Three months ago, I decided to venture into teaching yoga full time when hubby and I moved to Louisville. Today I returned to Corporate America as a financial reporting manager for a well respected and forward thinking locally grown company.
I am so grateful to have had an opportunity to have ....what I have been lovingly referring to as my YogaTernity Leave (I know...corny...but it's been 3 months of teaching yoga as my main focus...get it?). For many it may have seemed crazy that I ever even thought of leaving the accounting world and many years of education and studying for the CPA & MBA to teach yoga full time. Although it was relatively short lived, I am so happy that I have had the opportunity to explore the teaching community head on, living and breathing yoga in such a way has enabled me to tap into some realizations I may not have had (or it may have taken me years to realize).
It is a bit bittersweet leaving the idea of teaching full time. As you can tell from yesterday's post on Secrets of This Yoga Teacher, teaching yoga and beginning a mini-business, networking, marketing myself and continuously putting myself out in the world requires a significant amount of effort...and is something very close to my heart. As I write this, it brings me back to a common yoga concept related to Effort & Ease: Sthira Sukham Asanam
2.46 The posture (asana) for Yoga meditation should be steady, stable, and motionless, as well as comfortable, and this is the third of the eight rungs of Yoga.
(sthira sukham asanam)
(sthira sukham asanam)
- sthira = steady, stable, motionless
- sukham = comfortable, ease filled
- asanam = meditation posture (from the root ~as, which means "to sit")
Although often this yoga concept is discussed when balancing in a physical posture such as Tree. It can be helpful to bring the concept off the mat, and in my case how balanced do I feel as a professional full time yoga teacher vs. an accountant full time? I found that teaching yoga full-time actually brought me a bit out of balance, for the stage of life I am currently in. I was pulled off of my equilibrium in many ways, for example I felt:
- Less productive in my personal and professional life (you may even have noticed with less blog posts)
- Scatterbrained ~ as I was spreading myself across various teaching locations, with various classes and class times, it was difficult to create standard hours to focus my attention on developing class plans, workshops, working on personal projects and training
- I have had a strong desire to SIMPLIFY
- It's crazy to say this...but YES, I was missing working in corporate america (to put it simply) ...this was evidenced by me inevitably searching for accounting positions that would fit my skills during spare internet moments
I'm sure we've all heard of the saying, The grass isn't always greener on the other side. Well, I'm happy to say that the grass is green on both sides...and determining what grass is best for you is the goal. Thankfully, I've had the opportunity and focused attention to walk to the other side, experiment and play in the field. I was comfortable with re-assessing how I felt physically and mentally and tap into a decision that in my current life fits me best.One thing I've learned in my education and professional experiences (both yoga & accounting) .....is to always re-assess and be OK with changing the path.
You will never know until you take that leap of faith and try it (whatever 'it' is for you).
I am happy to say that I will continue to teach yoga (on a smaller scale) and work full-time in downtown Louisville. You can find my yoga teaching schedule here. Would love for you to come visit as we play with the idea of balancing Effort & Ease both on and off the mat.
P.S. if you couldn't tell by the pictures...I'm excited to be working in Downtown Louisville. The waterfront is amazing. These are a few pictures I snapped today during break from orientation and after work.
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ReplyDeleteThank you! It seems to be a year of new beginnings. :)
DeleteThis is fantastic, the journey to find balance in life is paramount, and something that is central in my own life. I've gone in and out of the corporate world, and have finally left it for what I think is "for good" with my own company. Also your YogaTernity was perfectly dubbed b/c these dilemmas are very much what most women (myself included) go through as we debate being a stay at home mom vs. working mom vs. some other hybrid. So the good news is, you will be aptly prepared to ponder these same themes when/if exploring parenthood is in your future! xoxo Jenn in DC
ReplyDeleteThank you Jenn for your feedback! I completely agree with you, I have a feeling I will re-invent myself many times over in my life, afterall ... there is something about continuous re-evaluation and reflection. (I do hope parenthood is in our future)
DeleteCongrats to you! I know what you mean, though... I've toyed with the concept of "retiring" and doing freelance writing from home for some time. The problem being when I have a day off I seem to not be as productive, lounge in my pjs, don't do my hair, etc., etc., And...there's scads of not being focused involved. Right now, my 9 to 5 + moonlighting seem to give me the "edge" I need to function best. Working downtown sounds fabulous and you are teaching, too--good for you! Here's to the next chapter along your journey! T.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree about finding the right balance to find your 'edge'. Although it doesn't seem like doing both would give you this advantage, I firmly believe for certain personalities....the productivity in our day can be boosted by all of our mindful activities.
DeleteWonderful news! (I saw 'ternity leave' in your post and first thought it was something else!) What a blessing to have created the opportunity to pursue an alternate road and listen to your heart. Sounds like you continue to listen. Thank you for sharing. Corporate America is glad to have you back, and I'm glad you are still teaching too :) Wendy - perfectpeaceyoga.org
ReplyDeleteHA! I knew I would 'trick' a few people...or at least catch some peoples eyes to read the post with my Ternity :)
DeleteCongratulations on your new gig, Christine, but more importantly, on this very important realization, and on having the guts to go out on a limb and try full time yoga teaching! I couldn't agree more with this statement from your post: "You will never know until you take that leap of faith and try it (whatever 'it' is for you)." I actually took the same foray myself around the time you left DC, and taking over your Senate Square classes was my first step in the direction of teaching yoga full time and starting a yoga business. But I came to much the same realization as you did: while I truly love teaching yoga, doing it full time does not work for me. For me, it was that I realized that teaching yoga only involves and appeals to one small - but important - part of who I am. As a full-time career path, I just wouldn't have found it fulfilling. How funny that we were on such a similar journey at the same time! Good luck to you as you move forward down your new path! I am still in the process of determining what my new path is going to be, but I think I am finally very close to figuring it out. Woohoo!
ReplyDeleteHi Alia! Thank you for sharing your thoughts!! I believe we will always be in the process of determining our path...continuously re-evaluating and moving through our opportunities and life with an open lens! Best of luck to you on your journey as well!
DeleteI went on YogaTernity Leave back in early '08. Except I realised that it was corporate that was making me so unhappy and never went back. Three cheers for working out what you love and going for it!!
ReplyDeleteRachel!! So lovely to hear that your corporate exit brought you more happiness!! You are an inspiration to many.
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