So, I did a thing. Not a thing I usually do, but I did it. I wrote a poem.

I feel like I should put quotes around the word poem because it doesn't rhyme, it doesn't have a structure, and it doesn't really have much of a rhythm. But it's not prose, and it came in creatively, so I'm calling it a poem.

It also expressed for me something that needed expressing. You see, while I was on my recent retreat to Chacala, Mexico with Dr. Deb Kern, I had a chance to focus on expelling some mental goblins. It's  the negative self-talk voice in my head. (Perhaps you're familiar?) This is the voice that can keep me on the sidelines, knock me down a peg or two, and convince me that me being fully me would have some dire consequences. Like, I won't be liked.

Womp, womp.

This voice doesn't have much to say when I'm home and with people I'm comfortable with.  But travel and strangers bring in the voice like my own personal doomsayer. So even getting to the retreat was a chance to start the...

I am home and happy from a big reset retreat in Chacala, Mexico. Lots to report, so I hope you don't get tired of hearing about it!

The first little moment I wanted to bring home to you is a bit of magic…or so I thought. One early morning when I was heading to the beach to do my morning practice and meditation, I stopped in my tracks as I looked over the rocks that cover the area between the retreat center and the beach. I was stunned. It looked like rocks had literally descended from the sky and stopped to hover millimeters above a rock below it. It was magical! And then I caught sight of a man sitting among them, holding one rock over another, patiently adjusting it until he slowly pulled his hands away to reveal a rock, standing on its smallest point, balancing on the rock below it. It was like beautiful art. 

Turns out, it’s called “rock balancing.” (I do love an it-is-what-it-says-it-is title!)

I stopped him as he was leaving the rock area to ask...

Welcome to May! The wildflowers are still happy and blooming here in Central Texas. The morning air is cool and the sun is bright. Everywhere I look I see the Earth is celebrating coming through that icy February storm. Things are unusually lush in the ATX. 

Which is why it seems crazy that I'm going away from all of this for a rejuvenating retreat in Chacala, Mexico with my Prana Shakti dance teacher, Dr. Deb Kern, all next week. But just like Mother Earth is looking refreshed after a long winter’s nap, we, too, need to refill our cups from time to time. This is how I will let go of my efforts from the past six months, and refill with new, refreshed energy for the next six months–when I’ll be with many of you as you refresh under the October full moon at WonderFULL! 

Because how can we pour out if we don’t pour in?

That’s just how it is! Except in the case of love. Love is different. By pouring it out, we actually get...

I was recently reminded that we are all creative creators. Yep! That means you are too.  

I don’t mean all are able to draw, or paint, or sculpt, although I’m sure some in this community are brilliant at those things.  I mean make something happen from nothing. Everyone can move the material world from a void, to a vision, to a manifestation.  I’m just here to remind you, because I was recently reminded. 

Last week I interviewed my dear friend Kelly Emmert for Jess on the Mountain, episode 11. She is the visionary and energy behind The Art Garage here in Austin, Texas, and she reminded me how much the creative process is part of all of us.  She had a vision of her art studio from an early age, and with persistence and patience she has brought it into the world for creative hands of all ages to make art, have fun, and relax.  

Creativity--creation-- is a chakra two endeavor. This energetic center located at your...

I have some WonderFULL news for my yoginis out there! 

Nope–that’s not a typo. That is the name of my upcoming retreat, and my hope for all who attend this Women’s Retreat for Full Moon Radiance. 

It’s happening October 27-29, 2023 at the spectacular Retreat Ranch in Marble Falls, Texas. 

I’m over the moon excited about this! 

This weekend retreat is your chance to pause, have some fun, refresh your spirit, and pamper your soul. Beneath October's full moon and surrounded by the beauty of the Texas Hill Country, we will tune into the rhythms of nature with yoga, meditation, labyrinth, and play. Our own personal chef is creating a custom menu for full bellies and nourished bodies. Relaxing wading pools, nature trails, and glamping at its finest makes this retreat a one-of-a-kind experience to remind you just how radiant you are!

Earlier this year, Angela and I went all over the Hill Country seeking out the BEST...

Do you ever consider your fear, guilt, or shame as something to be thankful for? It's a weird question, I know, but sometimes I like to flip normal thinking and behavior on its head and consider those things in ourselves that we'd rather resist as, well, gifts.

Whenever I work with people one-on-one with their frustrating blocks, patterns, and shadows (like fear, guilt, and shame), I always encourage a gratitude practice.  After all, this impediment, or way of being, somehow helped and protected them to get to this point. Their system believed it was necessary for survival or success. In some way, I’m sure it was. But has outlasted its expiration date–it’s time for them to let it go because it has become more of a hindrance than a help. 

I like to think of unhelpful patterns and habits as dutiful soldiers. They are showing up to fight the good fight and protect you in a way that has worked in the past. But once you see the pattern, the war...

How is April treating you so far? For me, this year has been one of those off-to-the-races kind of start. Thankfully, I've learned from the past to double down on things that slow me down in order to stay afloat and be happy. 

However, there was a time in my life when there was simply too much going on to feel energetically abundant.  My husband and I had just opened a restaurant, we had two small kids, and I had a full teaching load as I was working towards my advanced teaching certification.  I felt like I had a handle on it, but my body disagreed.  I had lower back pain, but it was strange–I didn’t pull a muscle or hurt it by doing something. It didn’t feel muscular or skeletal. It felt like my kidneys were sore! I was losing my zest for life. I was tired.  

Lucky for me, one of the teachers at the school of Oriental Medicine across the street was in my class. He’s the BEST.  After class I asked if he would...

Do you have a favorite song to play in the car when the weather is beautiful?  Just the other evening it was so lovely out that it my trip home from HEB a delight.  I was rockin' the 'burbs with windows down, sunroof open, and blaring Aerosmith's Sweet Emotion. I was transported back to my teen years, also rockin' Aerosmith in the 'burbs, but in my mom's big 1974 Chevy Caprice Classic convertible. It was AWESOME.

But now I'm a yoga teacher instead of a teen, so I hear things differently.  I realized this time that "sweet emotion" is a perfect phrase for chakra 2!  Svadyaya is the Sanskrit word for the second chakra, and it's where we can connect to our emotional selves as well as the pleasure principle.  Being able to delight in life and get information from your emotions is what svadhisthana is all about!

I don't know if this is what Aerosmith had in mind, but I think they captured it perfectly. 

Emotions are such an integral part...

I hope you don't find the title of this blog post offensive--but it's true! Everything I've been working on these days is highly body-oriented.

You might be thinking, "Well of course, Jess! You're a yoga teacher!" And that's true! But believe it or not, to me the yoga asana (postures) are more of a means to an end than an end themselves. And that's not just my opinion. That's in the texts as well. There is no Yoga Sutra that says,

"True happiness will be found in the perfection of a triangle pose."

You WILL find text that says happiness is found in friendliness, compassion, delight, and equanimity though. (Learn more about the "Locks and Keys" to happiness HERE.) These days, however, I'm thinking about these same words and themes as directed towards the body. Better said, towards my body, or you towards your body.

Considering our body as an entity worthy of loving attention, rather than submission or disregard, is a chakra one, muladhara, issue.

My three...

Have you ever thought about how much is required to keep these bodies going? There are so many doctors, trainers, therapists, and instructors out there ready to help us keep this "earth suit" in tip-top shape!  And I'm so glad for all of them.  (Are you a wellness professional? Please take this SURVEY--I'd love to know!)

Personally, I love to strike a balance between knowing what I need in order to fix it myself, and putting myself in the hands of a pro that's ready to guide me to feeling better and knowing more. I don't intend to learn acupuncture, but I sure love the way it makes me feel! So I outsource that for sure. I have big thoughts and questions about my relationship with God, so I have a spiritual director for that. I also don't do blood work and I can't reach the tightness between my shoulderblades, so I have a doctor and massage therapist I see when the need is there.

My expertise is in yoga, specifically the chakras. So if I have an issue that I...