Hello my dears. Long time, no talk. I have been crazy busy the past two weeks, teaching seven days a week. I just about had a mental breakdown yesterday. Alas, this morning, I let myself sleep in a little and have been taking the day to take care of some things around the house. I actually find cleaning and cooking to be very grounding. I also planted some flowers. :)

Yesterday I was thinking a lot about perspective and contentment, in the midst of me feeling overwhelmed and everything else, the news came on about the Boston Marathon. I couldn't believe it. I felt absolutely speechless. I then immediately started to feel a heavy heart. This world seems to be shifting. There is a lot of fear and it seems to be growing rather than lessening. It's important to keep an open heart. No matter what. Otherwise, we just become stuck in our fears. It's easy to get stressed in life, it's really easy to lose sight of ourselves and our own contentment. But it's important to keep going. Keep believing and keep trying to make the world a better place. No act of kindness is too small.

So be kind. To yourself and to others.

Lots of love.

The space in between

Hello friends! I am writing my first post as a 27-year old. It feels a little odd being 27. It sounds older to me, but I don't feel older in any way. With birthdays often comes a little bit of reflection... I often think about what was, and what I hope will be. Lately, I have been feeling a little caught in between past and future. I feel myself thinking about all my friends, my best friends that I had when I was younger. I grew up with tons of guy friends, had a serious boyfriend in high school, and I have always remained pretty close with all of them, until the years have passed on. With relationships, and everything else, we have all slowly drifted and I am reminded that we are getting older. Things change even though on a day to day basis it feels like nothing changes. I have a habit of looking back. Wondering about things. Did I make the right decisions? But, when it comes down to it, we can't worry about those things. We make the decisions that are right at the time. Sometimes I wonder how I got here and then looking back I know exactly how I got here with every conscious decision that was made. I have always been one to go with my gut, to follow my heart as much as I can. I guess when it comes down to it that's all we can really do in life... follow our hearts and not really worry about the rest. I posted on Maitri's facebook page, that we will get there, when we are supposed to get there, not a moment sooner. The key is having patience with all things. Not comparing our journeys to others'. If I closed my eyes and couldn't compare my life to someone else's, I would say that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. It is only when I get wrapped up, in what I think life should look like or be, or what other people are doing, that I lose sight of the gift... that is now. Learning, growing, finding my way and not being afraid to let go.

The thing is things change. That is a constant. Our life is a moving, shifting, changing every day type of thing. It isn't stagnant. Sometimes we want to hold on for comfort, but we can't be afraid to let go and let our lives take us where it may. 

I love this Hopi Elders Prayer:

"There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and they will suffer greatly.

Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water. See who is in there with you and celebrate."

I wish you all a wonderful day! Don't be afraid to lose sight of the shore. :)

I love Sundays.

Hello again! Yes, time has passed, almost a month! I can't believe I'm sitting here and it's March. Spring forward, flowers, transitions, new seasons... are all upon us. I hope you guys have all been well. My life has been pretty good. I went to a bachelorette party last weekend, which was a much needed little break. Finding balance between the yoga teacher self and the 26 (almost 27) year-old self can sometimes be a little challenging. On the weekends I find myself tired and needing sleep, while at the same time wanting to go out and see friends. I have more people come up to me that know me as the yoga teacher now, than people that know me simply as Sarah. I guess I feel that is both good and bad. Mainly good, hopefully. It's interesting to be in this place. This place between wanting to give myself completely to my career and also a place of wanting to have it all (which sometimes I wonder if it's an illusion). I think a lot of us girls now a days don't want to choose between one or the other. I know I don't. No one ever really tells you that your 20's are hard. It's a process of finding your place, your voice, starting to let go of what others want from you and doing things that work for you. I think that for awhile, I was focused on approval. Now I'm saying screw approval I can't take that on. All I want is for my life to feel good... A life that fits for me. I think that's what we all want to find... a life that feels good.

I started another blog, one for the yoga studio (Maitri Yoga), and although I thought about letting this one go, I've decided to keep it going... for the 26, almost 27 year old self, that would like it as a place to still bring my own thoughts, worries... a place where I can simply be Sarah. :)

Wishing you all a wonderful Sunday.

image via pinterest

Happy Monday, Happy Tuesday

                                                         

Hi all! Happy Monday... Happy Tuesday! Monday slipped away from me a bit and by the time I was ready to sit down and write a post, it was already time to get up again. I hope you all are having a wonderful week thus far. I came across this recipe today for a yummy bread that not only sounds delicious but nourishing. It is also cleanse-friendly, woohoo! 

Here is the recipe:

The Life-Changing Loaf of BreadMakes 1 loaf

Ingredients:
1 cup / 135g sunflower seeds
½ cup / 90g flax seeds
½ cup / 65g hazelnuts or almonds
1 ½ cups / 145g rolled oats
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder)
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt (add ½ tsp. if using coarse salt)
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee
1 ½ cups / 350ml water

Directions:
1. In a flexible loaf pan combine all dry ingredients, stirring well. Add water and mix until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add water one or two teaspoons). Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it it.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
3. Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing (difficult, but important).
4. Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. Freezes well too – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!

For more great recipes from My New Roots, click here.

{happy weekend}

Happy Friday! I hope you all have a wonderful, wonderful weekend! I was talking to one of my friends in class last night who also owns a small business. She was asking me how I've been doing with everything, and I frankly told her that I have good days and bad days. Days where I feel energized and then days where I am exhausted. Usually, I am exhausted after teaching. I get home about 8:30, make a little something to eat, sit on the couch, turn on the tv and just relax/zone out... but she made an interesting point to me last night. She told me that sometimes it's more energizing to make yourself do something fun. I got to thinking about that and she is probably very right. Since, I've started the yoga studio, I haven't made a ton of time for hanging out with friends or anything else! So... I am going to try to mix in a little more fun. Maybe even get my nails done, which I haven't done since I lived in Houston... October! I also think I am going to take time to do some things around the house. Fun things, of course!

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend. Do something that makes you "Oh so happy!!" :)

images via pinterest

Oh, so true

Hello my dearest. Hoping your week is going great. We have only been on the cleanse for a few days now, and although, I myself am thinking, what the heck did I start? I am happy to hear all the great feedback from everyone on it. On another note, the past couple of days, I have been plagued by the what ifs? Ever get them? What if I would have... done this, done that, been this, had that. I've been thinking a lot lately about how things unfold. Sometimes it can be hard to really believe that you are exactly where you should be. During this time of fashion week in NYC, I look back and wonder "what if I would have stuck with it?" But then my memory shoots back to my NYC days. I stopped loving fashion, loving getting dressed in the morning, I didn't like the late nights or social aspects of the whole thing and I constantly felt exhausted. There was nothing I could do to change it, although I definitely tried to. We don't always know why our soul goes in a certain direction. I always thought that I would live in NYC and work for a magazine and now I am teaching yoga... in Arkansas. I know there is nothing in the world I would rather be doing and I know everything I have been through in my life has been leading me here, but there are still times when I look back and grieve... for what was and what never will be. And you know what? I think that's okay. We can't get caught up into the idea of what we wish for our lives in our heads and we also can't get wrapped up into thinking that everyone else has it so much better. I think that we have to above all things listen to what our hearts say, and forgive ourselves.   Forgive ourselves for wishing we could be something different.

I think that is what we have to do. Forgive ourselves for wishing we could be any different and recognize our own life unfolding in a perfectly imperfect way. :)

Anyway, I just wanted to share that. Hope you all have a great evening. Off to teach class! 

New Month and a Fresh Commitment

Happy Monday my dears. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Mine was pretty good and pretty low key. Although, I am getting a little bit better balancing everything, I still feel quite tired on the weekends and lean more towards my couch than doing much else. Oh well!

This week kicks off a 21-day challenge that Maitri is doing. I have to say that people were asking me if I'm excited because I am the one putting it on, but my answer.... it is going to be just as hard for me as it is for everyone else! I love my morning coffee. I look forward to waking up, fixing a cup, sitting at my computer with it in hand. However, this morning I just decided to make a new tradition. I brewed some lemon ginger tea, and have actually found it to be equally satisfying. I know coffee is really acidic in my body. I can feel it. So, I am curious as to how I'll feel without it! Also, I am addicted to crackers. I love Nut thins, and all things with a little bit of salt. Lately since I am going, going, going a lot, I eat crackers with almond butter and then for dinner I'll eat more crackers or cereal and that will be it. Yea... not that healthy. I think this 21-days will be a nice, fresh start. I am hoping that it will be time for everyone to press the reset button, but to also notice where our habits are... and the ideas of what we "need" to function.

This is really my first cleanse ever. I have talked about it before and done it halfway, but never fully committed. We shall see how this goes! I will keep you updated. Lots of love and light!

images via my new roots