This week is packed full… six new yoga teachers on the schedule, two new classes, taxes due next week and I am traveling to Park City for the last week of a year long leadership program with Baron Baptiste. Oh, and I forgot to mention a play on Friday night, yoga festival all day on Saturday and a team meeting Sunday, right after I teach yoga and before I fly to Park City. Somewhere in there I will do laundry, pack, get a pedicure and (fingers crossed) sleep. I know I need to recharge before I crash and burn.

As a busy mom, wife and business owner, my life seems to have one speed, full throttle.

There are always more things on my “to do” list than hours in the day. I dream of vacation and a day where I could sleep in past 6 AM. I know that I dance perilously close to burn out.

Tempted by the lure of products and programs that promise to help you, “find more time” or “how to say “No” more often,” I find myself going back to the practices and techniques that give me sanity and help me to enjoy and savor the moments that make up a fulfilling life, not just one that looks good on social media.

As I sit here in my home office, un-showered, in a cozy sweatshirt, covered with cat fur, I choose to believe I am blessed. I have a dog in the corner, lightly snoring and a friendly feline on the corner of my desk… hence the cat fur all over me… I wouldn’t want to be back in a “traditional” or “well paying” job, but the truth is, sometimes I look at my friends who stuck with the corporate gig and I feel a little envious. The path I chose includes no corporate stock options, bonuses, or paid vacation. The hours are long and salary is under minimum wage.

I’ve been at this long enough and through numerous highs and lows. I know turning my vision outward is a dangerous game. It’s almost enough to make me want to accept the lure of corporate travel and a secure paycheck to feed my need for certainty. Yet I know after a few months of back to back travel and missing my family, my soul would be calling for a return to my EPIC life.

When I find myself teetering on this slippery slope, I come back to the tools of my yoga practice.

Drishti, or the practice of fixing my gaze, invites me to shift my focus. I can focus on what I don’t have or I can choose to see the blessings of what’s available. When something doesn’t go as planned, instead of beating myself up, I can ask, “What can I learn from this situation?”

Ujjayi, the victorious breath, brings me back into the present moment. Sort of how I used to use Gantt charts in the corporate world to stay focused on the “critical path”… From the present moment, I can avoid overwhelm and instead ask, “What needs to be done in this moment?” or “What do I need right now?” And yes, when I am wrapped up in a late night project, sometimes the answer is sleep!

Bandhas, or the energetic locks, remind me to pull in to my center, my guiding principles and personal mission and stay true to myself. It’s a way to create my life, from the inside out.

Tapas, the heat that purifies. In Baptiste Yoga, we talk about “being up to something bigger” it’s the act of making the higher call at each step. Tapas keeps me growing and with irons in the fire… sometimes even a few too many!

Vinyasa, reminds me to stay in the flow of the universe. Life is in constant flux. Highs, lows, and everything in between. Vinyasa reminds me that no one thing, or experience is ever permanent. I’ve certainly had my highs and lows and I am grateful for the fluid quality of life. That old saying, “:You can’t step into the same river twice”… total truth! And as much as I might want to revisit some of the highs, I am grateful to not be stuck in the lows. When the going gets rough, I remember the vinyasa, and take a deep breath and know that in this moment, all is well.

The tools of my practice recharge my mind, body and soul. 

The alarm just went off on my iPhone reminding me it’s time to meditate, so off I go… if you want to know what I am up to, check out Heart Math, and explore Heart Rate Variability.

Namaste… the light in me sees the light in you.

xoxo