Strength and Balance Takes Practice

Something that I've become very aware of in the last few years of being in business is the absolute need for work/life balance. My usual process was work non stop, burn out, recover and repeat. It got me through university and the first couple years of my career with only a few major melt downs. 

It's been a process to realize that we, as humans, are meant to work in intervals. Go hard, rest/recover, repeat. This is why we take breaks in every aspect of our life: recess, work breaks, weekends, etc. Last year, I noticed when I took time to completely disconnect from my phone/email/work every month, my productivity actually went up. I was able to accomplish more in less time because I was more sharp when I was working. Consequently I worked less, made more and was a happier human all around.

So it seems totally contradictory to my above logic that I would take on a 30 day hot yoga challenge at Hudson Yoga. Why would anyone put their body/mind/schedule through that kind strain for an entire 30 days straight?!  I remember thinking it was impossible - there was no way I could make it work because all the usual excuses: no time, my body couldn't handle it and no time.

Well, I'm happy to say I just finished the challenge and 31 consecutive days of hot yoga. I learned a lot over the course of the month. 

1. I shattered the belief that my body couldn't handle it. The reality was that every class was different (despite the same 26 postures). I never knew how my body would react to class each day.  Some days I could barely lift my arms, other days I felt super strong. I learned to approach every class with curiosity.

2. I learned that no matter how inconvenient it was to get to the studio or how stressed out I was about my schedule and daunting to do list, I always could make it to the studio. When I was there, the stress would melt away and I would enjoy the class. I realized my yoga practice was the break my mind and body needed from my crazy day and it helped my productivity.

3. When I was doing 60-90 minutes of hot yoga everyday, the activities that didn't serve my goal, dropped out of my schedule. I learned to make sacrifices and prioritize my personal time.

4. I also had to learn to be kind to myself and let things go. Being an overachiever my entire life - I expect to see progress and get frustrated when I don't! The reality is, I experiencd set backs in the room, just like in life! I had to let it go and show up the next day excited to see what class would be like.

In conclusion, I'm very happy I did the challenge. Doing yoga everyday provided me with a much needed break from my day that helped my productivity overall; It forced me to reconfigure my schedule to make time for what was important; And it reinforced what I have learned through life: no matter what happens, just let it go, be kind to yourself and approach tomorrow with curiosity and excitement.

Namaste!