I am…

I am aware, awake, alive.

I am a writer, student, advocate, rebel.

I am a daughter of the moon, a star-gazer, a gatherer of bones and of cat whiskers.

I am one part of something larger than myself, a universal family.

I am learning where I fit.

I believe…

I believe that good things don’t always happen to good people.

I believe in the soul, as well as the spirit. I believe in freedom, joy, passion, magic.

I believe in love.

I believe in the healing of nature, the damp tickling air of the forest, the glittered spray from the ocean,

tender grass or sure stone support beneath my feet.

I believe in pain, scars, guilt, anger, shame.

I believe there is a lot of darkness that has lived inside of me since the day I was born. I used to be afraid of it,

used to try to carve it out of me, starve it out of me.

I believe this darkness will never leave me, my shadow self, and is not meant to.

I believe this darkness is now a space to find light,

or create it within myself.

I believe in transformation.

I believe in forgiveness.

I believe in wholeness, but that is work that I must do.

I stand for…

I stand for healing, and second chances.

I stand for allowing ourselves to fully feel what we feel, to not be ashamed or afraid of sadness, jealousy, joy and hope.

I stand for truth, finding it within myself as well as helping others find their own.

I stand for experimentation, because as long as there is risk for failure, there is opportunity for great success.

I stand for owning who you are, your boundaries, your sexuality, your dreams.

I know this to be true…

That the people who come in and out of our lives are more important than the things we own or how much we can fit into our short lives. And if my connection to even one other human being can help them find peace, then I will know I have found

mine.

Anna Mitra

yoga + mindfulness guide

Anna Mitra is an Oregon-native yoga teacher, a dedicated student, and a great lover and believer in movement as a form of medicine. Her yoga journey began in 2010, in a time when she struggled daily to manage her mental health. Slowly the mindful practices of yoga began to replace her unhealthy coping mechanisms and through these practices, she has developed a stronger relationship with her own healing process. It is through this lens that she has come to terms with the many aspects of her own inner darkness, and the light she has discovered within it. Anna believes in the wholeness, the deep intuitive wisdom that we all have, and strives to help students remember this within themselves. She empowers her students to be curious, to move in embodied ways that they might not otherwise, to remain present with all that arises, and supports them in discovering their own unique way of being. She encourages her students to take charge of their practice, to listen deeply to the innate wisdom of their bodies, and to make intentional, compassionate choices about how they interact with themselves and in the world.