the ripple effect.

tonight my intention in yoga was empowerment. and, to give into the experience of letting love in.

then i came home and watched this.




talk about feeling empowered.

i would say yoga will save your life. it will change your life. it will make you so much more accepting of yourself.

i think we all just want to feel connected. simply connected to ourselves. yoga connects. it brings contentment and understanding amidst all the noise.

it has, in fact, changed my life. and, given me access to my heart as the trailer describes. i can finally feel every cell of my being.

may you move your body and be happy and free. may you find that inner peace.

namaste.

dear life, i love you, be mine!

so, i finished clean!

{warning, this post gets slightly up close and personal}.

twenty one days of nothing but clean foods. it's been glorious, and i highly recommend the program to anyone who is feeling like they have what i like to call a life hangover. just a fancy term for not enough rest and recovery from the stress in our lives.

for me, i push myself at work, unwind with yoga and running, but still incorporate the fun to the point of excess {sometimes around food and drink}. needless to say, i got tired. it was time to really listen to my body.

so, after three weeks of smoothie, meal, smoothie and following the elimination diet, i feel fantastic!



i'd love to share a few learnings with you, dolls.

one. have you ever had an epsom salt bath? try it! oh, please do. the key is to soak for twenty minutes with the water as hot as you can take it. once out, hydrate with an ice cold glass of water. it's life changing!

two. body brushing is my new favorite skin-care regimen. out with the dead skin cells and in with the new. my skin has never felt softer! go pick yours up at whole foods today, you won't regret it.

three. i'm a creature of routine and i'm naturally drawn to healthy foods so it truly wasn't that difficult to maintain {especially if you are okay with allotting extra prep time for meals}. the two things i missed most - apparently my vices - were coffee and wine. not so much for the buzz that both give you, but just the comfort of a warm cup of coffee on these chilly sf summer mornings and a glass of vino after a long week.

i can't help but think of this book as i'm finishing up the cleanse. women, food, and god by geneen roth. which, i happened to read last august. she speaks so eloquently and spiritually about compulsive eating.

i think the most crucial take-away for me is the importance of not using food as a way to cope, to fill a void or suppress an emotion. we must get to the core of any fears, anxieties, or stressors that exist in our lives without numbing with unhealthy habits. understanding our bodies is oh-so-important.

may we take a vow to forever be mindful eaters and always get real with our emotions. live rawly.

*gosh, loves, i really could chit chat your ear off. if you have any questions, i'd love to chat! thank you dearly for all of the notes of inspiration and congratulations. it means so much. photo taken on a glorious sunday, day twenty one. a gift from a dear friend.

chant your heart out.

the conscious brain can only hold one thought at a time. choose a positive thought.

this has always been my favorite quote on the lululemon manifesto. every time i read the poster, it's the one that resonates with me the most.

do you ever think about how much power our minds hold?

we hold the power. the power to choose. to pick how we want to approach this life. we each carry the keys to our own happiness.

there's a traditional chant in yoga that goes like this...

guru brahma, guru vishnu, guru devo maheshvara
guru sakshat, param brahma, tasmai shri guruvey namaha

it's a dedication to the teachers or gurus in our lives, and i think it holds an important message on each of our own journeys toward enlightenment as we learn that every experience is a teacher in and of itself.



first we must recognize our creator and our birth. we appreciate and acknowledge the gift of life, guru brahma.

next, we notice the preserver, guru vishnu. the duration of our lives and all of the experiences we accumulate while we live. honor those. when we chant guru vishnu with sincerity, the way we view our everyday lives will start to change. we learn that all beings and things in our present lives can be our teachers, our gifts.

as we observe the good, we also have to look at the other side of the scale, the destroyer, guru devo maheshvara. we must search for appreciation in all of life's difficulties. face them head on, and with an open heart.

futhermore, let's search for the guru that is nearby, guru sakshat, and find that quality in another person that we wish to locate within ourselves. having someone act as a mirror so that we can let our inner light shine through is crucial.

param brahma is the guru that is indescribable and beyond all form.

tasmai shri guruvey namaha. i offer all of my efforts away. i surrender to this process and my teachers.



this chant asks us to notice the people and situations in our own lives and appreciate them for giving us the opportunities for self-realization. there is no need to go anywhere, it's all right here inside of us, in our own lives.

...ah, the power of our minds!

sometimes when i chant this, and believe in it, and i really get it, my heart gets lighter. it's all going to be okay. the answers are revealed to us post-chant. let them come to you, and move you.

*all concepts and descriptions read in this book here, juvamukti yoga. it's currently on loan.

stay hungry. stay foolish.

a note from a soul friend appeared in my inbox this morning {she knows just when to send words of inspiration, it's a true talent, i tell you}. enclosed, was the steve jobs commencement speech at stanford circa two thousand five.

i've already watched it twice today. you may find yourself doing so as well, darlings.

there's some great wisdom in these fifteen minutes.





i hear two themes.

one. everything happens for a reason. let's trust in that for ultimate happiness.

you can't connect the dots looking forward. you can only connect them looking backwards. so you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. you have to trust in something. your gut. destiny. life. karma. whatever. because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart. even when it leads you off the well worn path. and that will make all the difference.

two. follow your heart. no matter what.

you've got to find what you love. and that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. and the only way to do great work is to love what you do. if you haven't found it yet, keep looking. and don't settle. as with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. and like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.

enjoy! and, trust yourself. xo.

look up.

sometimes we overhear innocent conversations that can bring us back to reality.

on my oh-so-important, quick walk from one place to the next yesterday, i overheard a very simple observation.

look at the clouds surrounding the top of the pyramid.

i was reminded to stop. stop and look up. slow down. there is beauty in the ordinary among the chaos of the city.

two strangers re-taught me a valuable lesson. and now i'm paying it forward.

may you notice a tiny detail today that is utterly beautiful if you take a second look.

*as the quote reads, let's make life our canvas.

on love.

since we love love here at it's all happening, i did a little quiz and wanted to share it with you.

what is your love language?


you can take the assessment here.

the best part is that i did the old-school-circle-your-answer-with-a-pencil-in-the-back-of-the-paperback-book-i-swiped-off-my-parents'-bookshelf quiz.

each question reads from the wife's point of view about her husband. i just subbed ryan gosling for the word husband. seemed to work just fine.

i'm exactly what you'd expect.

an honest tie between words of affirmation and physical touch.

{seems about right to me}.

words of affirmation.
actions don’t always speak louder than words. if this is your love language, unsolicited compliments mean the world to you. hearing the words, “i love you,” are important - hearing the reasons behind that love sends your spirits skyward. insults can leave you shattered and are not easily forgotten.

{hello, childhood}.


physical touch.
this language isn’t all about the bedroom. a person whose primary language is physical touch is, not surprisingly, very touchy. hugs, pats on the back, holding hands, and thoughtful touches on the arm, shoulder, or face—they can all be ways to show excitement, concern, care, and love. physical presence and accessibility are crucial, while neglect or abuse can be unforgivable and destructive.

{touch equals caring in my book. it's sacred}.


the love languages are a dead ringer! try it. learn a little something new about yourself today, friends. the other three languages are quality time, receiving gifts, and acts of service.

cheers to love. and relationships. and the importance of knowing how you need to be loved. we're all different.

but it always comes down to one word: love.

*"pinteresting" love in my free time here, here, and here.