Follow Your Gut
Our lives are defined by patterns. They are all around us, repeating constantly. If we take notice, we can see all patterns are formed by contrasts. Night and day. Hot and cold. Inside and outside. The pattern of our own life, when reflected upon, has surely displayed a contrast of good times and bad.
In yoga, just like in life, we discuss contrasting patterns of existence through yin and yang. Yin is used to describe things that are more passive – softer, slower. Yang describes just the opposite, things that are more active – louder, faster. They are complimentary, always fluctuating and changing to keep each other in balance.
When our own life is in balance, it feels as though both feet are planted firmly on the ground.
"You can do anything, but not everything."
-David Allen
A pattern, and therefore balance, I have always valued in my life is work (yang-like) and play (yin-like). An opportunity to begin teaching so soon after completing Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) left me overwhelmed with excitement. I barely gave it a second thought. I did not realize the affects of trying to balance teaching, with my career as a designer, along with all of life’s other demands and desires.
I feel like I have been hopping through days on one leg.
A constantly rapid pace of working and living leaves me feeling stressed and anxious. Struggling to find time and energy to do the simplest things that bring me joy (even roll out my own yoga mat) has no balance of “play” to regain my footing.
If we stay too long in an unbalanced situation, the universe eventually acts to restore equilibrium – sometimes dramatically throwing us to the other side, over compensating. The outcome can be devastating to our body, mind, heart, and soul. It is important we recognize the need for balance in our lives before the inevitable change becomes harmful.
We have to smooth out the transition before we topple over.
After a lot of reflection, I know my commitment to regularly teaching yoga is not a good fit for my life right now. Holding back tears, but with a sense of relief, I taught my last classes at Life Time Athletic on Sunday, after only a few short months. I am so grateful for the opportunity I was given. It was truly a dream come true.
I am still a Yoga Teacher who will continue to be a dedicated yogi. I hope in the future gut instinct leads me back to teaching…because the dream has not faded.
