Yoga, Inspiration, & Dayana....

My Friend Beautiful Dayana doing what she loves....

Me & Dayana at our Favorite Little Cafe...

True Beauty inside & out.....

At My Art Show with the piece I painted after her poem....

     Hello Loves!!! Happy Saturday! I am writing tonight because tomorrow will be too hectic..in a good way though. I'm working, then yoga, & then having some girlfriends over for some yummy wine & food. So how was everyone's week? I have been thinking about different ideas for my blog, & I had an idea that once a week I'd like to write about 1 woman in my life who is an Inspiration to me somehow. I really want this blog to be about celebrating each other, inspiring each other, & just basically hoping any tips or thoughts you may get from here can help you all grow as a person. Of course I am no expert, but I write what I know & what I know is I am always a work in progress, yet I am learning from writing this blog I am growing & connecting to others more. It is filling my heart with such love & building my confidence. So THANK YOU again to all who has been reading, supporting me, & just be authentically happy for me! I appreciate ya & love ya!
     Anyways so here's my first "Inspirational Woman" for this week! Wow...Dayana...what can I say other than she is an ANGEL. Truly. I met Dayana in junior high when we were around 12 or 13. We always had a great time together, & I always thought she was the sweetest. We shared the same love for writing, & so we would go to coffee & share our poetry. I had written poems since I was 12, & up until a year ago when one of my poems got published, I had only shared my poetry with her. It was so personal, but with her I felt safe to share. There was never any judgement in her spirit, & still isn't. After high school graduation we sort of lost touch. I'd always see her at the little beauty store she worked at, & we'd say "Let's do coffee!" Finally about two years ago, after talking about it so much, we did it. Dayana had just ended a long term relationship with her ex, & that is truly when our friendship took off.
     But not only did our friendship take off after that, but she blossomed in so many ways. She became braver, stronger, happier, & well basically just grew more into herself. She had tried a hot yoga class in our town, & I had been wanting to try it as well for so long. She convinced me to go, & there we were the newbies to the class giggling nervously not knowing where yoga would take us. Yoga, Coffee Dates, Poetry sessions, & many memories later I can say she is truly one of my best friends. She is the most positive person I know, always sees the good in even the worst situations, & keeps me from being too pessimistic at times. She always gives me uplifting advice, & shows me my rainbow even in the worst of storms. She is one of the most amazing writers I know, & her poetry brings you to tears at times. She went for her dream this year & completed her masters degree in english. At one of my recent Art Shows, the theme was called, "A Novel Night," & the theme was to do a painting after your favorite writer. I immediately thought of Dayana, & her poem called, "Cafe Rialto." Which was named after our favorite little cafe we always have oatmeal & coffee after yoga every week. It was about the possibility of love at that cafe. So I painted it, & then handed it to her to keep since she was the inspiration.
     She has also not only become a full time yogi, & has transformed her body beautifully, but she nows manages one of the studios I attend. This fall she is going into teacher training to become a yoga instructor. It truly is so perfect for her because when your around her, she brings you a sense of calmness & serenity. She has showed me to love & embrace yoga & even suggested I attend teacher training someday to become an instructor....me? I have always secretly dreamed of that as a side thing, but I always felt too scattered, too hyper, too..everything. And with my autoimmune disease I can never predict how my body will feel day to day. But Dayana just sent me a kind message after saying, "I have this feeling that you should." Her words, her kindness, & her belief in me is so moving.
      I was brave enough to get back to my hot yoga a few weeks ago, & I have now done it 8 days in a row. I truly believe it is benefiting my body, strengthening my legs, easing my stress, & hopefully helping me on the road to remission. I feel so happy doing it, I feel stronger, & healthier in general. Remember that blog recently about not obsessing over my diet? Well I haven't been the last week while practicing my yoga, & I lost almost 3 pounds. So by taking care of my mental, it transcended into my physical. So I have decided for the month of August to do my own 30 Day Yoga Challenge. The goal is to do 30 classes in 30 days..or 31 since August is a bit longer...yay! I feel excited & I know Dayana will be cheering me all the way. So who's the inspiring woman in your life today? Have you told them, if not tell them. Sometimes us women are so hard on ourselves that we don't even see that to the outside world we may inspiring someone right now, by well just being us. So let's celebrate each other girls, & if you have a Dayana in your life..let her know how amazing she is. I know I've told mine.
     Here's Dayana's Amazing Blog if you get a chance friends, please check it out!
     Dayanavazquez,blogspot.com