Choosing your #TRIBE. Yes, it IS a choice.
This photo was shot last summer with the intention of writing this post and I'm just now getting around to it because #pregnancylife. I wanted to take this shot in front of a wall in the Butchertown neighborhood of Louisville with the word LOVE painted in bold rainbow script.
There are a couple of things about this photo that I felt fitting for this very post. Namely, the fact that I'm posing in a handstand variation, and that I look tiny in relation to the backdrop. Why is that fitting you wonder? Stay with me, y'all...
Well, first of all, handstands have scared me my entire life. Being a runner in my pre-yoga days, I'm used to having my feet firmly rooted on the ground. The thought of balancing on my hands seemed to be an impossible feat and something that I needed to learn at a younger age if I was to ever master them. I found yoga as I approached my thirties. As my practice expanded, so did my mentality about standards; standards about limitations I placed on my own abilities, and also standards I set for whom I choose to surround myself with. I believe that there are two major pitfalls that we can find ourselves in when choosing the people we surround ourselves with. The first is letting anyone and everyone into our sacred space. We've all been there, in an attempt to be inclusive to everyone, we let people enter sacred parts of our lives who really shouldn't be there -people who intentionally or even unintentionally hurt us. You see, gently placing barriers to those types of influences in an act of SELF LOVE. You do not owe anyone and or everyone your time or mental energy. Remember that!
“Surround yourself with people who add value to your life. Who challenge you to be greater than you are yesterday. Who sprinkle magic into your existence, just like you do to theirs. Life isn’t meant to be done alone. Find your time, and journey freely and loyally together”
The second thing I mentioned abut this photo is how small I look in comparison to the word love. Because it's true. We only see the world from our vantage point so it is easy to get consumed by all the tiny things that can eat away at us. But if we take a step back to see the whole picture, love surrounds us. It's really everywhere. If you find all those people who love your quirks as much as you love theirs, and believe in you even when you don't believe in yourself, those are YOUR people. It doesn't mean that you disregard everyone else; it just helps you zone into what matters most. Your inner goddess can smile and shrug the next time you encounter an action or event that would have sent your former self into a frenzy of self-pity and know that you are loved by the people who make up the big picture of what life's all about. Sending all the love to my tribe today (and the little tribe member in my belly ;-)).
Xoxo,
Paloma