Stepping in Beyond myself

I have been here many times before.. ready and eager to share my words and thoughts with the world and then at the last moment, I freak out and doubt myself, choosing to keep my thoughts confined to my journals. 

So finally, I have found the courage to step up and own my voice. I am embracing the belief that what I have to say matters, because it does. The past year has been an incredible journey for me and it has launched me forward into many new and exciting projects. As I come to my thirtieth revolution around the sun, I am stepping into the greatest version of the grandest vision I have ever thought of myself!

But that story will come shortly. I will take a moment to introduce myself to the wide world of blog readers. 

I am a passionate New Yorker, who has relocated to Sydney, Australia to experience the greatest love of all time. After an extensive and emotional yogic journey that began at the tender age of sixteen, I have come to understand who I am and what my purpose is.. granted it does moves around a bit… it’s a lifelong journey, really.  I have listened to my heart and it has landed me in one of the most beautiful places in the world. I have been settled in Australia for the past three years, married the most amazing man and we have bought our first home last year. 

I am a teacher, a yogi, a healer, a wife, a daughter, a sister and a compassionate being on this planet of light and love. With all the transformations I’ve experienced, I have still held on to the essence that is me. 

I have grown and evolved into a fuller version of myself and I am ready to blossom. Here we go.. I invite you to join me as I share my adventures.. into the past, into the present and beyond.

Early days of my journey

So here is where my yoga journey began…

At the tender and formative age of sixteen, I was spending the summer on the magical island of Bali, with my family. Each year my parents would take my brother and I across the seas to southeast Asia where they conduct their business in the clothing industry. This was always sacred time every year, fore my brother and I would play, while my parents worked throughout the day.  

One particular day, a family friend suggested I try a yoga class. So, with the generous amount of time on my hands I decided to try it out. I was instructed to go to Seminyak, turn down a back alley and it would open up to a large gate, in which I was to enter…

What I experienced in the next two hours was quite surreal. I knocked on the vast metallic gate and was greeted by a charming Balinese woman who guided me through a garden, towards a beautiful open air gazebo. This space was arranged with ropes against the wall, stacks of blankets, mats and bolsters. The scent of incense wafted through the air and along with it, my mind. I experienced a moment of familiarity, as if I had been here before..  As my big eyes took in this space, I sat down on a mat and simply soaked in my surroundings. I closed my eyes and inhaled the subtle and potent fragrance of frangipanis, as birds chirped in the gardens and the soft chatter of my fellow practitioners made their way into the space.

I opened my eyes to the voice of a dark Indonesian man in small shorts and nothing else introduced himself as Wayan. His thick accent was so intriguing to me. I focused really hard on what he was saying; he was speaking English but it felt as if he were speaking in a whole new way. As the practice began, I paid great attention to what he was demonstrating with his body. He moved with such grace and ease- it was as if he was floating through space and defying the laws of gravity. I remember a pregnant woman in the class and I thought ‘how cool- when I’m pregnant, I want to be doing the same thing.’ Even back then, I knew that yoga would play a major role in my life.

Throughout the interactive session, we strapped ourselves to the wall, twisted, inverted with the support of bolsters, chairs and in the end I drifted off into the most blissful experience of yoga nidra I have ever had. When I awoke, we finished with an ancient sanskrit chant and moments later, a tray of hot chai arrived for every one to enjoy. As I sat there, speechless and breathless in my post yoga nirvana I vaguely overheard the sounds of the women chatting. What struck me the most were the sounds of the birds, the fragrance of the flowers and the grass, the sun on my skin, the soft breeze blowing through and the vibrance of the colors around me. I had awakened to a whole new part of myself, I never knew existed. I felt this new energy pulsing through me and I knew then that I had found my calling.  

‘And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.’ ~Anais Nin

Life Shrinks or Expands in Proportion to One’s Courage

It is time to reach out and connect on a worldwide scale and reach out to the ‘global village’. The more time I spend connecting with the yoga community, my extended family and people in general, the more support and potential I see in connecting with as many people as possible. Especially, in this moment in time where so much shift is taking place on a global scale, it seems almost illogical not to reach out to our brothers and sisters for deeper connection. Whether we admit it or not, we all need support once in a while. To stop and ask for help takes tremendous courage.

In the past few months, I have learned and softened so much. After my AcroYoga teacher training, I have turned into the biggest crybaby- anything gets those tears flowing these days! I have fully embraced this by the way. It always makes me smile that I have tapped into a well of emotions within me and there is no bottom in sight. I have realized that my fellow yoga teachers are not my competition, rather they are my allies. We have all chosen this path as yogis with a unifying mission in mind and a desire to expand our hearts. We are all searching for union- afterall, isn’t this the essence of our yoga practice? 

So how do we go about finding those like-minded souls with whom we want to collaborate? I find the number one way to network is still the good ole reliable word of mouth. Of course, the abundance of social media now has contributed tremendously to the speed in which we receive and share information. There are so many creative ways to connect. The only thing holding us back may be fear. I do realize this is probably a topic rapt with anxiety for many. Stepping out of your comfort zone and connecting with your neighbors, local cafe owners, students and strangers can be highly intimidating. But what if, we were all craving that connection and simply didn’t tap into our power to be courageous? What a shame that would be. The power of a smile cannot be underestimated. 

It has taken me some time to become more bold and have the confidence to walk up to people I don’t know to strike up conversation. One of my favorite exercises was to see how many people I could make eye contact with in one day and have them reciprocate that moment of connection- that soul connection. Intimidating for some and a sheer delight for others. In doing this and many other forms of reaching out, I have met some of the most inspiring individuals to date. I always walk away from these interactions beaming from ear to ear. I rarely like to entertain the idea of ‘what if’. I am a woman of action without hesitation. The world becomes a much smaller place as we connect with more and more people and when we combine together, our voice becomes so much more amplified.

With a greater network to tap into, we can achieve so much more. In a city like Sydney, where yoga is still on the rise there is so much potential to share and co-create. As I work eagerly to create my website (coming very soon :) If you have a business you love, it will love you back. The principle of constant giving and receiving is in direct proportion to our courage. Can we dare to step out into the abyss and embrace what we find with both arms. I say YES!! I often stop to reflect on all the love and support I have received and given along the way that has brought me to where I am now. Constant gratitude, constant surrender… it feels I am always shedding another layer of myself. The thousands of people I have met along my journey so far, have all contributed to who I am now- every student, every teacher, mentor and friend. Now is the time, I’m ready to give back with my whole heart and soul.