It’s ok to say, “I wasn’t ready”

It’s ok to look back and say, “I wasn’t ready.”

I absolutely love this pic (thread the needle and I was there for every relaxing bit of it!)! It was taken at the Van Gogh with Lifeway Kefir Immersive Yoga experience last week. I’m so excited and HONORED to teach at the Immersion experience on Thursday mornings at 8:30 am! There have been so many opportunities for me to practice and teach yoga in some amazing spaces this past year - so much gratitude for my name being in the room where it happens!

I’ve been practicing and teaching for awhile now and I remember thinking, I want to teach here..and there, and I should be an ambassador here and there. This weekend, as I taught my first all-levels class at the White Water Center, while driving home it dawned on me…I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready to teach, and cue, and notice/acknowledge each person individually and allow them to see me. The real me, not the me I showed to the world because I was busy being everything to everybody. But this weekend, I showed up as myself. Corny, playful, full of shenanigans, but able to bring the students back to the basics of practice - breath and movement.

I wasn’t ready to answer questions about breath techniques because I was barely taking deep breaths 3 years ago. My shallow breathing, fast paced life was all I knew. Gratitude for this path that I’m on and the teachers that were patient enough to walk with me, notice my immaturity and still love on me and guide me in the right direction. I love how God strategically places the right people around me at the right time!

These days, as I slow down and move into being instead of doing (it’s still a balancing act!), I’m able to find comfort in knowing exactly who I am and how I’m show up in this world. It’s taken a whole lot of courage to face some deep fears, prayers to release control, and surrender to the purpose and will that God has for my life! I still have aspirations to do great things, but I’m ok with acknowledging, with the biggest smile, “I’m not ready”.

Mother’s Day 2021

Mother’s Day is one of those holidays that people either love or hate, for various reasons. I realized that Mother’s Day can be especially hard those those that lost their mom or have a strained relationship with their mom. To those, I hope that you find one seed of joy in the day, instead of stating how much you hate Mother’s Day :-)

I personally LOVE Mother’s Day - It’s like a second birthday in my household! My kids are always making me some random picture or craft and trying to get something from TJ Maxx for me! My hubby will get me some sneakers or something random that I would never buy for myself…it’s usually all rainbows and butterflies! There are many ways to celebrate Mother’s Day, but my way is with my family and my auntie/BFF! We planned a quick trip to Baltimore, MD to enjoy lobster rolls, Chick-fil-A and Marvel movies.

My mom is still here and will remind us (my brother and I) that she doesn’t need or want anything…so I usually send her a Saks gift card to use at some point during the year when she “wants” something. I can’t remember doing anything special or giving her anything when I lived at home, but I know she’s worth everything in the world that she wants or needs!

Mother’s Day this year is a bit more special because it marks 1 year of my website launch! It’s been a wild ride since then, being quarantined for longer than originally anticipated, leaving Corporate America and working in the yoga studio more than usual. I’ve tried to keep the site updated as much as possible, and it’s been a great landing pad for my yoga schedule and events, financial planning sessions, and devotion musings! I love my path as a CPA, Yoga Teacher, wife, and daughter, but my favorite title is mommy/ma/mom/mama/mummy! My two little bunnies make my heart sing in addition to frazzling every single nerve…and I wouldn’t change it for the world!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Things I Learned During Quarantine 2020

I started this post in August 2020 and never got around to completing it. A rainy day at the beach in April 2021 makes it the perfect time to contemplate and write!

Day 6,482 of limiting the number of places we go and staying 6 feet away from family, friends and strangers. There are so many things that were challenging about this phase for extroverts and huggers! Yes, we are in 2021, but I’m LOVING the lessons I learned during this pandemic!

1. When people show you who they are, believe it (the first time). I know this is an old one, but it never stops proving itself! Do I believe people change? Yes. Will I take you at face value as you are presenting yourself? Yep!

2. The actual, real life people are more important than running a profitable business (especially in a pandemic). So many times students would come into the studio and just lie on their mats. There were some tears. Some frustrations. And it reminded me of my responsibility as a “space holder” in sharing this yoga practice. Look at the people…love on the people…support the people! And that’s about the time Kara and I changed our mission for the studio - love, serve and support others!

3. God is faithful…always. Even in a pandemic! There were moments when my business partner wanted to give away EVERYTHING 😂 I remember thinking, how are we going to pay this rent! You know what? We made rent with VERY limited resources all but 1 month!

4. People make time for what they want to make time for. Myself included. Communicating that I really WANT to support you, or I’m just so busy, or I do X, so I can’t do Y with you right now 😒 I find that generally, people have control over their schedules and make a choice daily what they want to do or see happen in their lives. So if spending time with a friend is a priority, make it happen. Need some self-care? Make it happen. Need 10 minutes to pray or meditate? MAKE.IT.HAPPEN! No excuses!

5. Time is a blessing. Hard stop.

What did you learn during 2020? More importantly, how have you used those lessons to make 2021 better?!