As I embark on week three of my 200-hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh, India, I find myself mulling over one of the things that my yoga philosophy teacher said this week, which is that for people in India, yoga is not a service that you subscribe to. It’s a way of life. A way of being. Thank you, Sadhu Ji, for imparting your wisdom!
Too often, yoga is monetized by folks from the western world, narrowly focused on the physical benefits of the asana practice. But so much is being left out – the learnings from the Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, the many schools of Indian philosophy, meditation, and pranayama, just to name a few. When we think about yoga as a way of life, it encompasses the process of letting go, of flowing with life, enjoying the present moment, learning to focus your attention, and operating from a balanced internal state.
How is this related to how I’ve been thinking about my own business with Mezclada? I indeed have been mulling over creating a membership site with different offerings inside, including yoga classes…but now that idea is being put into question. And maybe, instead, what I’m supposed to be teaching is not asanas but more about yoga philosophy instead and what we can take away from and apply in our own lives, no matter where we find ourselves in the world.
When I think about the things that I am taking away from this experience, I know that it’s important for there to be alignment between products and services that my business develops and a feeling of mutually beneficial arrangements.
A couple of the people I follow in the space of spirituality are coming to the same conclusion – that business is evolving, and so are our standards for what doing business looks and feels like. Old systems are shedding. We have different expectations. And I’m one of those people. The idea that we are all connected in a collective consciousness is also being affirmed by teachings in my classes.
Ever since my travels to Costa Rica this year, I can’t quite get out of my head this idea that we can create whatever reality we want for ourselves. We get to choose. Seeing my boss start his day surfing every morning and not start ‘work’ until 11 a.m. showed me that a different way of living and operating in the world exists. In the same way that we get to choose how we respond to conflict and challenge, we also get to choose what we say yes and no to. This includes standards around work and play.
I’ve decided that I don’t want my life to fit inside the box that has been portrayed by my ancestors. I don’t want anything about my days to feel traditional, or normal. Maybe normal for me, but probably not for most. I don’t believe that the hours I put in during the day should equate to how much I have in my bank account at the end of the month.
And in fact, I believe I should be able to make money from my heart, joyfully, and that it’s a joy for those who receive from me as well. That they feel they receive incredible value from what I’m able to offer.
I no longer feel that this is impossible, or that I’m far from accomplishing this goal. Meeting so many incredible people who are in a transitional period in their lives this December, I feel affirmed that if you can imagine it, it exists.
