Last Saturday I flew from Minorca, Spain to Zurich, Switzerland.

Like most of my recent flights, I was traveling with my flute.

Little did I know Vueling, the cheap airline I was using, was a stickler for people with long instruments.

My partner, a friend, and I got to the gate for our departure about 20 minutes before the gates closed.

To do my job and best represent the interests of my board - who want to know about potential negative environmental impact, but care more about capturing the electric vehical battery market - I push for the current mining plans to move forward.

I am doing my job. If my company does not move on the mining contract, another company will.

Who does this help?

Who does this hurt?

Each question is open ended and there is no single answer.

Some impacted people will have more representation than others.

Some groups will have no representation at all.

Today I arrived in San Francisco by train.

Within three minutes of being on the street I saw a man hunched over halfway in the crosswalk. I saw him as soon as I climbed into my Lyft, and we began driving to my destination.

We had a greenlight and the man was still standing in the middle of the crosswalk. As we drove past him, I looked at him as the traffic swerved around him.

This man is someone’s child.

If he were a child in age, then the responses of the people around him would probably be different.

For some reason, due to a person’s age, appearance, or behavior, we cease to include them under our umbrella of concern.

The next opportunity you have to serve someone in need:

Take it.

Are you sitting right now?

How are you sitting?

Does my last question even seem like a real question to you?

Probably not and that is okay. You can develop awareness of your posture.

I used to dread sitting for long periods at events. The pain was always inevitable. The funny part is - it is avoidable.

Sitting with the tailbone tucked in is comfortable and relaxing. However, it will lead to pain and discomfort. Whereas sitting like a duck does not feel natural or comfortable at first, but your capacity to sit for long periods of time without pain will improve.

Sick of pain?

Sit better.

Guided relaxation using a 4-4-4 breathing practice.

Last month at a plant medicine retreat at Gaia Sagrada all participants gathered the day before our first Ayahuasca ceremony for a family meeting.

After the facilitators finished going over the ceremony, I chimed in to share with the other attendees how important I think surrender is to working with Ayahuasca.

As the ceremony progresses, be kind to yourself and let yourself rest.

There will be future opportunities for surrender.

May these tools and visualizations serve you in ceremony and daily life.

Have you ever found yourself on the edge of a panic attack overflowing with anxiety?

When you are unable to focus due to anxiety, fear dominates your mind and nothing seems okay - these moments of deep struggle are the most impactful times to reconnect with the breath.

In my second San Pedro ceremony at Gaia Sagrada this past April, I found myself in a downward spiral of fear and anxiety. Through 4-4-4 breathwork, I was able to pull myself out of this emotional rut.

For those of you like me and appreciate having someone guide you through starting, I will provide a guided meditation two weeks from today. Until then, remember to check in with your body and your breath whenever you find yourself being swept away by emotions. In those moments, breathe in. Breathe out. Remember this too shall pass.

Last week I hosted my first Cacao ceremony alongside my partner Lara. While we have shared Cacao between the two of us many times, this was the first time we brought together a circle of seven other people.

A few people were sitting with Cacao for the first time so it was important to create an open and safe space for them to voice their questions and concerns. As everyone in the ceremony was either a teacher involved in the ongoing teacher training or a teacher in training, it was very uplifting to create a communal healing space two weeks into the three week long training.

Where in your life are you holding back from taking action because you are 'inexperienced' or 'not an expert'? What emotions rise when you think about why you are not taking action?

Acknowledge those thoughts and feelings. Then let them go.

Step into your power and take action. No one else can share what you have.

Life in April 2023 was wild. My partner of 10 years and I were separating. My role at work was changing completely. I burned out hard.

In the beginning of April 2023, my ex partner and I drove a moving truck down to her new home in North Carolina. The last time I saw her was at the airport curb asking her when I would get to see her again.

Despite not having a handle on the local language and traveling alone, by asking for help from other people I was able to move through this challenging situation. As long as we live, there is always a way to work with others to move forward. Even if it means we are sometimes asking for more and more help.

This is what it means to be a member of the human family. Ask for help when you need it. Give help to those in need. Sometimes those in need will not be able to ask for help.

Like the hotel manager who saw he could offer me the chance to stay the night on trust so too can you seek opportunities in your life to offer people help.

What is blocking you from helping more people? What narratives do you tell yourself that are getting in your way?