Let’s get philosophical today for the next installment in the Be Beautiful series. You may be wondering what profound thing I might have to say about the topic of happiness. Does it have to be profound? Does it have to be original to be worthy of reading? Does it have to be something new to be worth your time in understanding or absorbing? Perhaps I would just like to share what I have learned and maybe you can learn something from me. Perhaps we can learn something from each other. What does the cake have to do with it. Nothing to you, perhaps. To me, it’s happiness. I love to eat, I love to bake. I cultivate solitude in baking. I could have chosen a yogic photo too, as I find just as much solitude in my daily practice. But today, it’s cake. How does cake bring me happiness? How does anything bring me happiness? IT doesn’t. IT does not bring me anything. Those things are just things. Those activities are just such things. Happiness …

Let’s start off the week with some deep thoughts.When was the last time you took a minute to check in with yourself and make sure you’re on the right track – the track of a healthy, happy you. Often times we let our own mental and physical health take the back burner while we focus on progressing in work, school or social networks. I find myself snapping so many photos thinking about Instagram when I walk to the beach, instead of just doing what I went there to do: relax and get away. Get away from my own busy mind. That busy mind that often times keeps me up at night, just spinning and running with thoughts so coherent I wonder why I can’t just be productive while sleeping too? Then I wake up drained and tired. Does this sound like you too? Then you definitely need to take a minute and find some peace with yourself. This is the easiest for me to do with yoga. In a restorative class, I am able to …

Staying active is a huge part of my life – for my health and fitness, but also for my mind. I’ve noticed when I don’t engage my body in some kind of activity, I feel lethargic throughout the day, and tend to eat and snack on things that aren’t good for me. Does this happen to you too? I wanted to share some ways that I stay active, perhaps it might provide just the right amount of motivation you seek to get going! First, I was not built athletic – I’m a petite frame and just like any other woman, I have problem areas that I can never seem to tame (hello thighs). But when I took my focus off of concentrating on “fixing” a problem, and rather on just working my core as a whole, I realized I was much more motivated to continue staying active. | CHANGE IT UP |  I found that a routine is NOT the way to go for me. I need change, and I need to make my body …

Amongst all the busy, crazy, stressful times of the past couple weeks, I did manage to sit down and devote some quiet time to my own thoughts, prayers and soul searching. I hope that you recall this post where I introduced you to a new series that Meghan and I will be working through for the next two months? Your Beautiful Purpose by Susie Larson is a devotional that we hoped you might would join us as we unravel some of the mystery behind what each of our purposes truly is here on earth. I’ve always had an idea of what mine is, but was just never quite so sure about it…. this book has already helped me address some fears, concerns and insecurities. Let me tell how… I don’t want to approach this sharing by walking you through each chapter and discussing the main points. Instead, I’d like to just share some of what I discovered about myself. I read the first two chapters in Section 1, which focused on bringing to your realization …