You’ll Never Be the Same—and This is the Gift
I’ve been feeling…
Assaulted.
From inside me and outside me.
Assaulted by memories and current events —
by fears about my children’s futures and the futures of all our children —
and slivers of trip-ups and patterns I’ve been able to step away from…
then find myself falling back into.
Three steps forward.
Two steps back.
I used to be afraid of the reverse.
I was very afraid that I would take two steps forward
and fall three steps back.
I understand now that this is not possible.
And I’d like to share why I believe this.
Why This Matters
Have you ever heard that the human body reproduces its cells every seven days —
and that, in essence, we become a new being each time?
This idea planted itself into my mind many years ago
after reading about nutrition and cell replacement.
Since then, it’s evolved in quiet, powerful ways.
And it relates deeply to that old fear — the fear of going backwards.
Because the truth is:
We can never return to exactly who or what we were.
No matter how little or how much time has passed.
We can’t go back to where we started.
A Gentle Reframe
In other words, we start fresh:
with every breath,
with every step,
with every word.
So “begin again” — a phrase I’ve long loved from Ayurveda
to remind us not to despair when we fall short —
is not quite accurate.
Because when we start over, we never start over from the exact same place.
This is reassuring to me.
Here’s how:
Once we’ve had a thought, we can’t return to who we were before we had it.
That version of us isn’t here anymore — except as memory.
Always in Motion
We’re never the same person.
One or seven or twenty-seven cells shifted when we spoke or stepped or chose —
or didn’t choose —
and now we’re different.
That’s why I tell you:
Even thinking about going on a retreat or taking a course or taking a walk
shifts our insides.
Even if you never do it — the thought alone changes you.
You considered it.
And that’s enough.
When we do choose to do something,
we set wheels in motion —
within ourselves,
within the universe.
We are already changed before we take the first step,
get on the plane,
put our shoes on to walk.
No matter how large or small the step,
even if we never take the next one —
we are forever changed.
Everything We Digest
In Ayurveda, it’s believed that we digest everything we encounter:
The food we eat.
The food we look at.
Words we hear.
Tones of voice.
TV commercials.
Books we read.
Everything becomes part of our body-mind-spirit.
Even Western science — with its understanding of cellular renewal —
affirms this truth:
We are always taking in, letting go, being remade.
You’re Already Different
Over the years, I’ve shared many tools with you.
Whether you use one every day, once a month, on and off forever —
or simply considered using one —
you’re not the same person who first encountered it.
So if you try any of the following — or even think, “Not today,”
you are changed.
Gentle Tools to Meet Yourself
Put a hand on your heart and cover it with the other. Breathe in deeply. Breathe out even deeper.
Place one hand at the base of your skull and the other over your heart. Breathe three slow, long, even breaths in… and three even longer, deeper breaths out.
Close your eyes. From behind your closed lids, look up as though you could see your eyebrows from inside. Stay there, noticing the quiver.
These are short and sweet.
They inform each other.
They become easier to access —
a soft residue your nervous system remembers.
And the longer practices?
Like restorative poses held for 20+ minutes?
Each time we do one, it nourishes the others.
Their impact stretches through our days.
We find calm more easily.
We don’t have to reach so far for it.
A Live Invitation
On Saturday, July 12, I’ll be guiding a special restorative yoga practice at Just Breathe Yoga Studio in Crest Hill, IL.
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
I’ll assist you in finding the most comfortable versions of each pose —
with as many blankets and pillows as we can find.
I’ll talk you to a place where you feel safe to release.
I’ll chant (some say I sing you to sleep).
I’ll play the Himalayan bowls — sounds that can take you “somewhere else.”
With your permission:
I’ll tuck you in.
I’ll soothe your brow with essential oils.
I’ll hold sacred space for you.
A Gentle Closing
You will be changed.
We always are.
And you will feel better.
I promise.
blessings,
