Greetings! I hope this message finds you well, whether you are at work or at home. I am taking today to do some cleaning in my home, working on my book, and working on client packages. Busy, busy, busy. I also plan to do a long lovely session of yoga and meditation. I must do my self-care routines in order to maintain my disposition. I find that when I skimp on my exercise and meditation, I can become crabby, irritable, and extremely tense. Each day that I peruse my emails, I am inundated with articles about self-care.

Sometimes I feel like I am a living, breathing cliché- doing yoga, trying to eat well, wearing headwraps, burning incense, wearing crystals, talking about black empowerment. But, then I grab ahold of my righteous mind and realize that I am living the most authentic life that I can at this space and time. I found peace in living the way that I do now and I cannot stop, nor do I want to. If I want to sit topless in the moonlight, sip herbal tea, and listen to ocean sounds, that is absolutely my business!

Am I a bit eccentric? Maybe. One thing that I know for sure is that I am a lot happier and definitely am more balanced since I found my groove. Some may think it weird that I would rather sit and read, listen to Coltrane or Gregory Isaacs, and sage my home than to go out partying every weekend, but hey, that’s me. I think that in pursuing the activities that feed my soul authentically I am living my best life. There was a time that I struggled with anxiety and depression. I refused to speak to anyone about my inner struggles though. I was screaming inside, burning up from unfulfilled hope. I was absolutely miserable. It literally has taken me the better of 10 years to find my happy place. These days, I find great joy in the simplest of things- my 6-year-old reading a book to me, my friend telling me about their weekend, making videos on my coaching page, sharing a laugh with one of my patients.

We live in a world where people want quick fixes to everything, where cell phones and social media have replaced genuine interaction, and many have chosen to live their lives vicariously through their favorite celebrity. Dealing with our shit is not easy but it is necessary if you actually are aspiring to live life as you. The more we dodge the skeletons in our closets, the more they will pile up and eventually spill out onto the proverbial hallway floor.

It is my hope that you find the things that make you feel more alive and do them with zeal. Life is worth living. Make sure you are living yours to the absolute fullest…..

Peace, Love, & Abundant Light,

Ashaki