Focusing On Me

Over the years, I have had something or someone to focus on aside from myself, sacrificing my wants and needs to satisfy another person or my career. I am learning to be alone, to be with myself, for the first time in thirty years.  At a young age, I relied and lived with my mom and dad.  In college, I lived with roommates.  I met my ex during college and lived and depended on him for eleven years. 


I now live on my own with the support of family and friends, and it is a learning process. I can not deny the fact that I am enjoying the freedom of decision making and my personal, soon to be girlie, space.  However, I find that I am also never in my space.  I love being surrounded by friends and family, a social butterfly.  I often wonder why I am unable to face myself and focus on me.  I read a journal entry that I wrote five years ago, in one of my yoga trainings..."I have a fire inside of me that is waiting to come out...I want to accomplish my dreams."  I refuse to change who I am and go against my values to accomplish my goals and dreams.


I love sharing my energy with this world, whether it is by teaching a yoga class and seeing my students' smiles at the end of the practice or being committed and present in a relationship. Selfishly today, I am vowing to focus on me for a while, so that I am able to choose the direction that I want to take in my life related to my relationships, family, career, and community as a whole.


Let's meet on the mat at your next meeting or event. Check out www.themeetingyogi.com for more information or email bana@themeetingyogi.com.

Namaste!

My Motivation in Life

My motivation in life stems from a need to make a difference, a desire to leave a legacy, and a hunger to stay in the present moment.  I have always had a passion for everything I do in my life.  I am often intentional about what I do.  At times, life throws a curve ball to challenge my balance, which leads to an evaluation of actions I've taken over time.  I then remind myself that what happened in the past, is just that "the past," however past actions have shaped my here and now.


I am proud of the fact that I am a passionate person. That passion drives me to do what I do and to achieve everything I set my mind to. I tend to focus all my energy on things I love, which has enabled me over the years to accomplish many dreams. Not to say that some experiences were not painful, caused me anger, or even made me question what I've become, however, I have learned to overcome those feelings, often generated by fear, by being grateful for every experience that I've had.  I remind myself that I am an able being that has the support of family, friends and teachers that have influenced and mentored me over the years. (Teachers in this context refers to anyone who has taught me a lesson over the years, those teachable moments that can occur at work, home, in a relationship, or in any interpersonal communication interaction).


I am currently pursuing a Virginia Real Estate license, which is very exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time. It is an exciting venture because I know that I will be helping people find their home, which is a rewarding experience.  It is also a nerve wrecking experience because it is a brand new industry, one that I am unfamiliar with, but I recognize that there are teachers helping me accomplish my goal.  I then remind myself that what happened in the past, is just that "the past," however past actions have shaped my here and now.


Let's meet on the mat at your next meeting or event. Check out www.themeetingyogi.com for more information or email bana@themeetingyogi.com.

Namaste!

The Power of Our Minds

I often underestimate the power of our minds from thoughts that tend to emerge throughout the day, thoughts that could trump our true feelings or sense of intuition.  It is a dangerous dance that could affect relationships with family, colleagues, or loved ones.


Think of a time when the only thoughts in your mind were positive and every action you took that day or every reaction you may have had towards the people you interacted with lead to having a great day.  The positive thoughts enable the mind to think clearly and have a wonderful effect on the body, because they are associated with emotions like happiness, excitement, etc.


On the other hand, negative thoughts tend to manifest in our minds, which leads us to mental scenarios that enhance those negative manifestations resulting in emotions that are toxic to the body.  The body will instantly slouch to protect the heart from whatever emotion we are experiencing, whether it is anger, distrust, disappointment, or sadness. Our breathing becomes shallow, and our mind could be triggered to react negatively to any interaction we may have with others that day.  

The mind is everything; what you think, you become ~ Buddha

Intuition (the gut feeling, instinct) is often clouded by negative emotions.  It is important to distinguish between thoughts that may lead to negative outcomes and an instinct that triggers caution in our mind to avoid negative scenarios or events in our lives.


On a personal note, I work on staying present in the moment and challenging the mind to turn a negative thought into a positive one.  I realize that my mind is a powerful tool with a healthy imagination; therefore I am consciously aware of thoughts that may emerge from events or things that are beyond my scope of control.  As a teenager, I frequently worried about what people would say or how they would interact with me.  As an adult, I say what I mean and mean what I say; I find it to be rewarding to be transparent with my thoughts and emotions.


How will you challenge your mind today? Think positive thoughts and you will attract positive events to your life.


Namaste. 


Let's meet on the mat at your next meeting or event. Check out www.themeetingyogi.com for more information or email bana@themeetingyogi.com.

New Beginnings

Over the last nine months, I have been fortunate to have many new beginnings in my life, and I don't mean conceiving a child, not quite yet. I did however birth a dream, one that I have had since 2007. With the encouragement of loved ones and the determination to overcome my fears, The Meeting Yogi, was founded.


The Meeting Yogi was established in hopes to enrich meeting attendees' participation by offering a yoga practice and providing an energizing mind-body experience.  The goal is to serve as a  leader  in providing access to finding balance and promote a healthy lifestyle.


As my new beginnings turn into everyday life, I am cautious not to dwell on the past, and to be thankful for what is here and now. Knowing that every moment in your day, good or bad, happy or sad, glad or mad is just a manifestation of thoughts going through your mind in the present moment that trigger your emotions and actions.  Learning to acknowledge the negative thoughts and not give them the attention that attracts negative events to your day and life is the challenge of living in the present moment.


Let's meet on the mat at your next meeting or event. Check out www.themeetingyogi.com for more information or email bana@themeetingyogi.com.


Namaste!