The rhythm of your breath. The rhythm of your feet against the pavement. The feeling of vitality coursing through your body. The sunrise on the water beside you. I love my morning run. Continue Reading…

Welcome to January and the time of year where everyone is feeling optimistic about goals and resolutions they have set for themselves. I never used to be one to make goals. I just lived in the moment and found contentment in whatever I decided to accomplish at the moment. But as I have gotten older and married someone who is very goal oriented, I have learned to get excited about goals. Continue Reading…

The older I get, I recognize more ways in which yoga has improved my daily life. One of which is breath control and the ability to focus and control my fears.

Since I was young, I have been trying to better myself, facing fears and stepping out of my comfort zone. Most of the time, these endeavors ended nicely but that did not mean there wasn’t real anxiety along the way. Continue Reading…

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I have heard this said. But beauty is very much realized in our own minds as well. It’s confidence. And I admit, I am not one to preach confidence. I, too, struggle with many insecurities and misconceptions of my own self. Continue Reading…

When the term “practice” is used for your yoga routine, it is appropriate in as many ways as I know. I have been doing yoga for five years and there are still so many things I cannot do.  And yet there are a lot of things I can. Yoga is a life journey, a practice not only with poses but also with meditation and faith. We come to our mat because we have made a commitment to our disciplines.

Many come to me, discouraged, or sometimes just convinced from the beginning that they could never practice yoga.  Continue Reading…

Looking back, I used to eat a lot differently than I do now. It started with giving up meat. And I remember the sacrifice and struggle I felt making the choice. Initially, you process feelings of drudgery and despair as you think of all of the things you will not eat anymore for the sake of health. It makes you feel hopeless. Continue Reading…

Some days I feel ninety years old and yesterday was one of those days. I assume I suffer from arthritis. Since adolescence I can remember living with joint pain and inflammation. I am only 26 years old and very healthy, I believe. But days like yesterday make me feel like giving up. Continue Reading…

Let’s be honest. Everyone has one. It’s just for some it works better than for others. Granted, some of you may have had it surgically removed. It’s ok. There’s medicine for that, because its function is vital to a fulfilled lifestyle for all.

Of course, I’m talking about your thyroid. Many women suffer from unbalanced thyroid hormones due to an under-active or overactive thyroid. Even men suffer from this too. Though it is most common with women.

I have been dying to write about this for months, since I had been discovered hypothyroid and started life changing medicine. My hypothyroidism was the only life I knew for so long: hazy brain, poor concentration, slurred words, chronic fatigue, cold body temperature. Starting a medication to regulate my thyroid is like being awake for the first time.

It is as if someone has adjusted the picture quality on the TV screen of my brain and I’m seeing everything in HD. Smells are stronger, the sun is warmer, and there is so much for the eye to discover. So many details I never knew were there. Not to mention the energy that has come back to me. I thought I liked to exercise before but look out world! I feel superhuman when I exercise now.

That’s what made me decide to write about thyroid disease this week. Waking up this morning, after increasing my medication to further balance my thyroid hormones, I felt like I had the strength of three Bethanys enjoying my workout routine, ready to take the world.

Do you suffer from lack of energy, no matter what you do? Maybe you have an underactive thyroid? Talk to your doctor. I praise God I did!

A new year, for many, brings new goals. And different types of people have different perspectives and styles for their goal lists. For me and my husband, it is a very opposite scenario. He is very detail oriented and motivated. His lists are very well thought out and long. Mine are usually scribbled on scratch paper and bigger picture visions rather than detailed steps.

Although, I will not change my perspective on what is priority, I will continue to try to warm up to the idea of goal lists. Let me share some with you:

1. I want to be determined in my writing. I want to not neglect my posts here with you.

2. I want to edit my book, which still does not have a title.

3. I want to stop cutting off the “g” on the end of “ing” words. I live in Virginia now. It’s time I started talking like it.

4. I want to develop a meditation class for the studio. Among other ideas here and there.

5. I want to be available for others, making their time more important than my own.

What are some goals you have?

I have never ran a race. I have never been skiing. I have never been to New York City. I have never jumped from a plane. I have never had wisdom teeth. I have never been a mother. There are many things I have not done, and some I may never choose to do but one thing I learned early in life: You don’t know if you like something until you try it.

When I was in jr. high school, I felt like public speaking was my biggest fear. I have always been small in stature and soft spoken. So the logical solution? I decided to join the speech team. I discovered that I loved public speaking and that I was actually good at it. I carried this passion through high school and college as well. Some of the most memorable relationships I had during those times were connected through the speech teams. Yet I would have never experienced any of it if I hadn’t dared to try something unknown and a little scary.

The same life strategy brought me to yoga. I first joined a yoga class when I was a senior in college. The university where me and two of my housemates attended offered classes to the students and we decided to give it a shot. I fell in love immediately with the culture and style. And I felt like it was something that had been a part of me my whole life.

You too have the opportunity to try something new. And its free. Tonight starts the first of three free class options. Come join me and others in a new experience. Details Here.