I am writing this blog post from an International Airport in Bangalore, India.
I have officially been away from In Fine Feather Yoga, Hamilton and everything that’s familiar to me for over a week. This is the first time I have done this type of travelling in almost 10 years. Being away has allowed to have some space from everything we call day to day living. It has also allowed me to reflect on all of my efforts, my hard work, the rewards and see where I am today because of a practice that consistently invites me to grow and evolve. The last few months have been a whirl wind and have at times, made my mind feel like it was constantly spinning. So much has happened behind the scenes and through it all yoga was my constant. Yoga always has my back with whatever might be going on in my life. It is an aid to anything I am doing and I am grateful for this type of energetic support.
This September, the yoga studio changed locations.
We had 3 days to shut the old space down and rebuild, design and open the new space. All the while we were operating a regular schedule, I still taught my usual classes and had to keep it all running smoothly and make the change over to the new location seamless. This was a very good thing, while overwhelming at times because work days were starting to last 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, it is so important that I landed on my mat to connect inwards and move through my practice. Yoga offers me the space to centre and ground myself through all the chaos going on around me. Teaching regularly helps me to maintain a some what consistent schedule which creates stability and routine in my busy life.
In September our 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training program started back up.
We gathered in the brand new space on weekends for the final 50 hours of teaching, sequencing and finding your voice. Graduation was just around the corner so a lot went into preparing these trainees to get out there and start teaching. Even though this increased my work load, teaching teachers is one of my favourite things to do. I receive so much value from doing teacher evaluations. We all benefit from being more mindful with our language and I love receiving gentle reminders of my own through hosting this program. At one of my busiest times, when my energy and mental capacity were low, this was especially helpful and kept me on top of teaching quality classes. No matter what, yoga has my back.
Prior to Jackee and I leaving for Om In India, our yoga retreat to the North and South of India, we had a ton of planning to do.
Of course there was logistical planning that had to happen but we also wanted the teaching component of this retreat to be rich in philosophy and personal development. Jackee and I have put countless hours into curating an incredibly special opportunity for the attendees who are joining us on this journey. We all have the desire to experience adventure and through this practice we are able to travel, go to the birth place of yoga, develop a whole other side to IFF and create life long memories. We sat down together to skillfully plan our lessons and here we are exciting them, what a gift! This practice offers me so many unimaginable gifts.
It excites me very much to be sharing the launch of my second business, Emerge Mentoring with my cofounder Meagan Santa.
This has been a passion project of ours for almost a year. Emerge is a mentoring and consulting company that wants to support new or small businesses invest in their growth. We want to be apart of the creative process for businesses and help them get off the ground, strategize tactics for success and support them with any business needs. What makes this endeavour even more special for the both of us? Yoga philosophy is deeply rooted in the core values of this company. It is so important for us as business owners that we keep our services heart centred and full of integrity. Yoga is so much apart of both of our lives that it was built right into our business model. Meag and I have the deepest desire to see people succeed in their passion and pursue their vision. Yoga has guided me into this business mentality and is the constant behind my decisions as an entrepreneur.
Even writing this, I am reminded of the incredible strength I receive through this practice. Find the willingness and desire to show up for fully for yourself. Yoga is always reminding me of who I am in this world and that I have an important and valuable place within it. Keep following your practice, you have no idea where it might take you and who it might connect you with. I have been able to do all this things in such a short time but I truly believe its a combination of dedication, persistence, passion, devotion and a regular yoga asana and meditation practice. Especially when life is proving to be the toughest, allow yoga to be your constant no matter what. It demonstrates to me a divine inner strength but also a larger force that is perhaps guiding us all, I take great comfort in this.
With Love and Gratitude,
Helena