Lately, I’ve been sitting with the question: What really gives me value?

For so long, I looked for validation in the same places most of us do — achievement, productivity, being seen, being needed. In my yoga business, that looked like growing my YouTube channel, sending more emails, creating more content. There’s nothing wrong with any of that — but I’ve realized that when my worth depends on those outcomes, I lose touch with the quiet, steady part of me that already is enough.

When the world around us changes — or when the things that once gave us purpose stop feeling right — it can feel like losing a part of ourselves. But maybe what we’re really losing are just the masks we’ve been wearing to belong.

What if we stopped trying to be “someone” and just let ourselves be?

When I feel lost or unsure of my next step, I don’t usually drop right into stillness or meditation — I turn to slowing down.

I give myself a morning to simply reconnect with me and with my life — the real, ordinary parts of it. I move slowly around the house, maybe make a cup of tea, open a window, and let myself just be home.

I start with what’s in front of me: picking up the house, decluttering a bit, writing out the jumble of thoughts in my head, looking at my finances, preparing for the week ahead.

It’s not glamorous, but it’s grounding.

These small, steady actions remind me that I’m not actually lost — I’m just being called back to presence. Back to what really matters.

The truth is, our value doesn’t come from what we produce or how much we’re seen.

It comes from our capacity to love, to listen, to be present with ourselves and others.

It’s who we are when no one is watching.

So this week, maybe give yourself permission to let one “mask” drop — the one that says you have to prove yourself, or be successful, or always be doing more. See who you are underneath all that striving. I have a feeling you’ll find something soft, grounded, and so real waiting there.

★ What’s Helping Me This Week ★

❤︎  What I’m Practicing:
My Somatic Yin for Grounding video — a slow, gentle practice to come back into the body and release the need to “figure it all out.” WATCH HERE.

❤︎  What I’m Watching:
I love watching quiet, slow, ASMR-style YouTube videos for slow living inspiration. Their pace reminds me that it’s okay to move gently through the world. This was one that I absolutely loved about an older gentleman creating his hobbit-style house over many years. It's beautiful! WATCH HERE.

❤︎  What I’m Reading:
A passage from The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer about letting go of the need for external validation really hit me hard, in the best possible way. It says,

"You’re constantly trying to fill yourself from the outside, because you’re afraid you are empty inside.
The only permanent solution is to stop being afraid of emptiness.
When you stop needing people and things to validate you, you find a peace that doesn’t depend on anything.”

 

❤︎  What I’m Smelling & Crafting: 

If you know me at all, you know I love simmer pots!! They are the perfect, easy, seasonal craft to set the tone for a more mindful day and just brings me a sense of peace - reminding me to slow down and enjoy the present. What's in my simmer pot right now is: 

• Pine sprigs
• Cranberries
• Dried orange slices
• Cinnamon sticks
• Star anise 
• Dried lavendar
• Whole nutmeg

Really, if you bake at all, you can rummage through your spices or head outside and see what you can find!

❤︎  What I’m Cooking:
While I love simple, roasted root vegetables with avocado oil, rosemary, and salt, I love to pair it with some home made bread. This week, I am going to try some foccacia. Here is a recipe I found if you want to try it too!

★ Journaling & Insight ★

Take five minutes today to sit quietly with your hand on your heart and ask yourself:

“If I didn’t need anyone to validate me, what would I truly want to do next?”

You don’t need an answer — just the willingness to listen. I invite you to try a "free-writing" journaling session with this question. Don't overthink it, just let the words, and maybe some long-held tears, flow. 

Remember, you don’t have to have it all figured out. Sometimes slowing down, tending to your space, and taking a breath is the most powerful next step you can take.

To our collective healing, 

Crystal