Lead With Your Heart

It was a cold, late-winter Sunday morning, not unlike today.

The kind that keeps you in bed longer than you’d like, if you’re not careful.

Me, I felt much like a seed, cognizant that the frost was nearing its favored thaw, but still hesitant to unfurl, preferring instead to stay tucked beneath the warmth of packed soil.

Alas, I jostled myself awake, sprang to my feet, and began readying myself for the cold.

There was a commitment I had made, and a place I was meant to go.

A studio, a yoga studio—aptly named Kindness.

I’d begun practicing there nearly a year prior. But, unfortunately, that lasted only for a few weeks. I had to put my practice on pause after a suffering a rather severe car accident that left me drastically incapacitated—needing a cane at first, multiple MRIs and X-rays, pains up and down my spine, and a chiropractic schedule to tack onto my early mornings before grad school and those full days of clinical work.

Thankfully, however, this wasn’t the first time I had to recover from a notable injury. My body knew this path well—this slow, patient art of recovery—and it was ever eager to heal once again.

So, as the weeks passed, my breath brought me back to the mat—a place where I might realign all broken sides of me.

But a practice is simply a practice—just as a song is simply a song—until a grand conductor comes along who enlivens and infuses it with the chemistry of harmony that makes it truly transcendent.

For me, that conductor, that instructor, was Nicole.

Now, Nicole was nothing like the sort of yogi you might expect, especially amidst the rather snowy lands of Colorado, if you catch my drift.

There was no softly enunciated, canva-templated yogaspeak about astrological alignment, ephemeral moon goddesses, fluctuating frequency vibrations, or mercury’s blasted addiction to all things vintage.

No, Nicole was a whole ‘nother thing altogether. She’d walk into class, speaking a mile a minute about how Yankees were down 2-1 to the Sox in the season series and how, I quote, “We’re dedicating today’s asanas to our boys in pinstripes, because holy H-E-double hockey sticks, they’re gonna need it.”

In all seriousness, Nicole was, and is, all about the heart of the practice—about bringing into union every blessed & cursed aspect of ourselves, from beaten breath to resurging spine to constricted thought to cautiously faithful whispered hope.

She would guide us through class with a grace of gravity and gravitas, granting us ample opportunity to encounter ourselves candidly, clearly, kindly, and boldly—with gentle invitations to rest and recoup served with a willful wisdom that instilled within us a courage to move beyond the limits our minds may have carried onto our mats.

And she did so through sharing openly, vulnerably, brilliantly, and unapologetically about her own tribulations through insecurities, doubts, fears, and triumphs in the most human way she could.

“Lead with your heart,” she would say.

Enraptured by the medicine this offered my healing bones, I would attend Nicole’s class so often that, in time, I could move through her asanas with my eyes closed.

This was the gift of finding a teacher you can trust.

But that wasn’t all.

Nicole was also the person who, shortly after my return to the studio, stopped me after class one day to ask how I was doing, curious about my sudden disappearance.

Upon hearing what I’d been through, Nicole embodied her mantra of leading with the heart, and gifted me an ambassadorship to Kindness, effectively allowing me to attend classes for free for the foreseeable future.

And for someone who was making negative money at the time, living entirely off loans while working tirelessly at various clinical practicums (go figure, U.S. higher education system), and paying for those chiropractic treatment out of his own pocket while waiting for a settlement, this gift meant more to me than any words could ever aptly convey.

Without a fraction of a doubt, it was this act of kindness that not only helped me strengthen the structure and integrity of my spine, but also empowered me to develop a deepened, consistent practice of yoga and embrace the many benefits it has since provided my life and the lives of those around me.

And so, no matter what frost, freeze, or frigid breeze may have been blowing that morning, I knew where I had to be, and why.

To learn, to practice, to bear the gift of kindness in all its glory.

To lead with our hearts—even if we only learn the lasting impact of our kindness years later, perhaps in a newsletter, in a message opened on a cold, late-winter morning.

Thank you, Nicole.

Reflections for Growth

• The Gift of Kindness: Reflect on a moment when someone extended kindness to you in a way that changed your life—whether big or small. What made it so impactful?

• Leading with Heart: Nicole’s mantra invites us to move from a place of heart-centered wisdom. Where in your life are you hesitating? What might change if you choose to lead with your heart, rather than perceivably protecting yourself, in this situation?

Invitations for Practice

• Kindness Regifted: This week, commit to one act of kindness—big or small—without expectation of return. Let it be a gesture of generosity that ripples outward, without attachment or expectation.

• Meaningful Movement: Whether or not you practice yoga, dedicate a moment of your day to intentional movement—stretch, breathe, and lead your body with presence.

• A Gratitude Reflection: Write a short note (or mental acknowledgment) to someone who once gave you a gift of kindness—whether or not they ever hear it, express and extend your gratitude.

As you practice, please jot down your thoughts and experiences. And as always, feel free to share your reflections directly with me.

With kindness, gratitude, & a bit more heart,

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