Whether her life is perfect or not, is not the point. What I gained from her this morning is that despite any struggles she may deal with, she’s following her heart and living her dream.
Finding your path and living out your heart’s desire doesn’t mean that life is going to a cake walk. Quite the contrary, actually.
Following your heart isn’t easy. It often means you find yourself on a road less traveled…wondering if you’ve made the right decision because your life might not look like everyone else’s. When you're faced with challenges, you may feel them more deeply…in your soul…because you’re living from your heart. And that’s not always easy.
As I drove away from the coffee shop, I had a flash back to days I used to sit at my desk dreaming about what it would be like to be a yoga teacher. Wondering how free it’d feel to be so tuned in and in control of my destiny.
Sure you don’t have money rolling in hand over fist but you’re rich in such a different way. A way that I’m learning matters more than a fat bank account.
I know the stereotype of a yoga teacher is someone how’s dropped out of “normal” society. Someone who is more bohemian…doesn’t care about money…doesn’t worry about how to pay a mortgage or make a car payment. They don’t have real problems like the rest of civilization because they’re a yoga teacher. How hard can life really be?
Well, a yoga teacher is an entrepreneur no different than my friend from college…or the owner of the restaurant down the street…or the consultant venturing out on his own. They may not have inventory or employees (unless they own a studio) but they are hustling everyday…working to grow their business…to bring more students into their class…studying to hone their craft.
Their office…well, they have two. Their primary location…is their bodies. They teach through movement…breath…connection. If they’re a good teacher, they don’t have the option of ignoring their body…closing off their heart…numbing the connection.
Their remote location is most likely a yoga studio or something similar. This is where they place their heart on display to their students. If a yoga teacher wears a mask, over time it becomes obvious and the teaching feels inauthentic. Turning away from oneself is highly discouraged in this art form.
Being a yoga teacher is not for the faint of heart…not if you want to be good and be of service to your students. It’s a tough road to walk. The money isn’t great…nor is that what it’s about. The worries of life aren’t less important because you're a yoga teacher instead of a banker. Living from the heart doesn’t make the woes of the wallet disappear.
So while I sat at my desk dreaming about how awesome I thought it’d be to be a yoga teacher, I knew it didn’t mean life would be easy. I just knew there was something stirring deep inside me. Something that said I could do more…I could be more…I had something to offer. And that something wasn’t getting expressed sitting at a desk, hiding behind a computer screen. That something required me to get into my body…live in my body…move my body.
Low and behold, here I am…less than a year later…a yoga teacher. Just like my college friend who had a dream of owning a funky retail shop, I had a dream of teaching yoga…and maybe owning a studio someday. Our paths may look very different to the outsider but I know both involved finding our passion…dreaming about it…envisioning it…and eventually living it. Seriously, this is my life.