I believe joy is rooted in contentment. And most of the time, we’re too busy to see the beauty found in every day moments.
My lifestyle sessions aim to do just that – discover joy right where you are. Whether its a wood-burning stove, shadows on the wall, your favorite plants, a cooling pie on the counter, or a kiddo in their play space. There is magic everywhere in the spaces you already inhabit…I promise.
This is the second season I have photographed the Kurth Family. Their property makes for an incredible backdrop for me to bear-witness to who they are.
I carry laundry up the stairs, for what feels like the tenth time this week. It probably was the sixth.
I close the open cupboards. Didn’t I just close them? I can’t remember
This existence is repetitive, I sigh.
I wonder if nature grumbles this way.
I doubt trees groan at the wind, as it rustles their leaves a thousand times over.
Flowers don’t seem to mind bees returning for the same pollen. And maybe the bees don’t mind laboring the same each day.
Maybe daily repetitions aren’t so much a complaint to lodge, but a contentment to behold… to hear harmony created amid the rhythms.
Last year, I met this family specifically to take fall photos. This year, I find myself beyond thankful for all that has manifested in my life, because Meg is in it.
My time with them embodies what I love most about photography – beauty in the otherwise mundane. Moments between a mama and babe that might feel repetitive or exhausting in the moment, are the snaps that leave me speechless.
It reminds me, that our lived-in perspective is not always the same as the reality unfolding. Its all magic, I think.
I spent a weekend in the mountains with 13 women, eager to connect to self and other. To me, there’s nothing more stunning than bearing witness to people bearing the beautiful and broken bits of their soul. Its sacred space. That’s what Camp Glow it Up is about – creating space for women to be exactly who they are, in unashamed fullness.
My most pivotal shift in mindfulness occurred when I started paying attention to small details. How the wood-grain floor mimics layers of earth, the way shadows from trees dance on my wall. These things don’t exist because I live some extra-special life. They already exist, and I just take special care to notice.
And that, I think, is what makes life beautiful. When you can look at all that you have, and be in awe of what unfolds before you. Photography is my medium for mindfulness.
I once believed that saying “yoga is for everyone” would be enough to somehow make the statement true. But it seems the more I learn, the less I know for certain.
I do believe yoga can be for everyone. But when I ask people why they don’t practice yoga, their answers are always the same:
If I can read that list of barriers and resonate with none or only a few, then I hold the power and privilege, as both a student and teacher of yoga. If I know these barriers exist and I don’t work to break them down, I remain the problem.
Yoga is set up to benefit people just like me. And that will continue to be true, unless something changes.
I want to begin to make right what I’ve participated in making wrong.
This tension is largely why I have been uncomfortable teaching at a studio since returning from England. I’ve not yet found a studio here that models breaking down barriers and educating students on the importance of how we represent yoga in the world.
Likewise, I also don’t have the answers on how to do that well in a studio-based environment here in the US. Its done beautifully by Yoga Quota in the UK, a charity studio I was honored to be part of in Oxford.
Anyway, I’m embarking on something new— bringing the tools and tenets of yoga to people right where they are, as they are.
What I am offering is a flexible, virtual class. It’s private instruction at a more affordable cost. Sessions will balance breath-work, meditation, mindfulness, and the physical practice all in equanimity. My hope with the 1:1 format is that clients will feel safe, heard, and held as they embark on their yoga journey.
And then, hopefully clients will feel empowered to find a studio culture that welcomes, affirms, and champions all of who they are.
If you’ve ever wondered what yoga actually is, beyond what western culture represents, consider chatting with me.
I’d love to tell you what yoga has done, and continues to do for me.
#yogaforeveryone
I first met Katie on the phone, and I kind of fell in love with her soul right then. Our passions overlap, and she’s blazing trails I want to follow. She has a glow about her that is both tender and powerful. It’s the mark of a woman who knows she is well loved.
Its been almost a year since Clover made them a family of three. But they exist as though they know no other way. Observing them laugh and connect in the space they call home, was a glimpse of humanity at its best.
xoxo
SarahKay
