I realize I have so much to be thankful for—life is good.

The past 27 years have been overflowing with life lessons, health challenges and mind-blowing realizations. I’m excited for what’s to come.

So, I wanted to share my thoughts and reflections from the past 27 years with you, written in the proverbial “you” sense meaning me, you and anyone that cares to read it.

1. We don’t meet people by accident. When certain people come into our lives, we know right away they were meant to be there…To serve some sort of purpose, to teach us a lesson, or to help us to figure out who we are or who we want to become. We never know who these people may be, but the moment we lock eyes with them, we know that every moment we are with them, they will affect our life in some profound way.

2. Karma is real. It might take seconds, years or decades, but it always comes back to us.

3. Kindness breeds kindness. When we realize that everyone is facing their own struggles and pain, and when we look at others with kindness, friendliness and compassion, instead of judgment, hatred and fear, we become stronger. We become healers to ourselves and others.

4. When we remember that our contract with life doesn’t specify that we’ll always get what we what, we’ll find that even in the midst of mourning a loss or trying to repair the damage from a mistake, we won’t feel like a victim.

5. The truth is, when we stop living in our emotions, when we detach from the pain, the negative emotions, we can truly find peace within ourselves. Right here, in this space, is where real healing occurs.

6. Letting go of anything that binds us to ego opens the space of freedom to be more engaged and present, without agenda or superficiality. The things that really matter are the relationships that withstand the test of time and struggle, our health and state of mind, the experiences we gain from life, and the lives we impact through our presence.

7. Each time we are confronted with our vulnerability, we see life in a different perspective. What remains after even the worst destruction is our existential essence, how we think, what we desire, who we are, our true, true self. Because in essence, material things are not really all that important. Nothing but life itself and the ones you care for. All the rest can be acquired. When you can wrap your arms around the one you love and find the comfort you need, that is precious, that is real.

8. We are only here for a short while and in that time, all we can and have to do is make a difference to ourselves and the ones we love.

9. As we change stale habits that are no longer serving our lives, we reach higher levels as individuals and we vibrate at a higher frequency, impacting others around us in a very positive way. When we acknowledge the negative emotions and instead see the light in each and every person we meet, we become healers. We provide strength, we inspire.

10. We are all here on this Earth for the same reason. We are all here to love, to be happy, to be at peace with ourselves and each other. We come into this world at birth yearning to be held, to be nurtured, to be loved. We were all born out of a positive loving energy and over time through fear and fear and more fear, we tend to forget the energy that still resides within, the energy in which we were created.

11. Life is too short to wait around for miracles to happen. Big opportunities don’t always show up when we want them to. No one else is going to help us manifest our passions if we show up self-conscious and un-empowered.

12. Manifesting miracles takes a shift in perspective from fear to love. When we embrace our authentic desires, we become visionaries, we can do what we set our intentions on. The Universe has our back when are authentic, when we are true to our self.

13. When we believe in our self, we are our biggest supporter, we will dedicate our energy to getting it is that we want. Know with every fiber of our being that what we want the most: the relationship, the career, the body, the chance—all lie on the other side of our willingness to change.

14. In life, those who are the most intelligent and gifted are usually the ones who doubt themselves the most. They know too much and therefore realize that there is so much more that they still do not know and because of that they are the first to undermine themselves and feel inadequate and unable to compete. When we STOP judging our self and stop applying negative energy such as doubt and fear to situations, we will succeed.

15. If we have the willingness to take an honest look at our life to understand our own fears and then make the subtle shifts necessary to move past them, then we can adopt our own miraculous way of thinking.

16. If we’re ready to swap out resentment for forgiveness, let go of insecurities, and start viewing obstacles as opportunities, then we can truly live a life of happiness and success.

17. Meditation is the million dollar drug. It is the key to changing habits without relying on willpower and self-abuse. Be fearlessly honest with yourself. Listen up. That’s your inner guide speaking. Free healing is available to everyone, we just need to tap into it.

18. From a metaphysical perspective, if we believe it, then it is already here. The more we feel the feeling of what we desire, the more we believe it is on the way.

19. Yoga is about believing that we can do anything even if it’s the most scariest, impossible thing we could ever dream of. It’s about uncovering who we really are. It’s about being kind to our self so we can then be kind to others. Yoga is about taking ownership of our self and our life.

20. In our daily lives, being connected to the earth makes all the difference. Mother Earth will be so grateful when we are aware, because when we take care of us, we take care of her. Health, ecology, spirituality, activism, and love—it’s all interconnected.

21. There is a cause and effect to every action we take. So all of our purchasing and consuming choices are going to affect the planet and the people around us in some way, be it positive or negative. Promoting heath and sustainability every day is easy if we make choices that positively impact our planet.

22. Like the planet, our ecosystem relies on a clean environment, proper nourishment, and balance. When we pay attention to what we are putting in our bodies, what we consume from the earth, we find a whole new awareness of our nourishment.

23. Each human being is unique and needs a unique approach to life and food to feel balanced and thriving. There are many different diets and approaches to nutrition that can create a thriving healthy human being. There is no one right and everything else is wrong. There have been tribes all over the world eating different traditional diets and living healthy. One of the common threads of most healthy diets is real unprocessed food, very limited sugar and lots of physical movement in the fresh air. Our body is very adaptable and is meant to thrive in different conditions.

24. Exercise is about increasing life energy in the body, not draining it. It should not feel like a punishment. You should not be gritting your teeth and trying to ignore pain. It should bring joy, happiness, and be aligned with the way you want to feel.

25. Yoga is not something you do, yoga is something you are.

26. Yoga teaches us to have gratitude for all aspects of our lives. The bumps in the road are the universe’s way to teach us something about ourselves.

27. Essentially, the yoga of action – the yoga of work – is the best path to liberation. It feels good to help others. Giving feels good. Serving and knowing we are making a difference is instant gratification.

(and one for luck..)

28. When you live your yoga practice, you are truly sexy.

I hope this list made you think, smile, and remember all of the things you’d like to tell yourself on your birthday, and every day.

Namaste, beautiful spirit.

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Assist. Ed: Jade Belzberg/Ed: Bryonie Wise