This is Natalie from Team Jess! I’m excited to step in as your guest writer for the newsletter this week, while Jess and Nick explore the beautiful and spiritual mysteries of Chartres in France. I can’t wait to hear how this journey inspires Jess and, in turn, how she inspires all of us.

There’s truly nothing quite like a journey to bring us back home to ourselves. Whether it takes us to faraway lands or a nearby sanctuary, every journey has the potential to ignite a spark within us. 

When we take a break from our routines and familiar surroundings, we open ourselves to fresh experiences that can shift our perspectives. Each journey, no matter how short, introduces us to new ideas and landscapes, helping us see the world (and ourselves!) in a vibrant new light. These experiences can awaken creativity and inspire us in unexpected ways.

Journeys offer us countless gifts: moments of reflection, spaces to dream, and opportunities to reconnect...

Happy Autumnal Equinox! 

Officially it’s Saturday the 23rd, at 1:50am Central. This is the time when the day and night reach a perfect balance. It is a tipping point from growth and expansion to contraction and hibernation. Often, we think these things as negative attributes of life, but like night and day, inhale and exhale, one does not exist without the other.  We must surrender the fruits of our efforts, celebrate our harvest, and turn towards an inner light of warmth and guidance as we pass through the winter months, finally emerging once again in the spring.

As you well know, time exists in so many cycles: hours, days, months, seasons, years… So this equinox doesn’t stand alone as an individual event. It is the beginning of change that spans from this season to next. 

Yesterday, as I sat staring at my wall calendar and thinking of what this season has in store, a beautiful thing occurred to me. Whatever intentions I create...

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...

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...

I’ve been home from a wonderful trip to Tuscany for a few days now, and my memories are already nourishing me and giving me reasons to reflect.  If you were to ask me if the trip were for business or pleasure, I’d have to say, “Yes! Both!”  The first week I was there I had the extraordinary privilege of attending a NOVA Women’s Leadership retreat, followed by four days with Nick sightseeing and driving through some of the most breathtaking vistas on Earth.  

This retreat came at the perfect time.  I, like so many others, have been in a state of wondering, “What’s next?” As the world has opened up again, so have our options.  And now, rather than quick pivots and reactions to studios closing or pandemics forcing us online, we get to think about and plan whatever is to come.  

But when there’s all the options, it can be harder to narrow things down! 

Lately, this has...

Why, you may ask, do I want to do yoga about Mary Magdalene? 

Because to me, she is the rest of the story.

Growing up in the Christian church meant inheriting a spirituality and faith that was very yang, or masculine.  I saw at the pulpit men telling us what mostly men said and did many years ago and how and why it matters now.  This was enough for me...until I saw another way.

My yoga teachers were women. Wise women. They related all matter of heart-based concepts to our bodies.  We didn't just learn stories and study the way to live.  We placed it on our breath.  We drew from our open hearts in meditation.  We strengthened our courage as we strengthened our core.  We stretched our chest and shoulders along with our capacity for compassion.  For me, it was an embodied faith.  

Mary Magdalene is the embodiment of faith.  She was there the whole time--during Jesus' teaching, throughout his crucifixion, and she...

Bask in the sweetness of life.

Delight in life’s simple pleasures.

Take time to enjoy the good stuff.  

How do you respond to these statements?  Do you think, “Who’s got the time for that?” Or perhaps, “The guilt would kill me.”  “That stuff is for other people.” Or “The last time I basked I hurt my back.”   Maybe you’re even asking, “WHAT good stuff?” 

We’re going to get into this.  So right now, go get something sweet.  Maybe some leftover Valentine's chocolate or a Girl Scout Cookie. Or maybe something savory, like a tasty olive.  Whatever is in your kitchen (or hidden in your hideaway place) that is a delicious treat for you.  Then I’ll meet you back here…

Got something?  Good.  Let’s meditate:

• Close your eyes and take some deep breaths.  Anchor your mind on your breath and body in the...