If you're an Instagrammer you would probably know what the #2017bestnine is, it's the best nine pics that received the most likes during the year as generated by this website. However, for me it is less about the number of likes and more about the amount of heart felt, memories made, and lessons learnt in those moments that would make it count.

So as I did in 2015, I chose my own 2017 Best Nine and I'd love to hear from you in the comments, what would yours be?

 1) Travel
 Travel opened both my mind and my heart in 2017 with 6 trips out of Perth visiting 12 different cities in 7 different countries including my first cruise. From as far as Miami and the Caribbean, within Australia such as Byron and Sydney, and then not too far away places like Malaysia and Bali. I was blessed to see so many new sights and revisit some places, as well as make many new friends and strengthen friendships around the world.

2) Handstand February
USA was my first and biggest trip taken in 2017. Travelling for 3 weeks with a group of between 5 to 30 people to our online franchise business convention taught me how to tactfully find quiet time for myself, respecting the quiet solitude treasuring introvert within. As well as to let go and have fun handstanding in interesting places along the way, including Disney World, Universal Studios, Little Havana & cruising the Caribbean. 

3) BYCA Inspiration Day
This was a spontaneous trip to Brisbane for the Beautiful You Coaching Academy Inspiration day. I wrote a blog here you can read all about how everything fell into place for this trip as soon as I followed my heart and made the decision to go. 

4) Becoming a Beautiful You Coach
Becoming a coach showed me the power of having a strong "why" and how you can achieve anything you set your mind to if you want it enough. Like finding the time and the money to dive into the 6 month Beautiful You Life Coaching Course, fulfilling a long held dream of mine. Super proud for completing this course, and even more so, grateful for the amazing women who are now in my life as a result of it, from coaching buddies to inspiring  coaching clients.

5) Funarium
Some times you have to say "YES" to the scary stuff as this is what will stretch and grow you. This happened when I helped organise the yoga area in Perth's largest kids festival event of the year, The Funarium, and the biggest yoga event I have ever done. You can read on the blog all I learnt from the 27 classes over 3 days with over 400 students of all ages.

6) Visiting Malaysia
When home is where the heart is, which may be in various places around the world, it leaves you wishing often that you could be in more than one place at a time. So, getting to visit Malaysia twice this year for the unexpected launch of our online business in Malaysia and for my cousin's wedding was amazing. Time with loved ones always leaves you with a full heart and yet a little heartbroken too when you have to say good bye at the end. 

7) Bucket List Ticks
Never wait to start ticking things off your bucket list. It feels so amazing when you do. I managed to tick off two in 2017. The first was to complete a fun run with a couple of my students, though we walked the 12km so next time I aim to be able to actually run the entirety. The second was my dream to live in Bali for a month completing a yoga teacher training. 

8) Yin Yoga Teacher Training
You'll often hear me say, if you have a dream or something lights you up, do it!....it's almost always a step towards your life purpose in some way. And you never know how it will fall into place. It wasn't until I fell in love with Bali in 2015 that I dreamt of living there for a month. In 2016 I fell in love with yin yoga and in my pursuit of learning more I did a training with Jo Phee, which in turn lead me to enrolling for her 2017 3 week 200hr Yin Training in Bali. And when you find a world class teacher you resonate with you jump at the opportunity to learn again from them, which I did in Perth a month later and who knows where this path will lead me in 2018.

9) Amazing Friendships
Even above and beyond the blessing of being able to travel and study as much as I did in 2017, the biggest blessing was definitely all the amazing people that crossed my path from all corners of the earth that I got to spend time with. From family, dear friends and new friends, course mates, to coaching clients, these are the connections I treasure and were definitely the Best of the Nine chosen for 2017.

So that is my #2017bestnine! Its a great activity to contemplate the year that was and focus on the blessings it held.

If you get a chance I highly recommend giving it a go. Find some stillness and list your Best Nine for 2017.
I would really love to hear what your list includes? Of if you could narrow it down to one, what would it be? 

It's the last day of the year and I've been reflecting for the last month how I want to end this year and what energy I'm seeking to bring into the new year. Been thinking about it so much, I kind of forgot to write about it. Writing always cements and grounds my intentions. It makes them real.

So how do I want to end this year and begin the next?

With Gratitude

When I embarked on this year, I set the intention to simply follow my heart and the Universe's "breadcrumbs" so to speak. What a wild ride it has been!

Here are the top 9 things I am grateful for this year,
partly inspired by the instagram hashtag #2015bestnine...

1) Teaching Yoga
From teaching a few classes I started myself at the end of last year, I have been blessed to receive many more opportunities to teach and share yoga over the year. From joining the teaching faculty at Momentum in Melville to being stretched as a teacher teaching 5 year olds through to 11year olds and then teens yoga, plus teaching regularly in a high school and a corporate class. I am forever grateful for the support the Universe has given me to get back on my feet this year and that teaching has been a part of the plan and to be teaching as much as I have been in Perth

2) Beautiful Community
Not only is it a privilege to be a yoga teacher, but I am always humbled by the gorgeous souls I am blessed to have in my classes, both past and present. I am forever grateful to have their continued support and attendance over the year, from park to hall to studio and back. As well as to receive emails from past students from interstate. And I'm particularly grateful this year for the group of students that donated to my Bali Kids Christmas call out.

3) Travel
I managed to fly out of Perth 3 times this year which is huge achievement for me. Twice for weddings, one in Malaysia in July and the second in Melbourne in September. And the last trip was recently to Bali, where I fulfilled three intentions I made, one to take myself to Bali for my 40th this year, two to visit somewhere I haven't been before and lastly to fly out of the country twice in one year (and collect more stamps in my brand new passport). So grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with loved ones this year and also the soul filling experience I gained during my first trip to Bali.

4) Read a Book a Month
Inspired by my 100 things to do list and my cousin completing this same challenge last year, I set myself the intention to do it this year. Must say it was the best goal to set, as I have always wanted to read more and this definitely had me doing this. Though I did have an affinity for New Age and personal development books, I realise that these are the books that inspire me the most and have opened my mind to whole new world of possibilities. And I already have a long list of books I'm looking forward to devouring in the new year.

5) Financial Goals
This year, I actually set a goal to get ahead financially. I've never been too good with my money in the past and I really wanted to change this mindset. My goal was to have a certain amount saved by the end of the year and my credit cards paid off. The book Overcoming Underearning definitely helped, as did setting a clear intention and sticking to it, such as saving $2 a day and 10% of my pay without touching it, and paying off my credit card in regular weekly/monthly instalments. It has been a powerful lesson about the true value of money and spending it that I am grateful especially for the freedom gained by being in this financial position right now and on holidays the past few weeks without stressing.

6) Henna Mandalas
I have so much to be grateful for when it comes to these little "doodles". An intention setting exercise that spanned across a year and more now, and one that has helped dig me out of the huge hole I dug for myself when I returned to Perth last year. And the highlight of this year, finally seeing them on t-shirts! So grateful for the little seeds planted by the Universe through it's earth angels who directed me on the path to making this "unbeknown to me" dream a reality. 

7) Giving Back
It was an absolute honour to be the bearer of donated goods from a super generous group of students I am blessed to have in my classes. I sent a call out for donations for the Bali Kids Charity before I left on my trip and was blown away by the generosity that saw us raise $120 and donate a large amount of much needed products to the medical facility for the orphanages of Bali. And even more excited to create a social enterprise with my T-shirts that will allow me to give back in an even bigger way in the new year.

8) Dr Wayne Dyer
Really he deserves a whole post of his own, but I wanted to include him here as he has been a pivotal teacher this year for me and one I am so grateful came into my life. My one regret is only discovering his powerful teachings since his passing on August 30th this year. But from what I have read, I sense that his passing too was a part of his soul's journey to continue his legacy. He's a man who lived as I know my soul wishes to live, a truly inspired life connected to the Divine that transforms the lives of others. 

9) Daily practice
Finally I am grateful for my daily practice. This year it evolved but was a still a daily grounding staple in my life. From waking each morning and either setting an intention or saying a prayer of gratitude, to the usual meditation and yoga practices, to incorporating the "7min work out" and dance, and for the last 5 months of the year being in touch with my cousin overseas every day sharing our self-love cards and nightly gratitude list. All of which, the latter in particular, have helped me keep in focus what is of highest importance to me in my life and how I wish to be in this world. 

Looking back I can see that the wild ride I've been on all stemmed from that one decision to follow my heart and be open to what life brings me. From this vantage point, I am very much looking forward to seeing what 2016 has install for my soul's journey as I continue to follow my heart. I wonder where it will lead me.

Thank you so much for being on this journey with me.

Here's to more of us connecting with our hearts and a world more in love and at peace in 2016!

Love, light and blessings, 
Tx