Hello, friends—I hope everyone is doing fantastic! As a quick life update, I'm almost done with my 200hr YTT certification at CorePower Yoga and I'm excited to continue this self-discovery journey, going within and exploring the world of possibilities which comes post yoga teacher training. There is so much I've learned and I'm craving to share!

Dear friends, I’m slowly getting back into the swing of blogging. I know, I know. I went on a little hiatus because I’ve been in the process of redoing my website (you’ll see a few changes here and there—fully revamped site rolling out soon!), I’ve been taking on more freelance projects as a Digital Media & Branding Consultant, AND I’ve been completely invested in my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training. Yes, keep reading as I’m opening up about how this experience has been so far; all the feels, ups and downs, and life-changing lessons, unedited.

As part of my self-discovery journey, there are two things I’ll be doing this Thanksgiving which I highly encourage you to try. First, I plan on peeling off more layers; by writing this post, journaling on a daily basis, and speaking my truth, I intend to become more comfortable with my vulnerability. Second, I’ll exercise gratitude throughout this day (and every day going forward) for each obstacle, challenge, and hard-learned lesson life has thrown my way.

How can you join me? By doing the same. Open up, write it down, be honest with yourself, and be grateful for everything you’ve experienced. If you feel like sharing what comes out of this exercise, tag me and use hashtag #VulnerablyBeautiful, and I promise I’ll give it all the love it deserves. K, here we go.

I’ve been meaning to finish this post for the longest time—2 months to be exact—but I've found myself struggling to verbalize my thoughts and emotions. The original idea behind it was for Kevin and I to write a piece which would demystify certain misconceptions and negative generalizations made towards Puerto Ricans. I remember telling him how tired I was of hearing people talk about how lazy, loud, and unreliable our people were, "I've had it and I want to write a different narrative about Puerto Ricans and who we really are." But after Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, I had to take a few steps back from blogging and from a lot of other things. My life and the lives of my friends and family would never be the same.

As beautiful and marvelously curated as someone’s Instagram and social media feeds may seem, their lives are far from perfect. Trust me. One of the many downsides to social media is how at times we find ourselves comparing our lives to others based on what they’ve published on their social media profiles. It’s easy to fall into this trap but when you think about it, it’s even easier to snap out of it once you realize what others are posting and publicizing on their social channels is only half of the story.

Let’s be real, a lot of it is a front; a small portion of their lives which they want others to see, but never the full picture. How do I know this? Because I’ve been on both sides of the coin. I’ve had very rough days and all I’ve posted have been positive thoughts and gorgeous images on my feed, and I’ve also found myself looking at someone else's feed and playing the comparing game, to later find out their lives weren’t as perfect as they portrayed them to be.

Hello, friends! As I mentioned on my IG account, I'm starting a monthly series called Badass Reads where I’ll be reviewing and sharing some of my favorite quotes from books I’ve been reading and falling in love with. Reading has always been a huge part of my life and many times I’ve found myself wanting to share some of the best lessons I’ve derived from my favorite books with others, without knowing how.

Thankfully, (and remind me, why hadn't I thought about this before? LOL.) I have this little corner of the web where I can share all of this with you, hoping you take something great out of it and maybe even become inspired to get the book and read it in your own time! To kick things off, I chose a book which discusses creative living beyond fear, as I’ve been touching on the subject of fear fairly recently. Also, the book’s overall message spoke to me in ways I would’ve never imagined; the author’s message can be applied to one’s creative life journey and to one’s personal life as well. This badass read is titled Big Magic.

We’re a month into the second half of 2017 and I can’t help but wonder, how are your goals going? What’s the status of everything you set yourself out to accomplish this year? Be 100% honest with yourself, are you satisfied with where you’re at today?

Wonderful friend, this is your mid-year checkup.