The leaves are changing. The sunsets are beautiful. The breeze that gently shakes the trees is cool and light on my face. Oh, the simple and amazing things I have found while being present. But it definitely wasn’t always this way. Up until this year, I legitimately was present- really stood, breathed, took in the surroundings, etc.- maybe once a week. Maybe. Incessantly scrolling through Instagram (photos I had already seen) while going to grab my second coffee of the day while mentally drafting an email while “getting my steps in”…ya, that was more my jam. Essentially I was either in my head or in my phone 98% of the day without even realizing it. Crazy, right?
Cue last winter when, long story short, I needed change. I felt stuck, unmotivated, and downright disconnected from my spark for life. Why did autumn not bring the winds of exciting change (rather a few extra pounds and more alcohol than I care to admit)? Why did I need two coffees a day just to make it through? Why did I feel anxious and out of sorts; without a purpose; not my BEST self? I did not know, but like I said, I needed a damn change.
Now, for the record, at that time I went to yoga tops twice a week. I was more of a cardio bunny (aka long treadmill hours and aching knees), while yoga was for my “off days” (until I realized it was just as kickass a workout and far from a day off)…but it wasn’t my THING. I wasn’t at a place in my life where I craved yoga. The spirituality aspect of yoga wasn’t even on my radar, and I didn’t know much about downdog let alone crow. What I did know was that the elusive idea of becoming a yoga teacher scared me. So I went towards it. It didn’t even make sense to me at the time, but I went towards it, and before I knew it I was signed up for not only Health Yoga Life’s yoga teacher training, but also their online Health Yoga Life Coach program. Again, I did not even know at the time that becoming a coach was what I wanted to do, but it felt like a step in some direction (and I got a big discount for doing both at the same time) which was a good enough sign for me. And just as a disclaimer: If we’re being real here, I didn’t have the spare money in my savings to do that-nor did I have a savings at all for that matter. I had to take out two credit cards and decided to live paycheck to paycheck for a few weeks. Did I know this was risky? Yes. Was I willing to risk anything to change my life? BIGGER YES!
And change my life I sure did. Fast forward nine months and here I am. Here I am: a registered yoga teacher on the verge of HYL Coach certification. I have a blog, and I found my passion for health and wellness, my passion for life, and (at the risk of sounding cliché), I found myself. I truly found my SELF. Health Yoga Life’s yoga teacher training helped me come into my body and my spirit; to more fully understand it. To understand how I work, and who I really am at my core. It helped me to see that in times of chaos a simple breath can change everything; to understand that I don’t have to live with anxiety…quite the opposite actually. I can thrive and control my energy. And where yoga helped me come into my body and spirit, coaching helped me pick up the work on my mind. Just as I view my mind, my body, and my spirit as intrinsic, I view the two trainings in this way. I am a Yoga Teacher, and a HYL Coach, and I receive HYL Coaching. And TBH there aren’t words to tell you how this all has transformed my life- but it did (and still is every day).
So I leave you with this- Ask your Self: are you present? Are you exactly where you want to be, every moment of everyday? And if not, do you have the tools to be okay with where you are? Do you feel the Earth beneath you every now and again? Think about it. Realize the time is now. Make a change. Make it to the mat.
This post was contributed by Casey Edward. Casey is a HYL 200 Hour Yoga Teacher and HYL Coach. Read more about Casey at her blog www.whattwodo.com