Tevara Jeanne Paranto, LCSW

“Surrender invites us to be active participants in our life, totally present and fluid with each moment, while appreciating the magnitude and mystery of what we are participating in. Surrender asks us to be strong enough to engage each moment with integrity while being soft enough to flow with the current of life.”
-Deborah Adele, The Yamas and Niyamas

“And some days I forget
What it is to be gentle with myself-
How to look at myself with kind eyes,
And speak to myself with soft words.
Forget that I am my home
And a temple worthy of worship.”
-Becca Lee

Heal for all the parts of Self. Heal for future generations. Heal for the world.

Love you ❤️

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to be afraid without being paralyzed. Courage is found by facing our fears- the small ones, the fat ones, the embarrassing ones, and the really big scary ones. To live the fullness that our own life is inviting us into, we often have to let ourselves be afraid and do it anyway. If we keep ourselves safe, how will courage grow?”
-Deborah Adele, The Yamas & Niyamas

Stay in the present moment. Breathe. Repeat after me, “Trust the process.”Repeat this mantra when things feel out of control, scary or overwhelming. This moment won’t last forever. Things will shift eventually. Love to you all 💚

Some flower love from me to you!!! Just spent time in my yard and I feel so elevated! Even a little baby ladybug came to visit me tonight! Grateful for the elements of rain and sunshine to help grow beauty in my yard. Nature helps to keep me centered and calm. There are so many ways to heal and release that pain friends!!! Holy flower power!!!!

How I started my Sunday morning! 🧘‍♀️☀️Be easy and gentle with yourself. This is where healing can happen. Slow down, breathe, be here now. Be good to your body. Be good to your mind. Love you ❤️

Good morning! This is my neighbor's dog, Kai. We are caring for her this weekend. I just got back from walking her and noticed how calm and present I feel. I didn't feel this way when I woke up today though. Being out in nature, moving our bodies, connecting with a living thing all helps our nervous systems release stuck energy or emotions. If your body does not allow you the privilege to walk, try sitting outside in the sun or next to an open window. Feel the air on your skin. Take in the smells and sounds. Breathe in deeply and exhale with a notable sigh.... We can reset our nervous system so quickly! Try it!❤️🌞

Yoga has absolutely transformed my mental health. It's not about the poses, it's about the lessons I am learning on the mat. I have learned that when I am breathing, I can get through anything and I can calm my body down instantly. I have learned that I can do hard things and to not be scared. I have learned that taking time for myself allows me to be more present in my relationships and work. I have learned to not focus on what everyone is doing around me and to stay on my own path and honor my own Self. I have learned to be present and that ruminating causes unwanted suffering. I have learned that consistency is the key to change. I have learned that being kind to my body is so much more fruitful than being critical. I have learned that I am strong.

Yoga is saving me lately and helping me move through the pain of grief that I didn't ever think I could endure.

What thing in your life is your teacher these days? Knitting, art, dance, writing, baking, hiking, another movement? Find your teacher. It will lead you to all the answers you are searching for about yourself. It will help you not to break.

Breathe in the new
Exhale the old
You made it through that painful thing
You kept going
You didn't give up
You are not broken
You are finding your way into the new
You are wise and courageous
You are resilient
You are safe
You are loved

Happy New Year friends❤️

#

The holidays can feel tender when you are dealing with grief, have complicated family situations or are navigating a recent change in life. Remember that it is ok to feel your feelings. There is nothing wrong with feeling sad. Slow down. Set boundaries. Know that it's ok to change traditions and let go of any expectations you may feel. You are allowed to do what feels best for you and your healing heart. ❤️ 🎄

"It came over me again,
this sudden sadness,
sweeping like a wave,
covering me,
drowning me,
throwing me again
into a grief
I couldn't fight
nor overcome.

It came over me again,
just when I thought
I was already moving on,
carrying on,
healing,
rising from the depths
that have swallowed
me whole.

What do I do when they come?
Should I run or should I hide?
Should I lock my tears inside
where they could never fall?

Ah, but I have learned
there's nothing I could do,
but surrender to the tides
that take me back to you.

And when the waves
have come and gone
they let me go when they are done.
Washed ashore, I carry on
To bask again under the sun."

-Jocelyn Soriano
Photo credit: Travis Rupert

Be good to yourself friends. Life is tough at times. You are allowed to feel all the feels. Find the folks that let you show up as you are without judgment 🌟❤️

Quote by: Stephanie-Bennett-Henry

"Life is amazing and then it's awful and then it's amazing again. And in between the amazing and awful it's ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That's just living, heartbreaking healing, soul healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life and it's beautiful." -L.R. Knost

This beautiful passage was read during shavasana today in my yoga class.

Good morning from my backyard! This is my first sunflower of the season 🌻 💛. I wait patiently all summer for these to start blooming and today it is here!

Patience is something we all must learn to practice. When things are difficult or annoying it does us no good to complain or get angry about it. This will create pain in our bodies and add to the stress that already exists. The last thing we need when things are difficult is even more suffering. We must learn to be with what is. Trust the process. Breathe. Trust the process some more.

Love you ❤️

There is no timeline for healing. If it hurts, it hurts. Sometimes it can hurt for a very long time. Allow yourself to feel the feelings and go slowly. Give yourself the grace to NOT have a timeline and to take it one day at a time. ❤️

"Grief is like the ocean. It comes in waves, ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim."

-Quote by: Vicki Harrison
-Photo credit: Yana Moroz 

With every sunrise we are given new beginnings; new hope, new perspective, new resilience. We take a deep breath and we start over. Happy Monday.
❤
Photo Credit

"Nothing is more precious than being in the present moment. Fully alive. Fully aware." Thich Nhat Hanh

Sometimes you just need to hear that you are doing great. You keep showing up and that's a helluva lot. ❤

Don't be ashamed to weep; 'tis right to grieve. Tears are only water; and flowers, trees, and fruit cannot grow without water." -B. Taggerung

Allow yourself to have all the emotions! Numbing and checking out with food, starvation, and substances only allow temporary relief. Eventually you will find yourself in a tsunami of emotions. Let the tears flow from your eyes. Do not associate this with weakness as this is in fact true strength. It is through tears that we grow!

Photo Credit:

Yin yoga this morning.🧘‍♀️My teacher reminded me this morning that we must lean into the distress versus away from it. Melt and breathe. Yoga is saving me these days. Namaste 🙏 ❤

My grandmother once gave me a tip:
In difficult times, move forward in small steps.
Do what you have to do, but little by little.
Don’t think about the future
or what may happen tomorrow.

Wash the dishes.
Remove the dust.
Write a letter.
Make a soup.

You see?

Advance step by step.
Take a step and stop.
Rest a little.
Praise yourself.
Take another step.
And then another.

You won’t notice, but your steps will grow more and more.
And the time will come when you can think about the future without crying.

from
Author: Elena Mikhalkova
Photo Artist: Rosanne Olson

Hope over fear is how you will get through this. ❤

"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." T.S. Eliot

Just a reminder to you that whenever you are on your path, keep going. You are more resilient than you know and these minor setbacks are merely lessons. I know you may be tired some days and it's ok to rest along the way but don't give up. You don't know what lies ahead so stop trying to figure it all out. The moment to be in is now. You got this. Trust in the process. ❤

"Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens." -LOUISE L. HAY

Photo Credit

Look to the sun🌞 It is a daily reminder that we can rise again from the darkness and that we too can shine our own light. Whatever is feeling heavy in your life right now, you WILL move through it. Trust the process! Happy Monday friends ❤

I saw this lone sunflower on my walk last night. It was completely alone in not the prettiest of fields but I was still struck by its unique beauty. Great reminder to anyone struggling with body image or self worth....stand out, be different, be YOU ❤🌻

"To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself." Thich Nhat Hanh

Listen to your body. It knows exactly what it needs to run smoothly and to heal. When we push through our body's signals our body will scream even louder at us. Honor hunger and fullness cues. Let your body rest when it asks for rest. Move your body when it asks for movement. Overall, be kind to your body. When you befriend your body it will do marvelous things for you❤ ❤❤