Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts

Pandemic Musings of Self Discovery



What does self discovery mean to you? For me, it means challenges, darkness, and sometimes pain. That doesn't sound so fun does it?

 

Change is messy. Life is messy. The "self" is messy.

 

Some of you may know this already, but I have been on a path of self discovery for quite a few years now. I may not of said it out loud, but you could probably tell by my blogging patterns or style changes. Maybe you didn't notice at all. That just means, I am so good at hiding it, you had no idea.

 

Either way, this morning I saw that quote up there and realized how much I have changed in the past couple of years and that this pandemic has really helped me see some of that.

 

Sometimes we don't know why we started on the path to self discovery, and sometimes we get those 'ah ha' moments along the way. For me, I realized I was looking for something to heal trauma from an abusive relationship. At the time I lived in a city where I knew barely anyone and because of that, I found a yoga studio who was just starting out who accepted me. 


This studio started me on my journey to heal myself. I took many classes and workshops there for a few years and then decided to become a teacher myself. Going through a yoga teacher training changes you. You work a lot on yourself without even realizing it at first. Some people go through the training for themselves and never intend to go on to be a teacher. I was that person. I never thought I would want to teach.


What most people don't realize about these types of journey's is they can often be dark, challenging, and lonely. Some of these lessons I have learned along the way have been some of the hardest moments of my life.

 

I graduated the program a different person and knew I needed to keep on the path of this journey. I decided I wanted to teach. Help others along the way. Shortly after getting my first teaching job, I found out I was pregnant with my first child. I became dis-interested in teaching and stopped all together. No biggie. 

 

Fast forward to 5 months after I had my son.  I quit my job. I declared breastfeeding wasn't for me and quit. My cat disappeared. All in the same week. I was beyond devastated and emotional. It was all a part of my self discovery journey. I didn't see that then, but I can see it now. It brought me back on the path.

 

I started practicing yoga again little by little. It had been a year since I last tried. I became certified in Reiki because I loved working with energy. In this time we started looking to buy a house. We bought the first house we looked at (We did look at 3 total) and moved in a year ago. I feel like I manifested this house. That is a story for another day. I live in a log cabin. A real one. It is all wood and I have never felt so grounded in a space. I realized this past fall that I had the best space for a small home yoga studio.

 

The months leading up to the pandemic I was doing some deep self work with a coach. He helped me realize the yoga space and had me face a lot of truths. I began working on my relationships as well. Looking at my own interactions with those around me. Came to the realization I was not happy in my job. 

 

I started a plan of what I wanted to do next. This was years in the making. I had ideas and dreams and it all seemed to be coming in at the same time. I started teaching small classes in my home. I was offering free/donation classes to moms who needed a break. It was an amazing feeling. It was happening.

 

Enter Covid-19.

 

"You need to go home and work there. We can't work in the building. "You can't teach yoga, you can't even be near people." "This is only going to be a few weeks, you can teach again soon." "People are dying, you can't live out your dream anymore, sorry."

 

Everything came to a screeching halt. Wait what? I can't do this anymore? I was just getting started! NOOOO! Now what?

 

This is how journey's go. You never know what is going to happen next. You are never 100% prepared for the road blocks, but you are prepared to deal with them.

 

This is just the roadmap. You never know what you will come up against on the road. I will be writing more about what I have learned and what I am doing now to keep going with what I am after. My dream.


I will say, even with all of the crazy going on, I am proud of myself for doing the work. I am so happy I get to share it with all of you. This got long pretty quick, so stay tuned for more of what I learned and what I am working on next on my journey.

 

I appreciate you reading.


Namaste.

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My Yoga Space

Everything right now is pretty virtual. We are adapting to what is available to us to keep our businesses and our sanity alive. One thing that has exploded in the past weeks is online fitness classes. Yoga is included in those classes.

Last year we bought a house. Before we really started seriously looking I joked it had to have a space for a yoga studio. My husband always just laughed at me. I think he knew deep down I was serious, but he humored me anyways.

When we got down to it, I forgot about the yoga thing because we needed to find a house. We told our landlords we would not be renewing our lease. We looked a several houses and put in an offer pretty quickly. We got that house. We moved in over the summer of 2019.

One evening in October it hit me. This house has a yoga studio! The house has a finished basement that has exits into our garage. There is an entrance to the outside world. This could work.

The basement before we moved in
Over the past several months I have worked on building it up as a space that works. I was inspired by a paint color called Mosque Blue. I painted one wall. I cleaned out all the clutter and agreed that the space could be a multi-use space. It is my yoga studio and a family room. It has been working out  pretty well.

After we moved in. Not too bad, but cluttered. 
I taught a couple of classes in the space before Coronavirus took us by storm. Now I look at my hard work and wonder what to do now. It is time to join the world and offer virtual online classes. It had always been a plan of mine to do. I have lots of friends and family all over the world who want to take my classes. This situation pushes that plan quicker then I thought, but not out of the question.

The mostly finished space.
Below is the entry way with places to hang coats and the entry way into the room 


I am currently working on streaming classes to my Facebook group: Refresh. If you want to join in please send a request to join. It is a space just for women where we can support one another in wellness, mental health and overall support in this challenging time.

I was struggling to keep up with everything I had planned, but this week I was furloughed from my job so I will have more time. I did take on doing another 200 hour yoga training this week. It is virtual and with the same studio I took my in person 200 teacher training back in 2017. This training is a great refresher and is focusing on some virtual training tips which is great for the current situation.

That being said, I am proud of the space I built and I hope you enjoy the photos and will join me in some classes in the group. Maybe give some inspiration to turn a room into some form of multi-purpose space that works for you and your family.

Have a wonderful day! Namaste.
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My Future With Yoga



I have sort of been putting off this post. It has been sitting in my drafts with a bare bone summary with no real direction for a few weeks. Why is that I wonder. So here are my thoughts.

Last summer I completed my 200 hour yoga teaching certification. I even had a job lined up to teach one month before I completed my classes. I was so excited, yet terrified to start on this journey.

A little back history. I started going to yoga a few years ago when I was feeling really lost in life and felt like I needed a hobby. I chose yoga because it was a gentle gathering and I am an introvert, so going out to do a full on contact hobby wasn't going to be the right fit for me.

I wanted something to take my mind off life around me, plus get me out of my house. I spend soooo much time at home those days when I wasn't at work. I walked into a new studio that was offering a free class and I fell in love. The space is literally on a farm in the country only 15 minutes from my house.

I attended a few more free classes when they offered a beginners course of 8 weeks for a flat rate paid up front. I decided at that point this was the easiest way for me to stay committed. I went through this class and many more. I slacked at times in between but always managed to make my way back.

When I heard they were offering a yoga teacher training I got really excited, but also didn't think I could do it. I didn't think they would accept me because I had no real experience in yoga. I was still considered a beginner at this point.

I remember when I had my application interview, I met our teacher. She was magnificent to me. I remember looking at her and saying, "do you think I can do this?" She had never met me before in her life and somehow her response to me made me believe I could. I took that same story to my graduation speech that I didn't know I would be making that day. (Jeannie if you're reading this.. thanks!)

I had to look within myself to complete this long journey. I did it. I was so damn proud of myself. I felt strong and empowered in my own body.

 I started teaching almost immediately. I had a regular couple who came and it was great. Small and gave me room to experiment without too much of an audience. It was the perfect equation. I taught 2 times a week and I really loved it.

Fast forward to September when I found out I was pregnant. I continued to teach until the end of November and then I felt too tired to make the drive every day (I was teaching 45 minutes away from my house) and I put my class on hiatus. I also quit doing yoga at home. I went to one class early on and felt so sick through it, I just stopped all together.

Now here I am today. A year past my certification and I am not doing yoga at all. I didn't do it through my pregnancy, which was a big mistake on my part. Now I need to get myself back to it. I need to keep on pushing forward to get back to where I was a year ago.

I want to teach again, and if nothing else I want to have a practice of my own again. Get myself back to a place where I feel comfortable on the mat.

Right now I am in no position to teach as I am not practicing myself, so I would have to say I will not be teaching this year again, but in the future, I am saying yes, I will be teaching again. Anyone want to be my guinea pig?

The passion is still there and there is no secret that this body of mine needs some stretching, exercise, and a little peace in my mind.

Did a life change ever put a passion of yours on hold? How did you handle it?  Would love to hear your opinions on this!



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What's Up Weekend - 8/11

Happy Friday lovelies! I am over the moon excited that the weekend is here. Speaking of moon, in case you didn't notice, there was a full moon this week. If things were a little cray-cray that's probably why! Anyways, I feel like I accomplished a lot this week. Let me discuss why..

One
I officially got myself back to the gym. I made a plan and I stuck to it. It feels good to have met that goal. My poor body was in desperate need of a good workout, and I feel like I gave it a good one. I don't feel sore or overworked, but I feel good about it. I already feel like I have more energy. Maybe it's all in my head, but hey, I'll take it!

Two
I was featured for the second time on Stitch Fix Reviews. That is so exciting for me. I am in no way a fashion blogger, but to be featured along side those ladies was amazing. I am so blessed to have had that experience.

 
 
Three
I am so close to sharing my new website with everyone! It is looking great and I am so excited for it. I have learned a lot about Wordpress through this journey and have done a majority of the work myself. This is such an accomplishment for me. My patience runs out real quick, so for me to sit down and figure all of this out, is a super win!

Four
This weekend is my mom's birthday and we are going zip lining! I asked my mom back in March what she wanted to do and originally I wanted to take her to a fun hotel in NYC. She said yes and then later said she didn't want to do that because NYC is too hot in August to be walking around. So she said, "I want to go zip lining!" Okay! I am hoping the rain holds off, but if it does, that's where you can find me this weekend!

Five
I went live for the first time on my yoga business page. I am starting a weekly live chat to talk about yoga and essential oils. I am hoping this will ease the anxiety that some people have about trying yoga for the first time. I want to be able to answer questions and let people know that yoga really is for any body type. It was such a rush to go live and talk! Can't wait to see where it leads!

How was your week? Share in the comments!

Have an amazing weekend!

Namaste.


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When Everyone Else Is Busy

 


This is the third new post I have started writing this morning. My thoughts are all over the place. I get a few sentences written and decide I don't like where the thoughts are flowing, so I start over. Let's see if this one sticks.

Today I am teaching a yoga class. It is my first time teaching on a Wednesday. I know I promised more posts on my teaching, and I haven't felt the urge to post...

Maybe it's because at the beginning things were going great. People came to my first 2 weeks of class. Then I had to be out of town for work. Then I was out of town for Wanderlust. Those 2 weeks matter. 2 whole weeks I missed teaching my class. People noticed. Time really does make a difference. I get it.

I was slotted to teach Friday at 6:30pm and Saturday at 9am. I'm a new teacher, so I need to take what is available, so I have come to terms with that Friday after work is a bad time to teach yoga in a place where yoga is new. It's summer and people want to be out enjoying the beautiful weather and planning for vacations and parties. I get it.

I have a cute couple who have been coming to my Saturday class. They did not come the last 2, but again I get it. It was 4th of July week. People were busy. People have lives.

I looked at these opportunities to see where I could improve. I used the time and the space to practice my own flow. I ran through my planned teachings in a space that was all mine. A quite space with the doors open and the breeze flowing in.

I then decided to look at my options. I was driving 40 minutes each way to teach a class that wasn't happening. Although I did enjoy the time to myself, that wasn't what I wanted to be doing all summer. I had a talk with the owner and she agreed Friday's were not the best nights to offer a class.

Tonight I start teaching Wednesdays and Saturdays. I am looking forward to a fresh start on a fresh night, where I hope more people will have interest to come in and flow with me. I enjoy this practice so much, and nothing makes me happier than sharing it with others.

I am excited to see where this new night will bring me. New people to meet. New people to teach. New opportunities. I am also excited I now get to go teach a class on Friday night where I earned my teacher training certification. Go back home. It's a great feeling.

Namaste.


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Overcoming Fears one element at a time

Hello again sweet loves on the internet. As promised I am writing to tell you about the fear and uncomfortable place I was in yesterday that made me feel accomplished and like a winner! If you want to see my emotional post yesterday about taking the road to self discovery please check it out here.. (The Truth Is)

Truth is, I live for the moments where I can share my discomfort with you all. Why you ask? To show that discomfort can be beautiful.

These photos are courtesy of Julie who was my guide and teacher on the lake yesterday. I am so grateful she caught these beautiful photos of  me embracing my fears!


I am terrified of water. You won't ever catch me swimming in a lake or the ocean. I am one of those people who enjoy the beach and bodies of water for the view. I will put my feet in, but I never go in past my knees.


Yesterday morning I went out at 7am and did paddle board yoga. I will tell you the first hour I was out there I couldn't get off my knees. I was terrified of falling in. Let me tell you, when fear is present, it doesn't matter how much balance you have on land. The water is a completely different ballgame.

By the end of the class I was able to stand up. I still took it very slow and anytime I moved I was swearing bullets. I went from paddling on my knees to standing up and paddling back to shore on my feet as you can see in the first photo.

Another post that is coming, probably next week is I just spend 4 days in Vermont at Wanderlust Festival and did all kinds of new yoga there. I feel like I have covered a wide variety of yoga in a week. From aerial yoga to paddle board yoga. I think I am on my way to want to know it all along with crossing fears off my list.

Thank you all for your patience with me. The generosity will always be returned.

Namaste friends.


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What Teaching Feels Like

Happy Friday lovelies! I am so excited to tell you all about my first teaching experience. Last Friday, I walked into the unknown. I walked into a studio for the first time in which I was unfamiliar. I was also not feeling my best. I sat anxiously waiting for my students. How many would there be? Would anyone show up? These were my questions. I had no idea. I took a stab in the dark and arrived at a very unfamiliar, scary place. A place of the unknown.

After a few minutes, 3 women got out of their car and made their way up to the studio with mats. I was thrilled and scared all at the same time.

It was a woman and her 2 daughters. Only one of them had done any form of yoga in the past and they were at my will to learn. I was in control and I was shaking in my boots.

I had planned only about a 45 minute class due to it being the first time, but because of the small class we had pretty much the full hour. It challenged me to create and make decisions on the spot. It was liberating to have a class listen to me and understand what I was telling them to do was a good thing.

At the end of the class I was able to get feedback from them. I told them not to hold back. They all said they thought it was great and I did a good job. They said being beginners they didn't know what to expect and they appreciated my attention to all of them.

I felt so good being able to guide these 3 ladies into a yoga practice, even with a few bumps along the way.

Now tonight is the real test. I have been told there will be more coming to this class... wish me luck!

Stay tuned!

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Wellness Wednesday - Yoga and Essential Oils

Today I am going to do something that is a little out of my element and comfort zone. I am going to talk to you guys a little bit about the business I am working on creating. If you have been reading this blog at all this year, you know I am working on becoming a yoga teacher. The learning how to become the teacher is the easy part, to actually be the teacher is a whole other ballgame.


Over the past several weeks as I have closed in on the end of my studies, I have really put into perspective what sort of knowledge that has been given to me, and what I should do with it. I have shared little snippets of ideas that I've had to utilize my knowledge. Now I want to let you all in on the second part of what I want to do.

I want to teach yoga to women with body image issues. I want a safe space where I can teach either one on one or in a class where every person in the room feels comfortable in their bodies. I have also decided I want to offer aromatherapy and essential oil blends to aid in yoga and everyday wellness.


Also, something fun and quick. I've started a FB group for women only. There will be topics on yoga, essential oils, wellness, and happiness. I also have a thread to share your business with the group. There will be more options to share and empower eachother as the group builds! I would love for you to join us!

Join Potions and Notions - Yoga, Essential Oils, Wellness, and Happiness (If for some reason you can't join, comment below and let me know and I will add you)

I have worked with essential oils for a few years now on my own terms. I've learned how to make blends and which oils can help promote wellness for me. I use them now in my everyday life and realized as I go into this next phase of my life, that I also want to share my love for essential oils with anyone who wants to listen.

I have mentioned a few times how much I have suffered with acid reflux. I recently started using a blend to help with that. I have to report that after a week of trying this out, my reflux has greatly improved. It absolutely amazes me. I hate taking pills, and I've always used oils as aromatherapy, but I am diving more and more into ingesting them as well as massage practices. So far so good.

I will tell you I am a wellness advocate for doTERRA. I decided to do this when I started to use oils more and more in my life. It just made sense to me. I could buy my own oils at wholesale and not have to worry about hunting someone down to place an order. It's a pretty sweet deal.

I am not one to really promote this out there, but I did want to pass along a May promo for anyone who was interested in a wholesale acount. . Anyone who signs up with a wholesale account (no commitment) and orders 100 pv starts off with 50 points towards free product. (1 point = $1 on all essential oils, so you are basically starting off with $50 free!) If you have interest, send me an email and I can give you more deets. No pressure, just sharing the wealth!

So what do you think? Can yoga and essential oils work together? Would you enjoy a yoga session with aromatherapy? Share your thoughts in the comments! I would love to hear your opinions and experiences!




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Body Image and Yoga

Yoga has kind of become my life. I started training to be a yoga teacher in January and I graduate in 3 weeks! I don't even know how that's possible. It's gone so fast!

If you would of asked me a year ago if I wanted to be a yoga teacher, I would of laughed at you. Now look at me. It has completely changed my outlook on life and what it means to be healthy in my own body.

Today I want to to talk about body image and all the reasons women specifically avoid going to yoga classes. This is important to me, because once, this was me. I would avoid going to a class because I didn't feel like I fit the "type" that did yoga.

It sounds silly, but there can be a misconception on who should be doing yoga. In todays world, body image is thrown down our throats. We are too thin. We are too fat. We don't have thigh gap. We have muscular legs. It seems no matter how you look, something isn't quite right.

As women we are always feeling pressured to look a certain way. This brings lots of self doubt and often makes us feel bad about something we may not even have control over. We detach ourselves from doing things we love or have interest in because we don't feel like we are good enough.

Not the best photo, but you get the point! - More professional photos coming soon!
 
Ladies, let me tell you something. ALL BODIES ARE NOT BUILT THE SAME. Studying anatomy through this journey has shown me that there are people out there who can do certain poses, and there are people who will never do that pose. It's not because they are not in shape, it's because their bodies were not build to get into that pose.

Our bones are not all the same length or even shape. If you are trying to get into a pose and you are experiencing bone on bone action, that is no joke. You can't force a bone to go somewhere it wasn't meant to go. I know plenty of "skinny" women who can't touch their toes. They were not build to do this. And you know what? It's perfectly fine!

Yoga is not about getting into that perfect shape, it's about doing what your body needs. Reap the benefits of the pose, and quit looking around to see how everyone else looks. I stopped doing this, and now I can get lost in my own practice. My body feels amazing and that is all that matters to me.

Once I got into this mind set, it made me realize that I am doing what my body needs. Not what someone else's body needs. In one of the last classes I went to, I looked up in a challenging pose. What I noticed floored me. Everyone in the room was struggling. It wasn't just me.

Yoga is hard sometimes for everyone. No practice is ever the same. We all have good days and we all  have bad days. I know there will be students in my classes that will be more advanced than me. I am okay with that. It is not a competition. We can all learn from one another.

So as I close this thought, I want you all to know, if yoga calls to you, just go for it. Your body will thank you. I also want to let you all in on a little secret. I am building a business plan to offer yoga to women who are afraid to take that leap. Build a safe space for them to come and be themselves and to still love their body, no matter what your "shape" is.

I feel like my purpose is to help other beautiful ladies love themselves as much as I have learned to love myself through this journey.

Share with me your experiences with yoga, and what if anything keeps you from going to a class. I would love to hear your stories! Remember, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!

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5 day Goal Challenge: Vol 5 + Weekend Update


Soooo.. This should of gone up yesterday, but it was Easter and I was having the best day ever, so I kind of slacked off about being on the interwebs. But you know what? I don't regret it at all. It was a day of pure bliss for me, and I can't apologize for that. So let me talk about my goals real quick and then I will tell you all about my amazing weekend.

For those of you who are new, I am working on 5 day goals to reach bigger goals. Sometimes long term goals can be tricky and you need to get little things in order before you get there. Each week I share my challenge and then normally report back here on Sunday to let you know how it went. I invite you all to join me on this goals. We can support each other as we go!

Last week I challenged myself to get outside every day. Even if it was just 5 minutes. I am happy to report that I made it outside and enjoyed wayyyyy more time than 5 minutes. It was glorious to feel the sun on my face. The warmth of the sun brought me comfort. I just really loved connecting to the Earth. This is something I need to continue to do to keep my well being strong and happy.


Now for this week, I am going to focus on blogging goals. I am going to be more attentive to my comments and commenting on other blogs. I kind of lost that aspect this past week. It was not because I was ignoring anyone, I just got lost in the beauty of disconnecting. The other part was work was super busy and I had no chances like I usually do to read during work hours.

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Now onto my weekend.. I had Good Friday off and I spent the day catching up on yoga reading, basking in the sun while my cats frolicked outside, and just enjoying Spring in all of it's glory. I also had a meeting about a potential business opportunity. More on that later as things unfold.

Saturday I spent the whole day with my yoga family. I always love these weekends. I am surrounded by love and positivity. I had many breakthroughs and even shed some tears. I felt so loved and supported as I was able to share some of my darkest regrets and secrets. I was able to let them go knowing I was forgiven by these wonderful people.

Easter Sunday was amazing for me. We had a later start for yoga, due to the holiday. I had breakfast with my love out on our deck in the sunshine. We cleaned up the house a bit, making it feel so warm and cozy. I took a walk to enjoy the nice weather. I went into yoga where I taught an impromptu 30 minute yoga set to a classmate in which I felt very confident with, which is all so new to me.

I had a vision of what I wanted to do with my yoga once I graduate. I am so excited about my plan and again as things unfold I will share it all with you guys! I am just so excited for everything that has been shown to me during this journey. I cannot say it enough. It is so refreshing and pure.

I hope you all had an amazing weekend and I would love to hear about your goals if you are following along with me! Happy Monday!


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Confessions of a Yoga Teacher in Training: Vol 2


I had a lot of discussion about my health this weekend with my yogi friends in training. I had mentioned I feel like I have been sick through out this whole entire training and yet somehow I am still standing, ready for the next thing.

One of the things that everyone agreed on, is this journey moves things. This journey opens up things in your body, bit by bit. My body is cleansing itself of all the stuff I have held in for all of these years. All of the pain. All of the secrets. All of the disappointment. Anything negative.

It all got there through pain and stress. It all has to come out the same way. There is one thing I have noticed through all of this. I have felt stronger than ever. My body may be going through some hard stuff,  but I am able to see things differently. My day to day life feels clearer.

My relationships have changed. I am able to interact with people differently. I can speak my mind in a way that isn't negative, but is also showing people I am not a doormat. I am able to remind people that everyone has their own views on life and things they do, but that doesn't mean their way is the right way, just as my way may not be their way.

So many great things have come out of this journey. Friendships. Confidence. Strength. I am sad that it will be coming to an end in a month. I am also very grateful to have had this opportunity and experience. It really has made me a better person. It is making me the best me I can be.

It is opening doors for me left and right. Not just opportunities, but also knowledge. I am going to take this with me into new adventures. I am going to use it to teach and educate. I am going to use it to learn. So many great things.

Have you done anything in your life that changed it for the better? Tell me about it! <3





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Confessions of a Yoga Teacher in Training: Vol 1



They say immersing yourself into the practices and teachings of yoga can be life changing. They say it can be an emotional rollercoaster, where every loop you twirl can be different. They say you will be lonely. They say you will feel liberated.

What they say, is all true. It is really hard to explain this journey out loud. It is so challenging, yet so rewarding. You have moments where you feel amazing and strong and like you can rule the world. You also have moments that make you feel uncomfortable both physically and mentally.

I just finished my third weekend training and I had a really great Saturday training. I felt strong and moved through my practice very fluidly. Sunday I came in and my energy was all out of wack. I felt very off, but not 100% sure how to explain that feeling. My practice wasn't focused. I didn't feel great.

By the time savasana (relaxation pose) came I was exhausted. I laid still and for the first time in my training I felt connected to my inner voice. I heard what needed to be done to move forward in a situation that has been dragging me down for way to long. It was very uncomfortable for me to accept this.

It is times like this that remind me why I am doing this. Why I want to surrender myself to my intention. I want that release. I want to let go of all of the pain, both physical and mental that I have carried with me for so many years. I want to fully know myself and be confident in teaching others who want the same.

My journey is only just beginning, yet I already feel so different. Yesterday I took a yoga class at my studio where I'm training and my teacher asked if I wanted to teach some of his class. I said yes. This isn't something I would of done just 2 months ago. I felt the answer in myself to do this. I felt confident and comfortable leading the class and it made me feel strong.

I cannot explain how great it was to share my teachings with others. I am confident this is what I want to do. It was like the universe knew I needed an answer. Now I know.  I am so grateful for this opportunity.

What practices have led you on a journey to your own self? Do you practice yoga or something else? I'd love to hear about your journey!



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Currently - An update

Oh my word people, how did January sneak by as well as half of February?!

This year is already turning out to be crazy busy and it's making me sad that this blog has suffered a little after I had made plans to revive the blog this year. What can I say? Life happens? So here is another little update and a brief thought on what I am planning on writing about in the near future.

First and foremost I told you all about starting yoga teacher training (YTT) and that officially started on January 14th. I immersed myself into a full weekend of yoga practice and training. I really, really enjoy my classmates and all of the stuff we are learning. I only have 1 classroom weekend a month, so I am gearing up for my 2nd one this weekend.

In between our month classes we are responsible for attending a minimum of 2 yoga classes a week of our choice as well as some homework related to our teachings. Everything was going great until I decided to take a new job.

Back in December I was offered a position to get back into optical, which is something I have missed over the past 5 years. It also came along with the convenience of working from home. I couldn't pass it up. I spent most of January preparing to leave my job and readying myself to travel to train for my new job.

I went out of town for a week at the beginning of February to train, and since then I caught a virus that has kept me pretty tired and with no energy, along with learning my new job. Yoga has been hard to keep up with, through all of that, but things will hopefully slow down in the next few weeks and I should be able to get back on track.

I am planning to write more in depth about my yoga training. I have found some very interesting topics to discuss just within my own practice and readings. I am hoping to get those moving starting next week. I also want to focus on my new journey, working from home. It is an interesting process and deserves to be written about here.

So there you have it, my crazy busy life, all condensed into this short update. I hope you are all having a great start to your year, and I can't wait to get more going here on the blog!

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Yoga Teacher Training Vol 1


Guys, let me tell you.. 34 hours of yoga teacher training from Friday to Monday is INTENSE! I am training to be a mindful warrior. I spent many hours in meditation along with learning the history and base poses to a yoga practice.

I am still working on processing everything I experienced on my weekend retreat immersed in all things yoga and mindfulness. I left feeling extremely close to my classmates and pondering all sorts of things in my life and about the world.

I do not have to be back in the class room for 5 weeks, but will be doing home study and practice in between. I will be logging a minimum of 2 yoga classes a week. I will be meditating 10 minutes a day, every day. I will be reading and studying the history and learning the whole body system.

I am beyond excited for this journey, and wish to share more once I processed everything completely over the next few weeks. I debated not posting at all until I had the words, but felt like going radio silent wasn't fun either.

Now I want to ask.. Do you practice mindfulness? Do you practice yoga? Please share with me your stories and journey. I would love to hear them all.


Much love!

Trish

How I am growing this year

When I announced I would be starting classes for my yoga teaching training, I had a lot of people ask my why. Why am I going to put myself through 200 hours of yoga in a short period of time?

Well since I start my journey this weekend (eek!) I figured I would give you my why.


Being healthy, both physically and mentally is always something I strive to work on. It is a personal choice for me, and I think it should be personal for you. Anytime you make a decision about your well-being you should be all in or not at all.

I have been committing to yoga for about a year now and I wanted a way to take it further. Life is stressful and I know I feel better when I give myself over to yoga and meditation. My mind clears and my body feels better.

I am also at a place in my life where I want to really get to know myself. I want to have a deep relationship with myself, which will help me have deeper relationships with others.

This was my calling for a better and balanced life.

Starting this Saturday the 14th, I will completely immerse myself into a yoga practice. I will learn about my body, and how to help you learn about yours. I will challenge myself both physically and mentally, and hope I will heal along the way.

That is what 2017 is going to be for me. Healing. Growth. Strength.

I am also going to do a journal here weekly. I will start this weekend with a start photo. I can't wait to see how much I change in 4 months.

What are you doing this year to encourage growth within yourself?

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Yogi Christmas Gift Guide

I announced last week that I am going to be starting my 200 hour yoga teacher training in January. Now that I am all signed up and accepted, I need a few things. I put together a Christmas wish list of sorts that I am looking for this year, and in return I hope it helps you shop for the yogi in your life.

For me, I am all about learning and training, as I will be spending a lot of time on my mat over the next 4 months. I added things to my list that would be useful and handy for my training. I threw in a few fun items too, just because.

Yogi Student Wishlist

1. Yoga wheel: I am not very flexible in my back. I have seen the wheel being used to help with back bends and other poses that require some flexibility. This would be a real blessing to anyone in my boat with the flexibility issue.

2. Blanket: I don't know about you, but when I start my savasana, I get really cold. My body relaxes and my body temperature goes down. Having a nice blanket to carry with me would be helpful.

3. Ombre leggings: I just really like these. I was at a point where all I wore was black leggings. They aren't fun. If I am going to be living in leggings more often, I might as well make them fun to look at!

4. Yoga mat: I have a mat currently, but just like everything else, mats do need to be replaced. Mats can be as simple or as fancy as you'd like them to be. For me, as long as I don't slide and it's not paper thin, it will be sufficient.

5. Sweatshirt: I am going to be training through the whole winter. It will be cold. Having a fun sweatshirt always makes it better. When you look forward to wearing youe winter wear, it doesn't seem like such a chore to go out.

6. Tank top: Just as much as getting cold can happen during your practice, so can getting warm. Having fun tank tops to practice in are always a good time. Plus I am going to miss pigging out on things like tacos..

7. No slip socks: I rarely ever wear socks when practicing, but again it will be winter and it will be a long day. I am going to want something I can put on my feet that won't cause me to slide on the mat.

8. Mesh leggings: Again these are just fun. Yoga can be as fashionable as you want. Sometimes it will be fun to put on something different to practice in.

9. Yoga block: Props are so important as I mentioned with the yoga wheel. We all need a little help sometimes to learn new poses. Having a nice cork block can make all those challenging poses a little easier.

10. Bag: Finally, you need something to carry all of these things in back and forth from classes. I really like this one because it fits everything and your mat has a place to go. This is probably what I'm hoping for the most this year!

So there is my wish list/gift guide. Is there anything I missed? Are you a yogi looking for some new stuff for Christmas? Let me know in the comments what you are in need of!


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I have an announcement

Soooo I totally dropped the ball on posting yesterday. I really had every intention of starting the week off on the right foot, yet here we are.

I have some really exciting news to share as well as an announcement about this blog.

As we all know, life happens. It has some unexpected twists and adventures that it likes to take us on. I have had a whirlwind of twists this year, and I am ready to slow down the whirlwind and do something for me.

I took a risk and decided to apply for my 200 hour yoga teaching certification. I am happy to announce I was accepted into the program I wanted last week and will officially start training in January. I plan to graduate in May with no real idea on what I will do with it yet. For now I am super excited, and ready to finally do something that is soley for me.

Now as far as this blog goes.. I have decided to take a small hiatus for the rest of December and possibly into January. I have to see how things go with the training. I want to use this month to to my advantage and get lots of reading and relaxing in. Lord knows my body is going to need it once training starts.

I am not planning to completely quit blogging, but I also don't know what my life will look like between January and May. I have thought about sharing my journey and hoping it is found useful to someone out there. I also have some posts already planned out that I will be sharing throughout the rest of this month and into January.

I didn't want to go completely rogue, and also didn't want anyone thinking I stopped reading their blogs. I am still reading as much as I can. I am not commenting much, and I am sorry for that. I am going to try to set one day aside to read and comment. I enjoy keeping up with a lot of you.

2016 has been one of the craziest years to date for me. I sometimes wonder how I survived it in one piece. This is why I know the yoga path is the path for me. I'm ready to heal and reconnect with myself.

I hope you will all stay with me and check in from time to time. This isn't goodbye, but until I see you again.

Happy December. May it treat you well as we transition into 2017

<3



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