Thursday

 

Thursday Daily Reflection – IRE (Happiness)

Good morning 🌞. Today began at 3 a.m., and by 3:10 I was already on my yoga mat, moving through my sequences. My back felt tired, yet I could feel new movement and release—wonderful progress. Looking up at the stars, the first word that came to me was IRE, Yoruba for “happiness.” Then another phrase rose within me: I choose to live to honor You.

After writing my affirmation, three words came forward: self-love, self-surrender, and self-patience. My yoga has become more than movement—it has become prayer. I followed it with 20 minutes of meditation, and the practice stretched nearly three hours. From there, I jogged straight into church. Going every day now feels like a blessing. Today’s reading from St. Paul to Timothy, speaking of all Jesus did, filled me with gratitude.

What I carry from today is this: to release and to live in the moment. Yoga and meditation can heal, but only with discipline—rising when the world sleeps, choosing the practice again and again. For that, I am grateful. 🙏🏾

Healing Through Discipline

Healing is not passive. The body must move. Walking, stretching, breathing—these are not optional, they are necessary.

I’ve lived through pain, homelessness, divorce, even a stroke. In those moments, talking to someone could not heal me—but moving my body, stretching, breathing, and practicing yoga did. Yoga became my prayer. Meditation gave me clarity. Through pain, discipline, and surrender, I began to heal.

Recovery is more than avoiding substances—it is emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual. It is the awareness that everything is connected, and the discipline to rise when others sleep, to breathe when others complain, to move when the body resists.

Running my first 100 miles taught me the truth: the body holds limitless strength. What most people think is impossible is already within them. No one told me I could do it—but I did. Discipline hurts at first, but on the other side of the pain is freedom.

Discipline Over Excuses

It’s easy to say, “I tried everything,” but the truth is, most of us stop before we give our full effort. Healing is not found in shortcuts, and it is never a quick fix.

Too many give up on their bodies too soon. They convince themselves their pain is permanent, instead of pushing through it with patience and discipline. But I know from experience—after stroke, after being hit by a car, after homelessness—that this body can heal. Yoga, meditation, and running have proven it to me.

Discouragement is contagious when people give up on themselves. But instead of letting that energy pull me down, I let it inspire me. It reminded me why I must keep training, keep practicing, keep believing. Healing takes discipline. Discipline hurts. But discipline also transforms. And I refuse to give up.

Self-Honesty

Without self-honesty, there is no healing. Many talk about recovery, but few have done the physical work that clears the mind—walking, running, yoga, meditation. Movement rewires the brain. It can give the same release people chase through drugs or distractions, yet many don’t see it.

Healing that depends on moods or seasons is not real healing—it has no roots. And when people question me, they often reveal more about themselves. If someone asks if I am lying, it is because they are not being truthful with themselves. My task is not to argue, but to meet them with calmness and love.

True recovery is not about one path. Every path is a school of thought: church, mosque, temple, synagogue, yoga studio, AA, NA, OA, meditation circles, Tai Chi, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity—every tradition has something to teach the mind and spirit. To separate is to limit. To open is to heal.

Even running taught me this. The first marathon feels like a high. But after many, running becomes spiritual. It stops being about quick results and becomes about endurance, patience, and surrender. And that is the heart of it: when you surrender, self-honesty arises. Without honesty, there is just noise. With honesty, there is healing.

✨ That’s your full Thursday reflection, clean and complete.