MEET CARISSA.
dedicated mama and studio owner; prose crafter; music lover; inspirer.

what’s the best part of your day?
hands down: rocking my baby girl at bed time, especially after she’s had a bath. she’s all warm and soft and her hair is damp and smells like *baby*. we read books and then snuggle up, her head in the crook of my left arm, her belly expanding and pressing against my belly with each of her inhales. and she’ll just stare at my face while i sing her songs that i hope she’ll remember someday. heaven.

what inspires you?
the shamelessness and honesty of my children inspires me to lighten up. people who ask for what they want even when they think the answer might be no. and, people who are really, really *living* inspire me to keep on keeping on. it doesn’t have to be big, but it has to be true. you could be a bank teller or a karaoke singer or a car mechanic or a celebrity chef – if you are truly loving your life, you appreciate every day miracles, and you make it yours – THAT is inspiring to me.

your favorite trip.
my husband and i were in a wedding of two of our best friends in costa rica a few years ago. we (barely) left DC in a blizzard, got delayed in panama for two days with half of the group, had to stay in a gross hotel, missed another flight, had to drive cross country in costa rica unexpectedly… but it turned out to be an enormous lesson on the *reward* of living in the flow. ended up being the best trip evah.

what’s your ideal sunday?
sleep until i wake naturally to a full cup of delicious coffee, walk to/from yoga, brunch with my family, unplanned afternoon, early bath/bed for my children, date-night-in with my husband on the deck, comfy jammies, fantastic fiction, clean sheets, early bed time.

your favorite words of wisdom.
“pretty is as pretty does” – my grandma
“both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. it is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend.” – sarah ban breathnach

when do you feel most “you?”
on my yoga mat on my kitchen floor. standing next to the ocean with no other people around. on a trip alone with my husband. playing with my kids outside. with my very best friends. with my mom.

what fulfills you?
the natural beauty of our world. being a mama. being HOME home, at my parents house. time spent with a soul-friend. music i experience on a visceral level.

your favorite outfit.
wavy crazy hair, flats, perfect jeans, black tee, giant vintage turquoise pendant necklace that i can’t stop wearing.

what’s on your ipod?
omigosh, so much! lately: my morning jacket, alexander, andrew bird, bill withers, bob dylan, beirut, the police, fleet foxes, neil young, talking heads, medeski martin & wood, lana del ray, the lumineers, natural self, sun kil moon, the cure.

five things you love.
family.
yoga.
coffee.
home made beet/carrot/apple/ginger/lemon juice.
humans.
maine.
i know that’s six things. but i have lots of love.

how you feel in one word today.
grateful.

carissa ciuca family maine portland teaching the breathing room writing