THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for stopping by and sharing our journey. We mostly tell other people’s love stories on this blog, and for once, I thought I’d share our personal love story through a collection of images from this past year. I don’t know about you, but for us, 2016 was a year of a lot of personal growth, struggles, ups & downs, and also a lot of joy.
At the bottom of this post, you’ll find 11 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS OF 2016 & MY 11 FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2016.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
With so much love & gratitude,
your friend Katya.
Deepening spiritual practice by creating sacred space in our home. My meditation altar. 
“I wish I didn’t wake up for sunrise!” … said NO ONE, EVER. 🙂
Playa Blanca in Punta Cana, the beach near the home we would buy later this year. 
A lot of epic vegan meals. Because this is my love language. Because we are what we eat. Because food is love.
Family snuggles at Hard Rock Punta Cana. Because they have the coolest jacuzzi and we deserve to make sweet memories after long wedding days of giving everything we’ve got. 
Witnessed my first homebirth as a midwife assistant & birth photographer … since giving birth to Zion! Miracle. 
Magical trip to Samana Peninsula, where we stayed in a treehouse under the full moon. 
Another beautiful baby born. In our home! I’m becoming more and more of a birth junkie. 
Finally made our wedding album, only took us five years, haha!!! Don’t let your captured memories collect dust, that’s what we keep coming back to! 
More brilliant sunrises with our amazing clients. 
Two words: Wine and Neflix. 
Magical moments in gorgeous places. Jellyfish Restaurant, Punta Cana. 
Sipping champagne.
Trip to Mata Grande in Dominican Republic for a weekend of Medicine with a Peruvian Shaman.
Trip to Redwood Forest, California for Spiritweavers Women’s Gathering. Solo with Zion. So hard! So good. So heart-opening. I made my first medicine drum.
Trip to North Country fair in Alberta. Celebrating Zion’s first birthday!! 
Trip to Astral Harvest festival in Alberta. Best camping with Noorish family. 
Nature heals. 
Road trip to beautiful British Columbia. 
Our camping vanBrown Sugar. She’s in her late 30’s and has a lot of spunk. We love her.
My suprise 30th Birthday gift: houseboating on Shushwaps Lake in BC. 
Trip to New York for a wedding & play time. 
Thank you, Lady Liberty! 
Central Park picnic for all our wedding couples: past, present & future. This just started as a thought, I’m so happy we pulled it off! SO. MUCH. LOVE!!!!! 
More quality time with Brown Sugar. Falling more in love with Halfmoon Run, George Ezra & Hozier. 
Moraine Lake, Alberta.
Returning to Mama India. 
Ashram living … Anand Prakash Yoga Ashram in Rishikesh. 
La Luna Women’s Gathering in India that I hosted on a New Moon. So much magic. 
Ganga dip blessings. 
Moving into our amazing new home in Punta Cana. We’ve worked so hard for this, the gratitude is overflowing. 
Praying for peace.
From the beaches of Punta Cana to snowy mountains of Jasper, Alberta. Also, Fireball rocks.
Zion’s first real Christmas with family in Alberta. My first time holding a violin, my violin. Holding one dream in my hands. Beginning of a journey. 
Welcoming another beautiful Light into the world! 
PHEW! And now, here it is, from my heart to yours:
11 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS OF 2016
1. Peace on earth begins with BIRTH … this year I helped deliver three beautiful baby girls into this world: Zarah, Candela & Soleil. One day, when I’m an old wrinkly woman, I see myself serving the world this way.
2. Holding women’s circles has been a huge gift (and a steep learning curve!) … I co-hosted 6 New & Full Moon gatherings for Women in Dominican Republic and India. More of that to come next year, definitely. We are all longing to connect in sisterhood, more than we realize.
3. Meditation is the answer to everything. Also, spontaneous kitchen dance parties.
4. Life is sacred. Each moment has the potential for wholeness and contentment. The purpose is to simply be with what is.
5. If we’re really honest with ourselves, we know exactly what we need, exactly what is and isn’t good for us.
6. ‘Yoga off the mat’ is about how many times a day we get frustrated or angry at mundane shit.
7. Spend time with people who make you laugh. And be a good listener. Gawd, this world needs more people who can listen instead of waiting for their turn to speak.
8. If you occasionally fall flat on your face, it means you’re growing. What is failure anyway!?
9. I have control over SO many things: my thoughts, how honest I am, how often I practice gratitude, how much I smile, who my friends are, how kind I am, what books I read, how often I say “I love you,” how I spend my money, how much wine I drink, how often I think about the past … and how I react to that which I CANNOT control. This is important, brilliant, and it helps.
10. I will never be “fully caught up” on work. There is always a mountain of important things to do and perfectly sound excuses to skip yoga & let screen time cut into unplugged family time. There’s always going to be stress. Make time for joy. You have a choice.
11. What’s meant for me will be mine. I can’t book every perfect client, or receive every valuable experience I think I deserve. What’s meant for me is mine.
BONUS. gratitude, gratitude, GRATITUDE.
BONUS. breathe … more … slowly.
MY TOP 11 BOOKS 2016
1. Yoni Shakti: A Woman’s Guide to Power and Freedom Through Yoga and Tantra
2. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
3. One Spirit Medicine: Ancient Ways to Ultimate Wellness
3. Yum Universe: my favourite book for vegan cooking inspiration!
4. Sacred Circles: A Guide to Creating Your Own Women’s Spirituality Group.
5. Plant Spirit Healing: A Guide to Working with Plant Consciousness.
6. Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition.
7. The Radiance Sutras: 112 Gateways to the Yoga of Wonder & Delight.
8. Food Energetics: The Spiritual, Emotional, and Nutritional Power of What We Eat.
9. The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children.
10. A Mind of Your Own: The Truth About Depression and How Women Can Heal Their Bodies to Reclaim Their Lives. (I don’t agree with a lot of her nutritional advice, but otherwise the book is amazing).
11. The Little Soul and the Sun: A Children’s Parable Adapted from Conversations with God.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for sharing this heartfelt post. I love following along and find you and your family so refreshing and inspiring! Sending lots of love and light xx Bonnie
Katya, thank you for sharing your journey. You are an inspiration to me and kno that your words reach all the way to Mozambique. A happy new year to you and your family.
Beijos
Shila
So much beauty. Thank you for this post documenting your real, u filtered journey in 2016. Many blessings to you Rob and baby Zion for 2017????