Embracing the Quiet Moments: Reflecting on Inner Growth as 2026 Begins

As 2026 begins, I find myself asking a simple question that carries a lot of weight:

Where have I been?

Not geographically—though there was movement there too—but internally. Energetically. In how I showed up for my body, my work, and my life.

2025 wasn’t loud. It wasn’t flashy. It was steady, intentional, and deeply formative. It was about searching and learning, discovering what I need to take greater steps in my life.

I spent much of 2025 finishing things I started—and letting myself be changed by them. It sacrificed travel and free time for sure but I knew that if I focused it would be worth it.

I continued through the majority of my doctorate program, not just as an academic milestone, but as a practice in endurance and humility. It required patience, structure, and the willingness to stay with complexity longer than was comfortable.

Alongside that, I moved through my yoga therapy program, reminding me that healing isn’t linear, healing is the embodiment of what really matters. Yoga therapy isn’t just about learning tools to help others, I was learning how to listen more closely to my own body -the energies and the patterns within myself, to better understand how to seek care rather than try to control.

What kept me grounded were days anchored in movement, including long 5-10 mile hikes that became a rhythm, a meditation in motion. The dog and I enjoyed those quiet moments in the forest almost daily, bonding us even more. Good friends were there for me too, and those were the times I reflected and even laughed, talking about the future and what I would be doing once studies were over. I lifted weights to feel strong, took yoga classes to remain centered and curious.

Most importantly, I returned to meditation and mantra as often as possible with two phrases I repeated often to myself in those quiet moments. One mantra was “Trust the process.” Know this is where you need to be right now, you have what you need to make this happen.  The other mantra that stayed close was “Live with an open heart” – don’t let anyone or anything allow you to break your connection to a greater power, the power from above and the power from within. It is with an open heart that I could live with intention and fully give myself to my goals and those who are important to me. 

These mantras weren’t affirmations for a vision board. They were reminders on days when things felt slow, uncertain, or unfinished.

Through all the focus on details, I also spent time curating what’s next, including planning the 2026 retreat in Portugal, and the other retreats to come. I remained curious, dreaming up spaces for connection, and holding the idea that work and wellbeing don’t have to live in separate lanes.

The numerous hours teaching yoga were shaped by the methodologies learned from my yoga therapy program. I could feel my role softening as I stepped into the room—less driven by what I planned to teach and more attuned to what was actually present. My attention naturally moved toward the breath, the nervous system, and the subtle cues people carried with them that day.

Teaching began to feel quieter and more relational, grounded in listening rather than directing, and in allowing space for both steadiness and tenderness to coexist. In that shift, my own practice changed as well, deepening my trust in yoga as a living relationship—with the body, the breath, and each unfolding moment.

Geographically, I was able to get away a few times to fill my soul with good energies. I spent a long weekend in Bar Harbor, Maine with my niece, we explored and hiked, took in all the sunsets and I even checked out a couple retreat locations while I was in the area. One fun memory was sifting through used books in an old barn. I could feel the energy of the people from the books' times and places; it was a magical afternoon.

Trevor and I then headed to Iceland for a week, which was more than impressive. The island of Iceland is not too large, so we were able to see Reykjavik and enjoy the northern part of the island before driving down along the southern coast of the island. We enjoyed waterfalls, breathtaking landscapes, a thermal bath, and even saw a live volcano glowing in the distance. The trip to Iceland and Maine was a nice distraction from school, reminding me that school would soon be over in 2026.

I was grateful to fil my year with traditional give back projects including yoga flow for a cause, supporting the animal shelter and the women’s shelter, along with cider donuts and pumpkin pies for the family food center, and goodie bags for the kiddos in pediatrics at the hospital.

When I am giving back my heart is most full. It means so much to me to give back and share those moments with friends and kindhearted souls.

Holidays were quiet and that was okay, because it was in those quiet moments I could reflect on what was most important to me. Eating slower, savoring each bite and embracing each moment, know that not everyone had the fortunes that I do and the loved ones to share them with.

As I sit here on the first day of January, this is what I’m planning to take with me into 2026.

• Consistency over intensity – showing up regularly mattered more than pushing harder

• Listening before reacting – to my body, my work, and the people around me

• Movement as medicine – not for performance, but for clarity and grounding

• Trust in timing – even when progress felt quiet

• An open heart – choosing curiosity and compassion, especially with myself

These weren’t lessons learned once. They were practiced—sometimes imperfectly—over and over again.

What I’m Leaving Behind

And just as important, there are things I’m not bringing with me:

• The pressure to constantly prove instead of simply be

• Over-identifying with productivity as a measure of worth

• Rushing clarity instead of allowing it to emerge

• Carrying what was never mine to hold in the first place

2025 showed me that not everything needs fixing. Some things need space.

Stepping Forward

I’m not entering 2026 with a rigid plan or a list of resolutions. I’m entering with discernment, momentum, and a quieter kind of confidence.

Some plans of mine for 2025 include continuing my podcast “Probabilities” and sharing all the miraculous ideas, plans, and projects that can be achieved when someone believes in themselves and their capabilities. The last semester of my doctorate is scheduled for March 17th, with graduation in October of 2026. My Yoga therapy training continues to progress as I complete my stewardship and mentorship and practice with my own clients. My yoga teaching continues to grow and evolve, offering the goodness of yoga therapy, coaching, and fundamental applications that I believe make yoga perfect for everyday. My give-back projects will continue in the community, with chair yoga at the hospital once a month and regular donation-based classes supporting the family food center, animal shelter, and women’s shelter.

Portugal 2026 is right around the corner,

and I am so thrilled to be sharing space with others for a 5-day retreat along the Algarve coast. Planning this upcoming retreat has kept my heart beating and my vision of love and adventure, alive and well. I hope you are planning to join us in Portugal.

As I close this blog, I want to reinforce the intention will remain simple: To keep moving, keep listening, keep trusting—and to continue building a life and body of work that feels aligned, sustainable, and human.

This is not a reset. It’s a continuation.