As I’m preparing a turkey dinner to take to my sister’s house today, I am filled with gratitude. As I look at the food on my kitchen table I see the beautiful salad bowl my son gave me years ago, and the balsamic vinegar and blood orange olive oil that a dear client gave me as a gift, I’m feeling love and gratitude for my family, friends and clients.

I am especially grateful today because my oldest daughter just turned 32 and am reminded of the day her oncologist told us she would only have a 10% recovery rate. After the initial shock, she replied, “Well I think I have something to say about that.” Indeed she does.

I’m also so very grateful for the community of healers that I’m surrounded by. Yesterday my yoga guru (who BTW is teaching on the White House lawn today!) reminded me of three aspects of ourselves we need to unwind if we are to achieve peace, joy and abundance.

 First there is our mental body, our thoughts, that are not who we are, rather how we choose to see the world. I was in California recently attending the International Integrated Cancer Summit and was able to visit my son. He took me out of my comfort zone to climb a cliff for a birds-eye view of the ocean. I told him I had developed a fear of heights and he led me to the edge where I gingerly crept, sat down and I dangled my feet over the cliff. My heart was racing and as I held back panic, I took some long deep cleansing breaths until I was able to calm down and take in the amazing scenery. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is feeling the fear and moving forward through the fear.

Second, there is the emotional body and third, the physical body where we hold on to both our thoughts and emotions.

Yesterday’s yoga practice was about finding the balance between effort and ease… the practice of engaging our strength with enough ease that we can still breathe; sometimes challenging both on and off the mat.

 In the rebirth of springtime, can you discover what it is that no longer serves you? What can you let go of that is creating mental, emotional and/ or physical dis-ease? Most of all, can you take a moment to breathe deeply with gratitude? I’d like to to say thank you for being a witness to our journeys.

Carpe Diem, With Love & Gratitude,

 Lisa