“Every moment of light and dark is a miracle. Each miracle nourishes the soul if you let it.” – Walt Whitman Who do I feed? I think we typically all spend our lives trying to do right by others and to grow. I have come to realize that I can justify being a good person when I help others and frankly I have built a career around helping those who struggle and cannot do it on their own. This sounds like a noble career and much of it was, but it is easy to fall into a self-conviction of my own goodness. It is true that it is altruistic to have something to give to those in need, however, what I got back fed an aching soul. Lost in my own goodness I can allow myself to be seen in a bright light by others and therefore never need to defend my value. Recognizing my own pain returns me to humanity, allows me to be one with those I work with and in seeing their value I find my own. I yearn to be loved to feel that soft place of comfort with no judgement and complete understanding. My mistake is pursuing this love through others. The reality I have come to know is that the love I seek must be given by me to me. It is as simple as the inhale of love so that I can exhale love. Feeding my soul through the energy of others will always leave me wanting. Do we all love with the hope of being loved? If I can fulfill my own need for love within my own sense of self then all that I give away is from abundance. It is pure. It has no baggage or requirement attached. It assumes that others deserve love because they breathe air as do I. Where in your life are you most likely to give? What is the reward? How do you provide reward to yourself so that others owe you nothing?

A 12-Minute Meditation to Remind Yourself That You Are Enough A 12-Minute Meditation to Remind Yourself That You Are Enough · 12:22 1. Sit and find your breath. Sitting in an upright relaxed position, please drop your gaze or close your eyes. Find the breath, the faithful friend that it is, and notice that you are breathing. Take a deep breath in, and out. 2. Take three deep breaths. Breathing in, breathing out. Breathing in positivity, breathing out and letting go of old stale air and stale stories. Breathing in, breathing out. Sitting with our attention on the breath. Relax the body, drop your shoulders, and be still.  3. Repeat these affirmations to yourself, taking a deep breath at the end of each sentence. I am a human being full of life and possibility. No one else is like me. I have a right to make mistakes and recover. I love myself unconditionally. I do not need anyone else’s approval to love and be kind to myself. Sometimes I do not know. It is OK not to know. What is not known is an invitation to be curious and to discover. I do my best. I let go of the rest. 4. Return your attention to the breath. If your mind wanders off, come back to the home base of the breath.  5. Gently and easily, on the next breath, open your eyes and return your attention to the space.

Mindful Movement to Wake Up Your Body In this article, Cara Bradley offers a video practice to help you start your morning with a few minutes of mindful movement to synchronize your body and mind with movement, breath, and stillness. 1) Rise: Gently roll over to one side and rise slowly, pausing in each transition to notice your breath and feel your body. 2) Attend to your needs: Then, go do what you need to do: bathroom, wash face, brush teeth…and return to your bedside. 3) Single Knee to Chest: This movement warms up the lower back and hips. We’ll start on the floor. Lie down next to your bed, on your back with your legs straight, arms straight, palms on the ground, and head facing the ceiling. As you inhale slowly, bring your right knee up towards your chest, grab your knee with both hands and pull it in to your chest. As you exhale switch legs and then exhale and bring the left leg towards your chest and repeat. Repeat for 3-5 breaths. 4) Dynamic Bridge: This movement warms up the spine and helps to relieve any tension accumulated in the spine during sleep. Place your arms flat on the ground by your sides a few inches away from your body, with your palms facing down. Place both feet to the floor under your bent knees. Make sure your back is flat and your body feels centered and balanced. Then, as you inhale lift your hips up towards the ceiling, creating a straight line from your knees, down your thighs, to your chest. Exhale and lower your hips back to the ground so that the small of your back and your hips tough the ground together. Repeat 3-5 times. 5) Cat/ Cow: This movement continues to warm up the spine. Slowly bring your knees to your chest and gently roll over to your side and then move on to all fours: Place your hands on the ground beneath your shoulders and your knees on the ground beneath your hips, keep your back straight and your head forward. As you inhale gently drop your belly towards the floor, lift your chest and look forward arching your spine slightly. As you exhale bring your face towards your navel while doming your upper spine, rounding the top of your back. Repeat for 3-5 breaths.