My 2-ish Part Answer
Welcome to Day 2 of the #YourTurnChallenge. I have a two-part answer to today's question "Tell us about something that’s important to you".First answer: Dark chocolate. (So I suppose it's a three-part answer.)Second answer: The quality of yoga teaching. Yoga has become watered down. Everyone and their dog is a yoga instructor. Is that a bad thing? Maybe not. More of us out there means there are more people searching for something deeper, something more significant in their lives. Having said that, there are too many teachers and not enough standards for yoga instruction. The class types are as numerous as nail polish names. Students are confused and tend to opt with trends, convenience time slots, and the newest thing in studios.How do you chose a yoga class? How the hell do you pick the right teacher? Here's a personal example: I attended a meditation workshop right before Christmas. The holidays are the perfect time to check our a meditation class if you never have before. What better opportunity to try something new that can help you decompress when you're strapped for time, money, and vegetables? But I digress. The studio and teachers shall remain nameless. I left the meditation workshop feeling more agitated than I had in a long time. I mean agitated to the point I would have kicked a puppy if one had gotten in my way. So agitated that I had to go home and do my own yoga practice to simmer down.Fast forward two weeks. It's the New Year. I attend two workshops over a weekend taught by an seasoned teacher many don't know about unless they're in a certain yoga click. I left the first restorative workshops thinking, "Ahhh, now that's what I'm taking about." I felt like I could hug the entire world with one deep breath.There was no comparison in the quality of the teaching and the experience of the teacher between these workshops .8 students attended the New Years workshops, 25 attending the holiday meditation workshop. Why is that? Yoga is a business after all so good marketing and getting the word out are key. The quality of the product unfortunately is not.Third and final answer: People. I never thought I'd write that down. As an introverted girl who used to prefer to spend time alone with chickadees in her parent's back garden you'd think I'd loathe people. Don't get me wrong, I do some days in some moments. But overall I truly care about people. When people are cared for good things happen. Unfortunately many of us suck at caring for ourselves, including me at times. I know, right?! I'm a FRAUD. On the contrary, I've felt what it's like to put myself last, have low self-confidence, and believe there's no way in hell I could accomplish XYZ. Then I woke up. I did my work. Chose to throw up and push past fear. Made the chose again. There are days I painfully fall off the self-respect wagon but overall I now call myself on my excuses and my bullshit. I push myself more than I ever have in a positive way. I'm more self-aware of my habits and vices (choooocolate). Because of it I see when others are limiting themselves. I can empathize with their pain, both physical and mental. People open up to me. I actively work to be a good listener. What I hear is people feel disconnected with themselves, they feel pulled in a million directions, they find it hard to squeeze in the time to put themselves first, and they want to make their health a priority. So do I. I want them to put themselves and their wellbeing first too. And gosh darn it I'm going to help them do it first by setting a good example, then by listening, and then by giving them the tools.Here's to people feeling happier, healthier, and more empowered to help themselves.Now, where's the chocolate?
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