I am pleased to now offer my Himalayan Dreamscape pen & ink drawing as a sticker. Put it on your water bottle, journal, even add to your bike or car bumper.

10% of all sales from this image will be donated to the LRI School in Kathmandu, Nepal.

​Scroll down to read more about this incredible school, and ​click here to purchase a sticker.

Curious to travel to Nepal? Click here to learn how you can trek the Annapurna with me this April with Driftwood Adventures.  

​​​The inspiration
Created over the course of a 17 day trek in the Kombu valley of Nepal to Everest Base Camp with Driftwood Adventure Treks, this piece began as a plein air sketch (meaning, drawn on location) of mount Thamserku, a mountain in the Himalayas of eastern Nepal. 

I outlined an initial impression of the mountain range a few days in to our trek, and every evening, following a long day of moving meditation, I'd return back to the drawing as we would gather with our Nepali guides and warm our bodies around the stove. There was a tingling sensation in my fingertips from the altitude that I have never before experienced, and by the time the drawing was nearly finished, I could barely feel my hands connect with the page anymore as they grew colder and colder from the ascension.

​My dreams were impressionably vivid during this time, and tears would burst forth from my eyes every single day on the trip, to the point where it became a running joke in our group that something quite powerful was moving within and through me, and indeed, it was. Something about immersing myself in these mountains and connecting with the people here felt like a direct pathway to the Heart, in all its radiant purity. 

I worked with Tshering, our kind, wise, and compassionate sherpa, a man with the strength and endurance of a seasoned mountaineer balanced with a childlike levity of spirit, to add the Nepalese spelling of the mountain peaks, as well as "Shanti", or Peace, in Nepali script, in the lower right corner. 

This image is as near and dear to my heart as the landscape and people of Nepal, and I'm thrilled to offer this as a sticker as well as an archival print. 

Click here to learn how you can join us in Nepal this April. 

The LRI School
During my visit to Nepal with Driftwood Adventure Treks, I had the honor of visiting the LRI School in Kathmandu and offering the Shri Yoga Curriculum, following in the footsteps of another Shri teacher who did her graduate residency at the school and offered mindfulness and trauma recovery skills to students and staff after the devastating earthquake of 2015. 

On my final day in Kathmandu, the leadership team, including the founder of the school, Yashodhara Pant, welcomed me with generosity and kindness, and I spent the entire day working with the students, building community between Nepalese and US students from the Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket, as well as connecting with the founders, development director, principal, and teachers, learning more about LRI's mission, and seeing the school's values in action. 

I was blown away with the level of engagement I felt from the staff as well as from the students. LRI is equipping young people in Nepal to become actively engaged global citizens who lead with empathy, compassion, and a deep-rooted sense of social responsibility. I'm excited to find ways to bring more of LRI's mission and values to school and after-school curricula right here in Rhode Island. 
​
Additionally, LRI also offers sponsorship programs for students whose families otherwise could not otherwise afford to send them to school, an also acts as a boarding school for children from rural villages to access education by living and studying in Kathmandu. Please stay tuned for more information on how you can sponsor a Nepali student's education from across the ocean. 

​I'll never forget Yashodhara's eyes light up as she shared with me,

"We may not be rich in money, but we are rich in heart, and in community." 

This couldn't have been more apparent to me by the generosity, kindness, and enthusiasm that I felt flowing through everyone who I connected with - students, teachers, and leadership team.

Please consider purchasing a print or sticker of my Himalayan Dreamscape image and help support equal access to innovative education for the next generation of global citizens.   ​

Join me next week at Denali for my first lecture on Breaking Into the Outdoors! 

​Check out this video from our annual Shri Yoga fundraiser on Sunday. It was such a deep honor to represent Shri in Nepal this April. Sharing the Shri curriculum with two international schools while engaging with new cultures and education systems, and even getting paid for doing it, was an ultimate dream come true!!

I continue to process layers of the experience of engaging with the people and land of this extraordinarily resilient country, and continue to search for words that fully express my gratitude and appreciation to photo philanthropist Bri Gallo for making this opportunity possible for me.

Coming to me at a time when I was struggling with so much fear of uncertainty about my future, traveling to this awe-inspiring, deeply felt, spiritual country felt nothing short of miraculous. To feel such a heartfelt welcome from the soulfully beautiful people of Nepal including Tshering Tendi Sherpa, and to experience the incredible magnitude and altitude of the Himalayas? I cannot think of a more potent or powerful balm for a weary soul.

My involvement with Shri International was made entirely possible by Bri, who offered me the chance of a lifetime to collaborate with her through Driftwood Adventure Treks. When the team at Shri learned I'd be trekking to Everest, they offered me the honorable opportunity of sharing the curriculum with two local schools.

My dear friend Tomasz Krawczak captured the amazing drone footage of the school in the Lukla Valley where I taught a few days after visiting Base Camp, and was assisted by my friend May Kaewken. It's included in this amazing recap that Shri supporter Dave Mongeau made for our big fundraiser this weekend, which was a big success. How energizing it was to be in sold-out room of people who believe in the work that Alison and the whole Shri community is doing. I LOVED seeing two of my mentors Coral Brown and Stephanie Marisca show up, as well.

I really and truly mean it in the video that I would not have had this opportunity if it weren't for an incredibly supportive community back home. Out of what has felt like the darkest and scariest period I've experienced in this life, I've come to feel brighter and more supported than ever, thanks to the people who have believed in me and given me such incredible opportunities to fan my wings out and soar.
​
I feel so incredibly lucky to be able to write these words.

Dear friends,

I hope with all my heart that you will consider joining me on August 19 at the Dunes Club for an evening of live music and dancing under starry skies and luminarias in support of organization that is lighting up so much hope and potential in our community, Shri Yoga.​

​Just yesterday I was teaching mindfulness to a group of 25 5th graders at the Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket. Even though we're just a few weeks in to our summer program, I'm already seeing  a level of trust, respect, and rapport being established, allowing me to connect with them on deeper level. As I led them through a guided meditation at the end of class, it brought tears to my eyes to see their fidgeting and chit-chat subside as they focused on the rise and fall of their breath.

Along with my Pawtucket kids, I also witnessed inspiring growth with my transition students at North Providence High School over the past year. The increase in their self-confidence was visibly and audibly apparent in many of the kids, and it was a humbling honor to earn their trust, and to be a part of their growth as well as their joy.

My Monday night class of men from The Fogarty Center and Venture Community Services never fails to lift my faith in the power of community. The students and social workers in this class carry my spirits week after week. 

I've seen the power of Shri programming in every organization I've worked with, from The Learning Community to Girls Leadership Collaborative, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ocean State, Woonsocket Head Start, and more.... even as far as the LRI school in Nepal! 

I'm learning how it truly takes a community to support this kind of work, and we are grateful for every dollar invested in our programming. Additionally, the 6PM Wednesday night open class I'm beginning next week at Shri will support our mission, and I hope you'll consider attending a class and bringing a friend or two :)

I'm deeply honored to represent Shri, and grateful to Heather Bryant and Alison Bologna for creating a pathway for me to channel my passion into service while also also keeping the rent paid in what's grown to be the home art/yoga studio of my DREAMS here in East Providence, RI :) 

We hope to see you on August 19th!

​I've been pretty excited to share this sequence of photos for quite some time, beginning with my first day hike in NH in September 2014 up until my journey to Everest Base Camp with Driftwood Adventure Treks this past April. 

I've noticed that I can still get caught up in comparing myself to others in my professional and personal life and feel like a bit of a late bloomer, or a lone wolf, or some combination of the two, and when my mind goes wandering down that road, I can get pretty down on myself. 

Looking back on these photos and seeing the progression of self-confidence and joie de vivre that is clear as day lends a lot of perspective. It leads me to believe I'm exactly where I need to be on this path. To touch into this sense of calm in the midst of so much life transition is something truly awesome- something to celebrate and give thanks for. 

This is the whole inspiration for my interest in leading retreats and expeditions. I'm drawn to creating opportunities for women who are craving a return to their wild nature but not sure where to begin. My vision is for women to be able immerse themselves in the outdoors, perhaps for the first time - challenging their comfort zones, and waking up to more of their power, confidence, and joy. I also see a path for this in yoga and the creative arts. The ultimate vision is some combination of the three, while fostering a sense of community and camaraderie. 

This is the year it all comes together, and I am so grateful for all the support I have and will continue to receive along the way <3

Eight years ago I stepped through the doorway of online entrepreneurship through my Etsy shop.

I was super energized about silk painting, serious about sharing my craft with the world, and inspired to earn an income doing something I truly loved.

​I invested in a brand new Macbook Pro to show the Universe just how serious I was, and trusted the investment would pay off. It did. By nearly 3,000%. It was a total joy. 

In celebration, I'll be holding a few days in my calendar over the next two weeks to create some new hand painted silk scarves and neckties and posting them for sale (and then, switching gears to focus on an upcoming artist residency with SEEN RI, which I am SO excited to share with you!)

Just Beyond Yourself: A Poem
By David Whyte

Just beyond
yourself.
It’s where
you need
to be.
Half a step
into
self-forgetting
and the rest
restored
by what
you’ll meet.
There is a road
always beckoning.
When you see
the two sides
of it
closing together
at that far horizon
and deep in
the foundations
of your own
heart
at exactly
the same
time,
that’s how
you know
it’s the road
you
have
to follow.
That’s how
you know
it’s where
you
have
to go.
That’s how
you know
you have
to go.
That’s
how you know.
Just beyond
yourself,
it’s
where you
need to be.

Who's up for a summer getaway with YURTS and Yoga, FOOD and Fitness and so much more?! I'm SUPER stoked to be partnering with my awesomely talented friend Colin Aina of 212 Health and Performance to offer you an AMAZING summer getaway at Driftwood, located near the foothills of the White Mountains, July 6-8!
Enjoy fun and engaging outdoor fitness and yoga classes customized for all abilities, with built-in coaching designed to help you leave feeling empowered, inspired, connected, and rejuvenated.

In your down time, wander remote walking paths, take a dip in the salt water pool and hot tub, go for a hike in the White Mountains, visit the adjacent horse stables, or lounge in one of the hammocks.
Additionally, enjoy gourmet meals, nightly activities, music, and thought-provoking campfires with AWESOME new friends.

Colin is a world class athlete and head coach with an awesome sense of humor. He and I both share a passion for helping people step outside of their comfort zones and bring out the very best in themselves while having a ton of fun along the way!! If your abs aren’t sore from our classes they most definitely will be sore from all the laughing 🤣😭😭
This retreat WILL SELL OUT so please don't delay! Register today to reserve your spot and bring a friend or two!