What happens on the inside, is reflected on the outside.

As a yogi, you see this each time you step onto your mat. Your practice is a mirror to what you’re experiencing at any given moment.

Compelled by the reflectivity, you practice more to see more.

What is shown to you is your blueprint for change: the pieces of you that if tended to, can result in significant transformation and success in your life. Such as your habitual responses to difficult situations, the way you move through transitions, and how you choose to show up during challenging moments.

But it’s not always pretty.

So you hide. You build walls. You resist.

Whether you like it or not, the parts of yourself you’d rather not show spill over onto your mat and stare you in the face.

This is where your work lies.

You gotta face it. Go in it to get through it. Getting familiar with your inner landscape, your deep inner world, is where you’ll find freedom. Freedom from the binds that pin you down and hold you back from experiencing your full potential.

So you practice to get unstuck and reprioritize. To realize the freedom that’s accessible to all of us.

But what happens when that’s not enough? What if we need more inspiration, more motivation, more of a push?

We all get in our own way at times. If you’re feeling stuck in your yoga business and not sure how to move forward, I’m here to offer you a few tips to get out of your own way and achieve the success you desire and deserve!

In addition to maintaining your asana practice, try a few of these on and see which resonate to help you get out of your own way.

 

 

Give Yourself a Break

First of all, give yourself a break. Give yourself permission to fail, to feel bad, to feel low. We all go through similar droughts of happiness and overall well-being. You are allowed and entitled to feel all the things, and to experience the full range of emotions with your whole being. This is actually a gift of the human experience.

So take an hour, two hours, a full day!

Then harness the energy you gained from taking a break to rejuvenate your body and mind to push ahead with more determination and grit.

Take action: Give yourself permission to take the time and space away from what you’re focused on. Set an alarm on your phone 1-3x a day to take a break from the hustle to just be. This space will help you come back with fresh eyes and motivation.

 

 

Celebrate Your Wins

Big or small! Celebrate everything you accomplish that helps you get closer to your dreams. This could be finally sending that email or signing up for a course or training. Truly owning your accomplishments will help you find the motivation to keep going.

Take action: Reward yourself every time you accomplish something that’s been challenging to complete. Buy a nice piece of dark chocolate or spend the afternoon outside in a park reading your book. Having a “carrot” at the finish line will keep you motivated and help you celebrate!

 

 

Be Gentle with Yourself

Would you speak to your mother the same way to speak to yourself? Have you listened to the words you use towards yourself?

We are our own toughest critics and it can become easy to go down the spiral of self-hatred. The words we use towards ourselves can be very damaging. If you’re not careful, the negative self-talk can become habitual and turn into depressive tendencies.

Go easy on yourself as you learn and grow. Expansion doesn’t come without growing pains, and nobody said it would be easy. You may revert to old patterns and habits but be easy with yourself as you do. You’re human. Forgive yourself and move on.

Take action: Be gentle with yourself as you’re learning something new and challenging. Monitor your self talk. Every time you say something hurtful to yourself, say “stop” until it becomes a habit and you can shift your thoughts towards something more positive.

 

 

Practice Receiving

We live in a culture that values giving and doing rather than receiving and being. The concept of receiving is quite simple, yet most of us aren’t able to fully receive whole-heartedly. This is often associated with our deeply rooted feelings of self-worth. We may subconsciously think we are unworthy of receiving love, a gift, support from a friend or co-worker, etc.

Do you ignore compliments or follow them up with something that’s ‘wrong’ about yourself? Do you avoid asking for help when you need it for fear of not being seen as smart enough?

All of this has to do with the way you are equipped to receive. Receiving what is being given to you, or receiving what you ask for, can encourage you to get out of your own way.

Take action: Head to a heart opening yoga class. This will prime your heart to receive. It’s difficult to receive anything if we remain closed and shut down. Fill yourself up, open up and practice receiving.

 

 

Set Clear Boundaries

The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say “no” to almost everything. (Warren Buffett)

Are you a “yes woman/man”? There is certainly nothing wrong with saying YES to life and new experiences. But when it gets in the way of your personal time it can be destructive to your business and overall happiness.

If you are spread thin from over commitment, you start to feel depleted and unable to perform meaningful work.

To remedy this, create boundaries around your time. Time is the most valuable gift we have and it can be taken for granted too easily while we get caught up in the busy-ness of our society.

Take action: Start saying no with compassion for yourself. The next time someone asks you for your time but you know you don’t have any left to give, lovingly respond with no and use that time for yourself. See how much better you feel.

 

 

Get to Know Yourself

The practice of yoga is one way to begin to understand the many layers of your being. A reflective practice, it can show you exactly what parts of yourself need improvement to live your optimal life.

The more we dive into practices or experiences such as this to help us understand who we are, the better our lives become. In the process of learning who we are, we strengthen our muscle of discernment for what works or doesn’t in our lives.

Learning to listen to our own inner wisdom can help guide us on the path that’s best for our growth and evolution. You can’t get out of your own way or even realize you’re stuck in it unless you know yourself fully. Discover and learn what is holding you back so you can work to do the opposite. Notice if this is a pattern for you in your life… and then work to change it.

Take action: Try something new. Anything! A drawing class, meditation, exercise class, etc.! Trying new things will help teach you about yourself, get you out of your comfort zone and help you grow more confident with who you are.

 

 

Shift Your Attention

Where intention goes energy flows. The more you feed the doubts, fears, worries and anxieties about your yoga business, the more they will appear. It takes a sincere conscious effort to shift your thoughts to more positive ones.

We all have thought patterns that are deeply engrained within us and it’s not going to change overnight. Most of us have practiced lifetimes worth of resistance to changing our thoughts.

Focusing on what you want and not how things are now will help you begin to shift your thoughts. Breaking free from the mental binds will help you get out of your own way and achieve the success you desire.

Take action: Each time your mind begins to focus on fears, doubts and worries, write them down. After you write them down, wrinkle up the piece of paper and throw it away. While you do this, envision the fears, doubts and worries leaving your mind as you toss it in the garbage.

 

 

Let Go

It wouldn’t be a complete list on a yoga website without this reminder. 😉 When we find ourselves in a less than desirable place in life, it’s often because we’re hanging on tightly to things of the past.  It causes us to get stuck and not move forward with ease. This can be situations, emotional baggage, beliefs, habits, memories… the list goes on.

Loosen up the grip and release. Once you are able to let go of some of this, you will create space for the manifestation of your current dreams.

Take action: Write down a list of things you know you need to let go. Start with just one of them in your minds eye, take a comfortable seat, and close your eyes. Visualize whatever that one thing is starting to dissolve into space. Do this for each and every thing on your list. This will help you begin to let go. It takes time, so be patient.

 

Maybe you don’t even realize you’re in your own way. No need to spend time worrying about it. Any of these suggestions can be used to help you achieve the success you crave in your yoga business. Try one or two of them out and let me know how it’s helped you, in any way of your life!

 

Let’s wrap up!

As we move through the many seasons of life, we face both external and internal obstacles. We journey through life and learn tools along the way to better equip us to handle whatever comes our way.

Let me know what has worked for you – I always love to learn other peoples’ strategies for well-being.

Until next time,

Anne

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