The first months of the year flew by without stopping. It is high season here on Vieques island and travelers abound. From teaching daily yoga classes to planning destination weddings and surprise marriage proposals, while searching to find the right souls to attend my yoga retreats, I have not taken a moment to pause.

Last week, the chaos came to a standstill for me. My event obligations were fulfilled (for now), and I had a to-do list in the back of my mind a mile long. It was all those “wish list” items I always want to do but never have time to do, like this blog post and my monthly email newsletter. It is the list of things I had to push off to fulfill what was most important, “right here, right now.”

As my nervous system shifted from overdrive to neutral, I felt lost.

What was I supposed to do next?

What is next most important on my to-do list?

Where do I start?

Then – I suddenly realized – I was SO tired. I had exhausted myself to the point where I couldn’t even think straight.

In the next days, I began to allow myself to rest. I mean, I could barely keep my eyes open, so it was not that hard but I had to give myself the permission to rest without judgment and guilt. This is the hard part I had to practice.

I fell asleep on the couch inadvertently one evening and I missed responding to some emails and texts. I woke up in the middle of the night angry with myself for falling asleep.

My brain and nervous system were activated telling me to go, go, go and my body was telling me you are done, girl, stop it. I didn’t wake up refreshed and happy but instead mad at myself for being defeated by sleep. Then, the full-on guilt trip commenced and I felt myself shut down. All I wanted to do was sleep. Now, I was de-activated feeling lethargic and uninspired. 

Why was I so angry at myself for resting?

I had to be honest with myself and accept the fact that I, too, need rest.

The concept of REST is not foreign to me. I talk about rest all the time. I literally teach three restorative classes each week explaining to people – how to rest. I moved to this island 11 years ago to escape the corporate workweek with the intention of more rest.

So, I had to ask myself “why wasn’t I resting?”

The truth is that rest is a practice.

A daily practice.

Movement is a daily practice.

Creating and maintaining balance is a daily practice.

I can create systems, routines and new behaviors aligned toward living in balance all day long but if I do not follow through and show up for MYSELF, the systems will not work.

We can set goals but without taking action they remain – just goals.

I know there must be people out there that can relate to me on wanting more rest, more calm. Less stress and less activation in their day to day. From folks who manage their households and childrens schedules to those that run a small business or those who live locked in the daily demands of corporate America to pay the bills. For many of us, there seems a constant pressure to perform and do well. To have more, to do more and to earn more. To work hard now so we can rest later. We sacrifice rest because we feel there is no other choice. 

When we are not well rested, we cannot show up for ourselves fully. We cannot fill our cup and give to others. I know when I am not rested, I turn into a version of myself I do not approve of that is reactive,  impatient and easily irritated. 

SO,

What if we simply took more time to rest?

What if we let a few dollars slip away and set boundaries around our availability?

What if we focus on protecting our personal energy budget on a daily basis?

What if we create routines that allow us to show up 100%?

How good could we actually feel?

Our society flags rest as a sign of weakness, lack of motivation or an excuse not to participate. 

In my opinion, rest is equally as important as movement. I believe movement and rest should live in harmonious balance aligned with the appropriate breathing to support each practice.

In life, there will always be waves of highs and lows. Everything is changing all the time. Sometimes we ride high and all is well and other times things flow low.

As we ride the waves of life, it is important to create balance and practice maintaining it.

The first thing to know about balance is –  you are the only person that can create balance in your life. No one else.

Balance comes with rest, clear thinking and boundaries. Balance is not something that is given but something that must be created by YOU.

In self-reflection, I noticed I really tossed balance out the window for myself the last two months while I was living in fight or flight mode. I did that by overscheduling myself and not creating boundaries around my energy by using the word NO.

When our sympathetic nervous system is activated for extended periods, it disrupts the functioning of our internal systems. All of our energy is put into “survival” instead of placing proper energy on daily functions like digestion, rest and recovery of cells and tissues.

When we are constantly stressed about the next email or the next deadline, we live in fight or flight. Stressed about paying bills or worrying about things out of your control? Yes, that is a direct path to fight or flight mode.

Hormones, such as cortisol are released when the sympathetic nervous system is activated, causing us to store fat for survival. Over time, inflammation soars, immune function decreases, you feel tired all the time, blood pressure increases and you’re left feeling burnt out. Living, for extended periods, in fight or flight basically disrupts the natural flow of all internal systems. I lived there for many years before I learned how to create balance.

Fight or flight prepares the body to survive. Yes, we do need our fight or flight indicators, but we do not need to live there for long periods of time. We must also provide the mind and body an opportunity to enter rest and digest mode in order to recover and renew our cells, tissues, muscles and organs.

Many of you have heard me speak the words commitment, frequency, results in unison. I repeat it in classes. I put it on my social media posts and it is written on my website. Even weekly classes can be purchased at a discount to attend frequently, because I know commitment and frequency work together to produce results.

I consider this to be my method: commitment, frequency, results, feel good. 

I repeat commitment, frequency, results, feel good because I am proof that the method works. I share it because it applies to all things positive and negative. If you put commitment and frequency toward negative actions and behaviors, I assure you, the results will follow. I am proof the alternative is true, as well.

I write it because I believe in it whole heartedly and because I know neuroplasticity is real.

It is with commitment and frequency; I practice the three steps below to create results of balance in my life.

If you veer out of alignment and toward exhaustion from time to time, don’t dwell on it. Instead, become aware of it and bring yourself back to the practice of balance. Being able to maintain balance keeps us from the exhausted feelings I endured recently. 

Here are my three steps for creating and maintaining balance:

Step 1 – Regulating the Nervous System

Step 2 – Creating Boundaries and Behaviors for Balance

Step 3 – Living in YOUR Purpose – Visualize Your Success

I invite you to join our community group, Soul Circle Vieques.

Watch for a post to promote a three-part series, I will launch within the group. The three-part series will cover the three steps for creating balance in detail.

These in-person sessions will be a place to meet and network with new friends focused on feeling good while we learn more about how to integrate balance in our day to day.

The sessions will be available in-person first with possible live sessions on Zoom if there is interest from the remote audience.

The three-part series is FREE of charge. You will need to register to attend.

The group size will be limited for the best experience.

Registration details will be posted online in the Facebook community group. Please join and follow the group Soul Circle Vieques on Facebook to learn more.

• CLASSES – If you plan to be in Vieques soon, consider taking a combination of our rest and movement classes during your stay. All classes require advanced registration online to accept the waiver. From yoga to bootcamp to rest and recovery, we have a class for everyone. Learn more on our classes page.

• RETREATS – If you relate to the desire to rest, let me show you how movement, rest and nourishing meals can be combined to feel good. Join our transformative yoga retreat, in-person, in Vieques, December 8th to 12th 2026. This all-inclusive 4 night / 5 day retreat takes place at a beautiful and private eco-luxury villa in Vieques. Make your deposit online and book your flight today!

• YOUTUBE – If you are not able to attend a class or retreat in person, follow my YouTube channel, for free yoga videos, so you can practice with me at home.