If you ever think you’re alone in how you view the world, send your thoughts out into it…the world will expose your unsnowflakiness. I was privileged to receive a scholarship to attend the Yoga Service Council Conference in New York a few weeks ago, and the like-mindedness of my peers and the connections made gave me continued confidence in Root to Rise. I mean, holy hell, these people believe that the body and breath can heal the mind just like I do, and they’ve got science and studies and loads of unpaid work to prove it. There’s almost too much packed into my brain to put down here without it turning into a stream of consciousness mess. So, I’m just going to give you links to some world-shakers.

Kelly McGonigal is impossible to ignore. Smart, well-spoken, easy on the eyes, and a helluva storyteller, she is out there walking her eloquent talk. Google her, follow her, watch her TED talks…if you don’t know her now, give it a hot minute.

I’ve never been so riveted by a scientist as I was Bessel van der Kolk. He managed to break down some of the headiest stuff around into concepts anyone could grasp. His research has shown that yoga has the ability to change the size of emotional centers in the brain so an individual can respond better to stressful situations. Oh hi, that’s huge. If he is ever anywhere within a 100-mile radius of me, I will again be in the front row.

Jasmine Chehrazi got me fired up because I felt like I could relate to her. She was matter-of-fact and kind at the same time. That woman is in the trenches – teaching trauma survivors in every capacity – from homeless shelters to schools to prisons…I’m her smaller scale, less patient, Okie counterpart. She runs a site,  www.yogaactivist.org , and it has heaps of resources for anyone interested in service.

Everyone that came together in Rhinebeck, no matter how different we all were, had a similar vision.  And, that made my vision so much more clear. I appreciate all of our varying approaches; it will only make me better. And hey, thanks for being my roommate by default, Juliana. I’m still mapping out that partnership…

I’ve got plans, kids. Big plans.