First and foremost, I strive to remember, practice and embody the Yamas and Niyamas, the first two limbs of yoga. I like to call them “ways you should treat the world and everyone in it,” and “ways you should treat yourself.” Beyond that though, here are the core values that I live to my best ability every day:
Love ~ Is love a value? I say it is. I approach each moment, each person, each being, the planet and the universe with love above all else. To quote one of my favorite people, “love is not a whisper or a weakness, no love is strong.” It takes more in many situations to lead with love than to lead with anything else. To me, love is important and must come first.
Integrity ~ Integrity to me is two-fold, combining both definitions of the word. On the surface, in the context of values, integrity is about being honest, speaking your truth and upholding your values always. Secondly though, having integrity, stemming if-you-will from the other definition of the word, means being a whole person. Striving to keep body, mind, and spirit connected. When body, mind, and spirit are connected, I believe being honest, speaking your truth and upholding your values come more naturally.
Blue ~ Again, I can imagine how this might not be seen as a value, but to me when I think of blue I think of unique, but approachable at the same time. Aside from the sky and the sea, blue doesn’t occur that often naturally. It stands out. At the same time, blue is calming and comforting. I try my best to embody both of these traits, being completely unique yet approachable.
Inclusivity ~ I believe that yoga and lomilomi should be accessible to all. Beyond that though, in life in general, I know that our best ideas and our strength come from diversity. I enjoy surrounding myself with people who are different than me and different from each other and learning as much as I can from each and every one of them. Making sure everyone is welcome, to me, is really important.
Growth ~ When we are not growing, when we are stagnant, life starts to feel icky. Learning is one of my favorite things and I feel it is essential to living a good life. All my teachers are constantly learning and relaying new information. I try my best to do the same and I know I feel my best when I am growing and learning.
Kokua ~ Kokua is a Hawaiian word that means “to help”. It is helping without expectation of personal gain. It can also refer to a caregiver or someone who helps others. When I think of kokua, I think of being kind to the planet, looking out for the well-being of us all, and helping each other when we are in need. To practice kokua is one of the best things that we can do and I try my best to keep it in the forefront of my mind as I go through my life.
Humor ~ There is value in being serious, but there is also value in being able to smile and laugh. So much in this world is serious today, and I know I can be very much so, but I try, in my teaching and whenever I work with anyone to bring a smile and some humor to the situation. If you’ve ever been in a really serious yoga class you know how it can be. My classes are not so, we have a lot of fun and laugh and smile. That’s not what some people want always, but I think the world needs more joy.