Who Am I to Shine… Who are You Not to Shine?! (take two)

    Happy Tuesday Yoga’licious peeps!
    I hope you are having a wonderful week so far! These past two weeks have felt like a dream to me, a really good dream… 

    First stop as I shared last week was NYC which included subways and buses, burr ass cold weather (now I know why they created long underwear), connecting with such amazing women who are shining their light so brightly in the world, and impromptu giggles with my friend Jess at the wee hours of the night.


    In NYC with the girls

    I got back and jumped right into teaching, private client sessions, planning, and getting ready for the first Yoga’licious Girl’s Night Out of the year which happened this past Saturday. I am still smiling and extremely inspired by the women that came out on Saturday night! It was a night of women coming together to support each other rather than tear each other down, celebrating and expressing our amazing and delicious bodies, dancing to Justin Timberlake’s Senorita in boat pose, and singing out loud to Madonna’s Like a Prayer in tree pose ( you had to be there :)).


    Yoga’licious Night Out!

    So why am I sharing all this with you?

    I had a moment this morning thinking why am I sharing this with you?!?… what is it I want to reflect and share from my past two weeks experiences, that I hope will inspire something for you.

    And the answer came so clearly to me as I was driving this morning!

    I can have it and you can have it!

    A year ago before I met my coach and got to experience this in action, I didn’t even know what I can have it and you can have it meant. All I knew was either I was the star of the show, or I wasn’t good enough and I needed to hide myself in fear of being seen as… fill in the blank.

    My mind really did believe that someone shining brightly was taking something away from me, or that me shining brightly meant I was taking it away from someone else. What I am I SO clear on now, and it definitely is still a practice, is that really is so NOT true!

    In my opinion our world needs each and every one of us to fully express our gifts, to speak the heart message that only we can speak, and to Unapologetically share ourselves fully with the world!

    No one better…

    No one worse…

    Just authentically YOU!

    So this week my question for you is where might you be holding back on bringing yourself fully to the world (on or off your Yoga Mat), and what 3-5 Baby steps you can start taking action on today so that the world gets to experience a little more of the remarkable, amazing, and brilliant you!

    I would love to hear your thoughts over on the blog.

    Have a great week and Go Shake That Asana and Shine it!

    Xo,

    Share Your Thoughts

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    1. Hey Mel! Love love love this blog post and it was perfectly timed to tee up my practice this morning….thank you for the inspiration!
      I would love your thoughts on when (if) curiosity becomes distracting and disrespectful to the instructor in a yoga class. There I was getting all curious and exploring my body on my mat this morning in a room full of yogis and all of a sudden I was worried the instructor would be upset I wasn’t following the flow and fellow students would be distracted by my exploratory movements.

      How do I find that balance?!

      1. Hi Stacey!

        So great to hear from you and such a great question!

        My answer is definitely just an opinion and comes directly from my own experience… so take what resonates and throw away the rest ;)!

        First off I want to honor you for even deciding to take a BIG leap of faith and exploring on your mat, that is awesome in itself… YAY! I also hear though that there is some doubt present for you in wondering if you took your curiosity too far and pissed people off. Something that I will offer you that might help you find that balance on your mat is something I incorporate into my own practice and teach to my students all the time, and that is to question WHY?

        I ask myself a lot as I am teaching or practicing the question “Why am I doing this right now?” … “Am I doing this because I feel like I am not good enough/there is something lacking in me or am I genuinely excited and curious?” I don’t think it has to be a black and white thing, or a right or wrong but I find that checking in on intention is so helpful and powerful on and off the mat.

        I would also offer you, and you might have already done this, just getting curious even in the basic poses like down dog or warrior 1. For example you could just explore finding more ease in down dog one day on your mat and see what happens when you breath more or even engage your thighs more.

        It seems to me even in your asking this question that you are genuinely curious about exploring your body and your yoga practice… I would say trust yourself and that you know the answer:)! If you are feeling called to explore, get curious, and express yourself… Go for it!

        I hope that helps! I would love to hear more soon about how your practice is going :)!

        Lots of Love,

        Mel