There are two things that I started at a young age that have shaped me into the woman that I am.
The first is journaling. I remember my first diary, a turquoise hardcover with multicolored unicorns and a small metal heart-shaped lock (it was the 90s, afterall). I must have been 7 or so, propped up on my elbows writing in colored gel pens my thoughts and feelings from the day. Crushes, frustrations, and dreams - lots of dreams.
The second is yoga, which I started practicing after quitting my competitive dance team at age 17 and finding myself with far too much time on my hands and fighting with my mom. So I joined the local YMCA and immediately found myself stretched out on cheap orange yoga mats and bad lighting but feeling so… good. So so good.
Both these practices were not just integrated threads throughout the course of my life, but in some ways definitive. They are tools that I always come back to - again and again. They’ve helped me through times of tears, times of confusion, heartache and anger. They’ve helped me dream, clarify those dreams, feel strong, feel confident, and feel RADIANT.
When I don’t have these practices, I feel dull.
When I do these practices, I feel radiant.