When my twin girls were little, they started a birthday tradition that still warms my heart. Instead of receiving gifts, they chose a charity to support each year.  Sometimes it was the local chapter of  Make-A-Wish, St. Jude’s or our local children’s home, St. Vincent’s Villa. Watching them embrace giving at such a young age reminded me that kindness even in its simplest form truly changes lives.

After reading the Seasoned Life Yoga’s Book Club Autumn book selection   A Year of Living Kindly: Choices That Will Change Your Life and the World Around You by Donna Cameron, I knew it was the perfect book to close out our year together. It’s an invitation to read, reflect, and react.   Encouraging us to live with intention and choose kindness every day.

As the holidays approach and the pace of life quickens,  let’s take a collective deep breath.  Let’s remember that kindness begins with awareness in how we treat ourselves, others, our communities, and even the earth beneath our feet.

💕Kindness to Yourself.    The holidays can leave us feeling stretched thin, so let’s begin inward.  Be kind to your body. Nourish it with good food, hydration, movement, and rest. Be kind to your heart.   Gift yourself space for quietude and reflection.  If your body calls for stillness, listen. Perhaps that means rolling out your mat for a gentle class, or simply lying down and listening to a guided meditation. The practice of yoga whether through breath, rest, or movement helps us soften into compassion.  Here’s a link for free yoga offerings at   www.seasonedlifeyoga.com or perhaps listen to a Deep Rest Yoga Nidra on the app Insight Timer or on the Seasoned Life Yoga YouTube channel.

💕 Kindness to Others.   Kindness is contagious.  Offer a smile to a stranger, patience to a tired cashier, or grace to someone having a hard day.   Sometimes, the smallest gestures like a kind word, a listening ear, or taking time with someone for a hot cup of friendship have the greatest impact.

💕 Kindness to Nature.  Our planet offers so much beauty, especially during in this season of stillness.  Let’s return the favor by caring for our precious Earth.  It’s everyone’s  home.  Pick up litter, feed the birds, reuse and recycle, or simply take a mindful walk and whisper a “thank you” for the air you breathe.

💕 Kindness in Community. There’s profound joy in giving back. My dear friend, Geri, has the kindest heart for children.  For  the past 38 years, she’s coordinated holiday gifts for St. Vincent’s Villa, a residential home for children ages 5 to 18 facing behavioral and emotional challenges.    This year, as she balances caregiving for her husband, she needs a little help spreading kindness to these children who often have little or no family involvement. She struggled to find helpers to fulfill ‘the wish list’ needs of the cottages for the children.  The Wish List includes fun and therapeutic activities for the children to use and play during their time out of school and treatment. Occasionally children are taken on outings for a special occasion or for a learning experience. The case workers, therapists and cottage advisors work together help provide the day to day needs for these children.  Many of these children are victims of horrific life experiences or have seen tragic events take place right before their precious eyes. This holiday season I’ve taken on the Wish List for the cottages and invite the Seasoned Life Yoga community to join in too.

You can make a difference through small but meaningful gifts:
💗   $10–15 gift cards (Dollar Tree, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Five Below) These provide opportunities for the children to have an experience off campus. It may birthday treat or an incentive for positive behavior.

💗  $25–50 gift cards help provide clothing needs for growing children. It allows older children to choose the sizes, styles, colors they like.  (Target, Walmart, Old Navy, Kohl’s)

💗  Other thoughtful items: Lego sets, art kits, sketchbooks, bound journals, puzzles (150 pieces or less, art supplies, fidget toys, remote control cars, fashion & baby dolls of color, and card games like Uno, SkipBo & playing cards.

If you’d like to show your kindness to the children of St. Vincent’s Villa, please reach out. I’ll help coordinate the best way to contribute or have items directly sent to the facility.  Kindness truly has a ripple effect.  When we offer compassion it multiples.   So this month, as the lights twinkle and the days grow shorter, I invite you to pause and choose kindness…in thought, in action, and in presence.  Let’s step into this new season not with stress, but with softness.  Let’s be the warmth someone feels in a cold world.  Let’s be the light so others may see the ripple of kindness taking place around us. It needs to start somewhere.

I hope to see you on the mat soon. Sending hugs across the skies…filled with love and kindness. 💕