MAY
02

Cultivating Community

In honor of autumn finally taking its rightful place in Los Angeles I’m releasing the video that accompanies the yoga equinox sequence post. You can find the full post over on FabFitFun! Somewhere between the brainstorming, filming, shooting and edits I was reminded how powerful wellness has been in my life. Not only as a basis for the way I live, but as a source of inspiration, creativity and friendship.

I’ve moved 10 times in the last decade for education, career or love. Every time I start over in a new city I find a gym, a sweaty spinning class, yoga or even the local health foods store the moment my boxes are unpacked. These are the places I always feel ‘at home’, no matter how new I am to a city or locale. I’m an introvert by nature, but in these environments I feel instantly at ease, able to connect and make new friends in spite of my tendency to be more quiet in social settings. Which is really important when you’re the new kid in town.

For example, my yoga guru, model and new friend, Erin! We met at a yoga class led by Jennifer Pastiloff. Jennifer is a writer, yoga teacher and a connector – and that’s just scratching the surface. Jennifer has a gift of combining words and movement to help you become clear about your purpose and remove the the bullsh*t blocking your way. Jennifer creates easy-to-remember mantras (like “I love what I do and I do what I love”). She guides you on the path to making manifestation a reality – A.K.A. the state of creating the life you want. It’s not easy, but your most important life’s work does not come without a few bruises, bumps and scrapes along the way (figuratively speaking…). Below is sampling of the writing prompts Jenn pairs with yoga in her Manifestation workshops:

WRITE A JOY LIST
“I AM”… (list out all that you are!)
“IF I WASN’T AFRAID I WOULD …”
“I TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR…”*
LIST YOUR ‘RULES TO LIVE BY’
WRITE A LOVE LETTER
WRITE A GRATITUDE OR THANK YOU LETTER
WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR 16 YEAR OLD SELF
WHAT INSPIRES YOU? 

Brave souls: would you dare ask these questions of yourself in a journal format? Or pose them to your community? Post the answers on your own online space? Or answer a question in the discussion below? Sharing a few snaps of my responses from my experience at a recent manifestation + yoga workshop in hopes of cultivating that feeling of community and wellness in this online space.

And… if my posts seem more introspective or yoga-focused lately know that I’m (1) immersing myself in the yoga journey and (2) desperately in need of a vacation to lighten things up a bit!*Full post for this prompt! **source for the cover photo