I am the queen of could haves, should haves, would haves if only----fill in the blank-happened. Fear pulls the steering wheel from my hands as I’m just meters from my destination.
From a spiritual perspective fear can be equated with darkness. It blocks our light and the energy God is trying to send through us to do the good we were put on this earth to do. It is that insistent voice in our head often times a voice from our childhood or from someone we’ve encountered who deeply wounded us that tells us we aren’t allowed to be happy, safe or successful. For me it is the voice of self-sabotage. A voice that was instilled in me from a young age that said, “Why bother? It is too hard. It won’t work. You are foolish to try.”
This week I took the first step I enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to study health coaching. Calmly but firmly I yanked that dark hand from my steering wheel and put my very capable hands on the wheel.
As I go through the year ahead I’ll be blogging along the way about my journey. Yoga, nutrition, and overall wellness go hand in hand. One cannot exist without the other. I’ll continue sharing my yoga journey and helpful tips and information for my students on my blog as well.
My intention is to inspire others to good health and wellbeing from the time we spend on our mats to the things we put in our mouths to the social aspects of our lives that often dictate our mental health. Throughout the program we will study primary and secondary foods. Relationships, careers, and spirituality are just a few examples of primary foods. Without primary foods nurturing us all the fruits and vegetables in the world won’t make you whole and happy.
I found this picture of my grandpa and me in a photo album a few years ago. It perfectly captures the vibrancy and happiness that God instilled in me from the moment I was put on this earth. Grandpa brought me great joy and instilled in me a love of reading and a virtue of kindness, empathy and compassion. His favorite thing to tell me when I began whining about other people got to do such and such was “If everyone jumped off the bridge would you.” Begrudgingly I’d cross my arms over my chest and mumble no. That lesson stuck with me well. I’ve grown into my role of black sheep and being the one not to follow the crowd.
He was my first example of primary food that allowed me to thrive. In the background is the fields my family and ancestors worked to feed their families and the community through the generations. We had an orchard full of fruit, humanly raised cattle, and all the vegetables you could eat. Not until I reached my mid to late 30s did I realize how blessed I was to have been exposed to such wonderful secondary foods.
I devote this year ahead to the spirit of Fred Bussing who showed me the unconditional love that only God can give one human to share with another.
Comments