page thirty-seven: Walking the Talk

We all know what it’s like to talk the talk: to speak of love, trust, or faith, but walking the walk is another story altogether. Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” But that’s far easier said (talked) than done (walked). Yet talking is simply where the journey begins. Doing better follows, but only when the knowing is deeply ingrained, embodied in every cell of our being. This is a journey that can span a lifetime—or even lifetimes.

The ancient and timeless chakra system is my favorite way of understanding this disconnect between knowing and doing. Although this wisdom was born in the East, it is universal and helps us to understand how our faith and convictions get lost on their way to action. The framework offers us clarity in the journey from the abstract to the embodied, from idea to action, from spirit to soil.

Faith, to me, is like snow resting upon high mountains—quiet and luminous, untouched by the world below. When the sun of compassionate awareness touches it — what some might call Grace — the snow melts and flows downward, feeding rivers, replenishing the soil, and enlivening the seeds that have long waited in stillness.

This descent mirrors the soul’s journey through the chakras—from crown to root, from the unseen to the lived.

Faith begins in the crown, the seventh chakra. Born in moments of awe and wonder, it is an awareness of the mystery—a deep knowing that transcends thought and feeling. As that energy flows into the sixth chakra, the seat of the mind, it becomes belief: an understanding, an insight, a way of knowing that reaches beyond what the five senses reveal. 

At the fifth chakra, in the throat, faith finds its voice. We begin to express what we believe—perhaps through prayer, art, teaching, or service. For some, this may mean joining a community, a church, or a sangha that mirrors those inner convictions. When faith reaches the heart, it becomes love—not the conditional, transactional kind, but the open-hearted way of seeing and meeting life through compassion rather than control.

At the third chakra—the realm of ego and will—faith transforms into courage. We begin to “dare greatly,” making choices that align with what we believe in. Whenever we find ourselves stuck or overdriven, it’s a sign that the snow of faith descending from our mountaintop has not yet reached the fertile soil of our personal power.

When faith touches the second chakra, the home of our natural, human self—the inner child—it becomes self-acceptance. Here we end self-rejection and self-abandonment, embracing both, our gifts and our flaws.

Finally, when faith reaches the first chakra, watering our roots, it becomes trust. Here, faith is no longer an idea—it’s a lived reality. We begin to trust life itself: our past, our present, and even the unknown future.

Yet this descent of faith—from crown to root—is not always linear. We may bring faith into some areas of our life but not others. For example, we can be deeply spiritual and even courageous, yet still afraid to bring faith into the vulnerable territory of self-acceptance. I learned this myself, and share that journey in my book, The Yoga of Self-Love. True embodiment asks that we shine light into every shadowed area of our reality— not just once, but every time life invites us to start over.

This journey of grounding faith is long, and ongoing. In doing this work, we must face the traumas, disappointments, and misfortunes that caused us to leave our ground, wandering heaven and earth in search of safety. Healing only happens when we return to the time-worn field of the body—to reclaim and  rebuild, again and again. 

That is what the ancient Eastern practices—yoga, meditation, tai chi, qigong—have always offered: ways to start over, to restore trust in life from the inside out, and to continue returning whenever life challenges or unsettles us.

At my recent retreat, I guided a meditation on this theme, inspired by the gentle teachings of mindfulness master Thich Nhat Hanh. Titled “I’m Here for Me,” it invites you to return to the body—our field of play—to gently rebuild trust and walk your talk, one mindful step at a time. It’s now available on our YouTube channel, and I’m delighted to share it with you.