hello friend…

I wasn't always someone who meditated or did yoga. I was someone who “didn't believe in that stuff.” It felt esoteric, a little too slow and way too quiet. Like many of us, I was busy living my life on auto-pilot, trying to be the person everyone wanted me to be, blindly following the second-hand ideals of others and pursuing a success story that wasn't my own… 

And I got there. I got everything I was told I should want and a little extra for the haters. But none of it mattered because even with having it all, I felt like I had nothing.

Far worse, I felt like I was nothing.  

I remember reading something that said, "Anything we achieve through ego, anger, or fear is not sustainable," and true to form, I lost everything. Quickly. Painfully. Mercilessly. I lost my health, my money, my home and any semblance of self-respect. This wasn't rock bottom; it was somewhere below, and holding my breath was the only way I could breathe.

In the middle of the madness and the sadness, my Mom took me to a yoga class and by the time I got to my first śavāsana, I was sobbing uncontrollably. I meditated for the first time that day; hot tears running down my face, my heart was unrestrained by anxiety and my mind was so quiet I could hear myself say "your life begins right now." And it did. It was the beginning of a life full of love, joy, wellness, meaning, teaching and the beginning of my journey here to you.

With a daily Meditation practice, I discovered that I can be the most powerful person in my life; I can live without being pushed and pulled by changing circumstances, my mind is quiet and agile, and the opinions and expectations of others have no effect on me, and I live on my own terms with confidence and clarity.

— Alicia Mathlin