Trust

Trust.

There are many forms of trust, some call it faith.
In life, who can you trust? Will you ever trust again once it has been broken?

As a yogi it is easy for me to stand on my hands, my head and contort my body in all ways. I know that I can trust my body. I rely on that trust to get me through each day. I have trained myself to trust no one, to not rely on anyone, to let go of people and any expectations that I will have of them. 

What is your story with trust? Maybe you trust friends and others more than you trust yourself. Is it time for you to challenge that. I know it is time for me to learn to trust again. It is time to let go of my independence a little and start to let people in again.

I would love to say that life is better on your hands but it's not. You can be a firmly planted tree with roots so deep you will never move, or you can be a leaf blowing in the wind, no roots and no plan of where you are going. No matter where you are in life trust that you are in the right place, you are growing as a human being and when it is time to move on, trust that you will go in the right direction.

Movement

Movement comes from intention. Each action that you take, each opportunity is all part of a grand plan but it lies within that intention. I always tell students to set an intention before they begin practice. Why do we intend to practice yoga? There was a time in each of our lives where yoga was nonexistant. Why did we start yoga? Why did we come back? There was some action behind each visit to the studio. That action starts to change as time passes. Sometimes you stop practicing yoga. Maybe you have never stopped. Either way, you have changed. Your intention, needs to change with you. It needs to guide your practice, your life and each moment.

What prevents us from accomplishing our goals? Do we intend to succeed or fail? I see people come take class to lose weight, but it goes beyond one hour of work. As you leave the studio your mind goes back to old habits of eating, old habits of sitting around and staying inactive. You drink too much, snack until the box is empty and maintain habits that are covering up the truth that your unhappy with more than just your weight. Intention is not about what you say, it is about what you think. When no one else is looking, when your in the deepest, darkest place where your mind goes. 

Setting an intention relies on us settling in to who we are, where we want to go and how we get there. Our intention supports that and keeps us on track for our goals, dreams and ambitions. I strive to be on the top of my game at all times, I know there are times I need to retreat and back off, giving myself time alone to recharge. That drive is what fuels me to be who I am today. I want to be an example of what a true yogi is. I want to teach a class that would develop even the most advanced yogi. I want to be part of an elite group of teachers that can teach anyone, anywhere and with any. I strive to not be the best teacher at a studio, to have the most people in class, I strive to be better than that. It is not about who follows you, how many people think your awesome. It is about the imprint that I leave on your life when you walk out of my class. It is the imprint that I share with you through my life experiences. I want to constantly move toward those goals. I want students that support that goal, friends that inspire me and challenge that greater good in me.

I have set this blog up so that I can support that goal. As it is here for you, it is about me sitting down each week and putting something down. I have to support my practice, my learning and this is my way of staying on track. I challenge you to do the same. Find your intention, find your goals and then stay on track. Each day needs to support that goal, that dream and form who you are. 

Shine On

Why do we run from our problems?
What are we afraid of?
Do our past experiences put us in the constant state of 'fight or flight'?
And how can I start to change my response and reactions?

Before life shaped me, hurt me and damaged me, I saw the world as a playground with so much to explore, to discover. Then I started to gain experience, ego started to form in me. Someone told me, maybe I just saw it, even on the playground at school, what my status was. How important I was in the lives of my classmates, my friends and my family. I formed who I was based off where I lived, what my parents did, what car they drove. I had this perception about life, about who I was and on a scale I would rate that importance. I grew up with that mentality and cared deeply what others thought.

I am glad that I can share my life in such a way that inspires others, what they do with that is at their disposal but I am in love with the life that I was given. I would not change one moment. I have stopped running from my problems, from who I should be, who I want to be. I stand here, sun on my face, sand in my toes, wind at my back and a smile on my face. 

When I was out in the desert, an hour and a half from Cabo, I had no cell phone service (not that I cared) but I realized that life is how busy I want to make it. I work for myself and so I want to make money, I pick up the phone and it is done. I want to sit on a beach and drink Margaritas all day that can happen to. Life is not busy unless you make it busy. You have all these bills to pay for, this life that YOU want, these problems that YOU want. Simplify your life to what YOU want. And try to not talk about your problems to anyone, don’t run from them, confront them. Answer them now and see how much extra time you have to do absolutely nothing. To live in complete bliss, free from worry, stress and yes, problems!

Let this life be a testament of trust, that each opportunity granted, each interaction is for a reason. At the end of my life, I can put it all together and understand but right now I just want to enjoy. When you stop worrying about what everyone else is doing, what you should be doing and just enjoy each moment, each experience as it comes to you, it becomes so real, you feel truly connected to your life and you shine so bright that others stop running just to stare at you!