I have always been a deeply caring and devoted person - devoted to my family, friends, community, yoga students, occupational therapy clients, the planet...and now, more than ever, devoted to our sweet daughter and a hopeful vision for her future. I have always been interested in showing up well for the people and causes I care about...and now, more than ever, I feel the importance of being able to show up as my best as a mother and in all of the roles and in all of the ways that matter most to me.
I also have a history of over-giving and a tendency towards burnout. If and when I allow myself to fall into this pattern, I take on too much, I don’t prioritize my own nourishment, and I end up craving a vacation or an escape from my life to reset. Now that I am a mom, I am realizing how easy it is to fall into “martyrdom” - to let my own needs (like sleep, my yoga and meditation practice, a healthy warm meal, alone time…) fall to the side even though I know these are exactly the things I need to show up as my best self.
The pandemic has given me a taste of what it would feel like to not crave a vacation from my life (which is great because as I am quickly learning there are no days off from being a parent). I have gotten a taste of a slower pace of life with space to cook, dream, spend time in nature, and care for my body and my heart. Not-so-surprisingly, I am finding that I can show up better and my capacity to care for others is bigger when I am well nourished and prioritizing my own joy. The first 9 months of the pandemic (while I was pregnant) I had a lot more time to focus on nourishing myself, and now that I am a mom, “me-time”is precious and extremely limited. I am saying “goodbye-for-now” to my 2-hour morning rituals and leisurely cooking experiments, but I am not willing to say goodbye to feeling deeply rested, joyful, and nourished.
Becoming a mom has also brought immense clarity to my life. I know that I can not show up for everything and everyone, and luckily I don’t want to anymore anyways. I am intentionally restructuring my business to work intimately with only a few people so I can prioritize the quality of my care and attention over the quantity of clients and students that I work with. I also only want to work with people I really love to work with. The folks I love working with have huge hearts and are deeply devoted to the people the causes they care about. They are service-oriented parents, health-care workers, school teachers, yoga teachers, and business-owners. They also have moments of over-giving and burnout, and even though they know their own nourishment is critical to their own joy and to the quality of their deep care for others, at times they struggle to find the time, energy, and space to prioritize themselves.
My new one-on-one program is for these folks. I have created it with the understanding that your time is limited and energy is precious. I do not want this program to add any more “to-do’s,” time-sucks, or overwhelm to your life. I’ve included only the most potent and practical teachings and practices that I use in my own life, everything is self-paced (no deadlines, no required assignments) and you have lifetime access to all of the online content so there is no need to feel rushed or pressured. Wherever you are in your practice is perfect and your pace is perfect. This practice is supposed to move with us as our lives change (I can tell you my practice is very different now as a new mom and business-owner than it was when I was a 19-year-old college student - as it should be!!). No matter what life circumstance we find ourselves in, this practice is here to nourish us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually so we can feel our own joy and show up as our best in all of the ways that matter most to us.
p.s. I would love to practice yoga with you! Check out my free practice bundles HERE.
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