Whoa there girlfriend, that’s quite the blog post title you got there.

Total disclaimer, that blog post title is directed at me, and maybe it resonates with you too….. in which case, let’s talk about getting our asses back on the mat – together. 

As someone who used to religiously practice in a yoga studio, but now doesn’t have a yoga studio to visit (hello moving on a sailboat), my world of practicing yoga has been turned upside and all around. And while I am a yoga teacher and have pages of yoga sequences written out in a notebook I carry everywhere – I’ve still had a really hard time with getting my ass on the yoga mat.

…. okay I’ll be honest, a really hard time actually means I’ve lost my personal yoga practice all together.

I didn’t realize it at first, because when your job requires weekly yoga classes to be created, filmed, and shared, it’s all to easy to think you’re still practicing yoga. Hah. What a mind trap that was….

Here I was, telling myself, you’re practicing Allie, you’re still committed to what you teach and preach, it’s all good babe. And listen, I know we all go through seasons and cycles of commitment when it comes to our habits, I understand this, and I accept that I experienced a MAJOR transformation this past year.

Related: Yoga to Ground & Center in Times of Uncertainty and Change

But, I also know when my heart has had enough, because it’s achingly saying to me…..

GET YOUR ASS BACK ON THE MAT

The mat is where I belong.

It’s where I first discovered my power, where I slowly unearthed my potential, where I shed layers of societal/cultural conditioning, where I challenged so mannyyyyy false beliefs, and where simply put: I found my purpose.

Now to be clear, my purpose is always an evolution, but in general – I know my purpose is to be a leader, a teacher, and a healer.

And to be any of these, my yoga mat and my feet need to meet.

period. end of story. 

Let’s pause and take a step back, I mean seesh, it’s getting pretty heated in here.

Aside from cultivating strength, unlocking our potential, and igniting our power, the yoga practice does something else profound.

As we continue to show up, a habits begins to form, a positive as hell habit.

This habit then inspires other layers of who we are, like:

• what we choose to eat
• the information we digest
• the conversations we have
• the ways in which we spend our money
• the goals we set for ourselves
• the amount of effort we put forth
• how we handle stress and adversity
• and most importantly – compassion for the journey that we are on.

And let me tell you, the yoga practice has done all of this for me, even when I take a BIG HIATUS from engaging with it.

However, it’s time to return from my hiatus, my clinging to what was, my feeling not good enough, my feeling lost or directionless, my insecurities around how my business can thrive, not just survive, my hesitations around learning and expanding my knowledge…. and instead, lean into what I can do today to feel better, to feel like my best self, to feel like a human who is not just being, but living.

And from past experience, I know my yoga practice is what will lead me here.

So, if you’re reading this and any of these words are resonating, I invite you to come back to what fuels you too. It might be your yoga practice, it might be a weekly meet up with people who inspire you, it might be meal prepping to support healthy eating, or it might be opening a book and reading the whole damn thing.

Whatever you thing is, GO DO IT. Do it because it challenges you. Do it because it empowers you. Do it because it’s what works for you. Do it to IGNITE YOUR POWER. 

Allie, xx