’s Ritual.

To truly follow your inner calling takes courage. It often means walking through fear, challenging the norm, and honoring your own innate wisdom in spite of what others may think of you. But what waits for you on the other side is a life where you are radiantly aligned with your inner truth.