Coming together...

Hello loyal readers. I know you must have been feverishly checking this blog for updates, and so I must comply :).

It's a curious thing graduating from college and entering the "real world" if you will. Those age-old questions of who you are, what you believe in, and what you desire to do all become must more pertinent with the realization that 1: you know have this choice 100%. Before, at least for me, it was always understood that I would finish college, choosing whichever crazy social science degree I desired, and then have the world open to me. 2: you are 100% financially responsible for yourself. My parents have always been exceedingly generous, and it was scary, exciting, and liberating to think that I'd have to fend for myself. Coming up with these new found freedoms and responsibilities, the age old questions of: who am i? what are my desires? passions? fears? how do i want to live my life? and how and i to provide for myself? all seem much more real, and it someways in conflict with one another. If my passion is to work for dis-advantaged people, how am I to earn a living?

So. For the first time since graduating in 2006, I feel that I am on a path that really make sense for me. One where I'm not fighting myself or society. Where I can be fundamentally happy, earn enough (just barely) to live my life of relative simplicity. (Wait, step back. While I may consider my life style "simple", I do realize that it is considered luxurious, depending on where you're looking in from. So I "conditionalize" that statement, but continue.) Where I can walk or bike to work, depending where I'm sleeping that night. Where my boss respects my opinion, my work fits in line with my skills, and I feel that I'm "making a difference." Where I'm learning skills to grow and establish roots for my future. All of this I'm feeling for the first time, and it's with yoga. Who would have guessed.

Essentially, when I returned from my foray in San Francisco, I went to my local yoga studio and talked to the owner after class. He knew that I was going to get certified in San Francisco, and was excited to offer me a position on Tuesday nights. Unfortunately, the previous instructor suffered a rib injury (not yoga related), and he was looking for someone to fill that spot. I jumped at the chance and was walking on cloud nine to home. Later that night, he called, saying he was looking for someone to help run the studio. Essentially, the studio is under a year old, and has much growth and change ahead of it. He needed someone to help run the studio, welcome people and be a "face" behind the desk, and be a creative director of sorts in implementing new ideas and opportunities. Needless to say, I had a little jump for joy when that conversation ended.
It's been about two weeks now of work at the studio, and it's fabulous. I feel valued, and I feel I really contribute. Seeing as one of my goals is to open a studio of my own in the future, this is giving me invaluable advice and insight. With my previous job, I drove 50mi round trip, and with this one I walk two blocks. I feel so incredibly lucky. Granted, I was not automatically given health insurance, but my boss is open to offering it as a small business, and I've been investigating (with the help of family and friends), and hope to present my findings to my boss this week. It's that kinda stuff: where if somethings not working, I'm able to do research, talk to my boss, and come to some sort of consensus. It's beautiful.

Yoga really talks about getting close to your authentic self. That society, and ourselves, try to force ourselves to act, to do, to BE, something that we naturally are not. Forcing something that's not right, and not listening to our bodies, to the universe, showing us a way to true happiness. When in San Francisco, I really tried to listen to this concept, and let go of my neurotic planning instincts, of deciding what is best for me and trying to force it to happen. Or when things don't work out (jobs, relationships, living situations, etc), to learn to accept it as helping you grow, and opening new opportunities. For me, the job concept was especially pertinent to this line of thought, so I really just tried to let go. And fortunately, I have found myself in a very beautiful situation indeed.

If you live in San Diego, or are coming for a visit, I'd love to have you in one of my classes! I teach Tuesday morning 7-8a, Tuesday night (women only) 6-7p, and Saturday afternoon 400-515.

Peace!