Moving on to new ventures

It's a time for change and that's what this year has been about. I'm officially taking a break from yoga teaching and massage, and focusing more on my dance and movement. This is something that always pops up for me when I have one of those, "what the hell am I doing?" moments. I will still continue my yoga practice and I know, one day, I will go back to massage, but right now the movements arts are calling me. My creativity needs to be seen, so I started teaching some movement classes to friends to try out my 10-20 years of experience.

It feels great. It feels all me.

So why this shift?

So for the past month, I have been facing some limitations in my body. A month before that, I was in denial. As a yoga teacher and massage therapist, I am body conscious. But I’m starting to realize we can’t always be body conscious 24/7 no matter how much we want to be. When we injure, twinge, twang, or tweek a part of our body, it’s a sign that we may need to slow down a bit.

“Slowing down” is a phrase that used to NOT be in my vocabulary (just ask my husband). If you know me well, in the past, I was one to do, Do, DO! Although I think I was, I don’t think I took many deep breaths.

Currently, I know my Sacroiliac (SI) joint on the left side (back of pelvis) is misaligned/de-stabilized and my right elbow gives some grief, especially when I do downward facing dog. So how did this happen? I know either in a massage session, yoga class, or in my own personal yoga practice, I let my posture go for a split second somewhere and voila! But, the elbow is coming along; however the SI joint still talks to me. Let me emphasize “talks”, as oppose to “screams.” I’m so glad it doesn’t scream at me, so I’m grateful for that. I gotta find something positive out of this.

I am working with a wonderful, experienced Iyengar Yoga teacher, which has been helping tremendously! I’m now looking into Chiropractic work, and will be adding more bodywork for myself monthly.

The biggest shift I had to face was taking a solid break from giving massage regularly and yoga teaching. Once I made this decision, a weight lifted and I could feel my body respond with a big sigh of relief. This is a milestone! “SHIFT HAPPENS!” as one of my good friends says. We all have to take a moment and ask ourselves, “what do I need to do right now to take care of myself?” "What needs to change in order for me to be happy and balanced?"

I asked myself this question and the answer came immediately. I have always had a need for balance, but my ego always told me otherwise. But this time, I didn’t feel anxious, worried, or concerned about anything or anybody. All I cared about was me, my physical and emotional health. If others seriously have a problem with that, too bad.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your current schedule? Do you feel scattered, tired/drained, or anxious about getting it all done?

If you have/are, close your eyes, and take a deep belly breath. Notice your feet on the ground,body sensations and sounds around you. After about 30-60 seconds, open your eyes, and take note of how you feel in that moment.

Our body's tell us what's really going on. Our minds only analyze and justify why we should or shouldn't be a certain way.

Be the amazing, powerful person you want to be because you already are.