And a yogi.* And an animal lover.

I’m wildly imperfect. Full of contradictions. And done, totally done, with justifying and explaining.

Every dalliance. Every nap. Saying no, thank you. Glass of wine on a school night. Not having a regular blogging schedule (or a regular anything business-oriented). For lack of clarity on anything other than wanting to feel light, loved, and share some every day. Every time I just feel like sitting at Starbucks sipping my dirty chai, writing, and having groovy little conversations with neighborhood friends…or new friends.

But I do know this: It’s alright.

And there’s more to share.

• Sometimes I eat cookie butter. With a spoon. Big spoonfuls.
• Two words: Phish Food.
• My meditation practice? Often it happens while sitting on the toilet, reading a magazine. Or a step up, during a long hot shower or solo car ride with my latest favorite tune cranking.
• I react, rather than calmly reflecting on the post-toddler, pre-teen, or teen mega-attitudes in our house. And I’ve wished for a whistle like Captain VonTrapp in The Sound of Music so everyone would just line right up. I’ve used scare tactics, bribes, and…tears.
• Laundry waits. Dusting waits. There are closets in my house with boxes of files from 1995. But I get to yoga class a few times a week.

I’ve learned some magic reset buttons, and hit at least one of ’em daily. Yoga; juicing; cleansing (digestive and electronic); mini-retreat days at home (and occasionally out of town, too!); connecting with my soul sisters, chiropractor, and cognitive behavioral therapist; the tickle treatment; a good, long walk with Bodhi…and raw chocolate! Deep sigh. Smile.

I feel waaaay better, look better (not bragging…just what I’m told), laugh more, and have fun with people I really care about–especially at home–because of this dance, this exploration of feeling good, free, calm, and not banging myself over the head every time I screw up (read: practice or research).

So keep doing your research, ’cause that’s what all this is: real life, finding your way to what feels right. Your lifeyum.

And maybe you’d like to Tweet that, or one of your own creation. Click below to Tweet!

Who’s ready to share their no-more-justification list? Leave a confession (or two!) and/or reset technique below.

Let me emphatically clear up one widespread misunderstanding. Nowhere in the Vedas or in the ancient teachings is it said that you must be a strict vegetarian. Westerners, in particular, seem to believe that to seriously study Yoga it is imperative to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle. This is not the case, and for some individuals may even be unhealthy. That my family has a vegetarian diet is a matter of preference, but we live in a hot, tropical climate that produces a great abundance and variety of fruits, grains, and vegetables.

Krishnamacharya’s teachings on the subject often come as a surprise. Although there were certain guidelines based upon common sense, he taught that food — as all other aspect of Yoga — must be considered in terms of the individual. We must begin to understand our needs and responses to food with the same care we devote to an understanding of our bodies, mind, and breath. It is an integral part of our self-study.

—T.K.V. Desikachar with R.H. Cravens, Health, Healing and Beyond: Yoga and the Living Tradition of T. Krishnamacharya

* How you live is your unique, ever-changing dance. That goes for your diet, too, and I really believe that approaching food with an open mind will allow you to know yourself: The right diet and the the right nutrition will come to you. Pigs are among my favorite animals and I’m not making a habit of the whole bacon thing; but lightening up a little on the vegan dogma has brought a lot of ease to our home.

Cheers to you,