……Soooooooo I had planed on writing this blog midpoint of the challenge, when the excitement runs out, handstand has not happened for you yet, you get bored, frustrated, angry and you want to quit…..you know all of those REAL emotions that surface in the REAL world, not the shiny happy, everything is awesome, any thing is possible new age hostile takeover. Except its not YOU that is having the breakdown it’s ME!

In the Empowered Lab, I often refer to the yoga asanas (postures) are tools of observation. Similar to a microscope, as we place ourselves in the postures, quiet down the mind and take a good look, we can observe ourselves. Observation without judgement and without expectation, as both judgement and expectation are comparisons to either a past self or a future self that does not exist. We use the observation of the breath and physical sensation (this is the way your body speaks to you in the moment) to become present; to really SHOW UP. Paying attention or ultimately listening are prerequisites of transformation.

When you are practicing yoga what are you focusing on?

Where are you paying your attention?

What are you feeding?

Whether in class or in one on one Empowered living sessions, I often coach my clients to find their WHY?

Thanks to the goal setting craze we spend so much time and effort on the WHAT and then the HOW and very little time focusing on the most powerful force on earth: WHY

Simon Sinek’s book, Start with Why, offers some great insight into the power behind Why.

I know personally i the past my goals were all about the What

Run a marathon, perform a backflip, lose 10 lbs, make a million dollars, get a promotion, write a book…………….

After the what, i would then get into the when and how. These are also referred to as “by whens” just what a mother, business owner and wife needs in her life…..more deadlines and to do lists.

This works don’t get me wrong, however i often found myself checking off the boxes with little excitement and satisfaction, constantly chasing the glittering gem just out of arms reach. Half of the things on the list i did not even know WHY i wanted them. Looking back i can honestly say that about 60% of my goals were as a result of social conditioning: This is what the good life looks like, this is success etc. You know those goals and desires that you inherited or that somebody else thought would look good on you or maybe i saw somebody else was doing it on Facebook, instagram, twitter etc. If you see it and hear it enough you start to believe its REAL.

Behind the Why is your passion, vision, creativity and inspiration. In other words: The why is your higher calling. Your why is unique to you and when harnessed and ALIGNED it is the most powerful energy on earth. Think of ray of light under a magnifying glass, nothing can put out that fire. When you can define and refine you WHY you become so engaged in your own process that you are no longer distracted by what everybody else is up to. The world needs more folks who are living in alignment with their WHY.

So back to the breakdown………… Its interesting that the title i chose for the first week of  EMPOWERED HANDSTAND CHALLENGE was “shouldering your responsibilities” and the first day is dedicated to Urdva Tadasana, which appears that i am holding up the sky. My yoga practice is MY microscope and it helps ME “shoulder my responsibilities”Being a mother of 3, wife, daughter, business owner and mentor is not an easy feat. Handstand does not even compare (which is kinda ironic as that was supposed to be the big AHA grande metaphor i was saving for then end) Its the time i take for myself to create some space, give me some perspective, download all the noise and clutter, check my ego and take care, so when shit gets messy i can be a shoulder and a rock, without feeling like i am holding up the world, juggling to many balls and just waiting to drop one.

I have too many balls in the air right now and so many things on my mind right now that the other day i left my chicken on the BBQ for 6 hours. I had managed to feed everybody else, answered my phone, Facebook, instagram and emails but did not even feed myself. I also forgot about my daughters gymnastics class, that i was reminded of several times and have dropped too many other balls this week to list. My yoga practice which normally allows me to drop all the balls for just a moment and be okay with it, while i sort, recognize, shift and let go of the unnecessary, has been interrupted by videos, photo ops and #hashtags. The time i take for reading, meditation and enjoying the moment has been occupied by social media and just being plain old distracted by the constant noise in my mind as a result of many family issues that have surfaced this week, school and re working the curriculum for the Empowered Yoga 200Hr and 500 Hr training. I have even noticed precious moments with my beautiful kids seem to be photo bombed for sharing. Since when did showing other people how great of a time we are having take precedent over actually enjoying the SATTVA or resolution in the moment?  Don’t get me wrong sharing is great but how many others are actually inspired by somebody else’s awesome life? Is it just me that gets completely distracted by these tools?

For me personally shouldering my responsibilities, in this moment looks like being there for my husband and family and supporting him in any way i can, while he slowly takes care and says goodbye to his father. I cant do this if i am not grounded myself. It also looks like being there for my children, while their father is pre occupied and giving him that space, permission and support to be occupied and again this is not possible if i am distracted by WHAT is happening on instagram and Facebook.

My “why” for this challenge was to empower others to really SHOW UP in their lives and in their bodies, to roll up the sleeves, get dirty and “shoulder their responsibilities” My how was to constantly provide information and feedback on your posts and pictures as well as create a really great support system and community for you all to share. However i have decided maybe the most empowering thing i can do is to be an example for you today and to tell you that sometimes shouldering your responsibilities looks like stepping back, slowing down and asking for help. Shouldering your responsibilities may also look like a breakdown, dropping a ball or two or three and owning it, forgiving yourself and learning from the lesson. THATS LIFE RIGHT?

I will still do my best to comment on your photos, post my photos and be inspiring for you on your journey, however i will also be honest that i may be a little absent at times, minimizing my exposure and tendency to get distracted and uprooted, and might even miss a post or two, however what this also means is that i get to lean on you for support and already that makes me feel stronger.

Namaste,

MT