I was never trying to be a yoga teacher.  I was the girl who came to class and didn’t want to make eye contact with herself in the mirror.  I was the awkward one who’s hands were closer to touching her knees than her toes.  I was the one who “had no upper body strength”& “had no balance”.

But I was also the one who kept coming back.  I threw all of my self-doubt out the door and decided I didn’t care.  I knew I felt good after practice and that’s the feeling I was chasing.  Not some far off dream of being able to do the splits, or crow, or anything else crazy.  It didn’t take long and people started noticing my improvements.  Then it got to the point that no one knew where I had started- they just said I was “good” at yoga.  What did that even mean?

I heard of a teacher training program coming up at the studio.  My boyfriend and I had just bought a house a month before and I knew it wasn’t “good timing” for me to join.  And who was I to be a yoga teacher anyway? But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.  I never want to be the teacher who’s students believe that their inner power is coming from an outside person.  I want my students to believe in themselves and build a practice that is meaningful to them.  I knew I was coming from a good place, and I’d getting to know this “universe” and “energy” and “vibes” through yoga.. so I thought “why not try it”.

I didn’t sign up for the program that day.  I didn’t have the money for it.  Like I said, we just bought a house and every ounce of money I made went towards my dream of being a musician.  So, I made a deal with this new found “universe”.  If I could make enough money between now and the time my payment was due to cover the program, I would join.  That was EXTREMELY far-fetched at the time.  I barely had any gigs coming up and I knew for a fact the money was just not there.  But I said the words out loud.  I made that solid commitment to the universe, and something amazing manifested.

I’d let go of the idea of “trying” to make the money needed to get into my YTT program and just let the universe know that I was ready for it.  Within 24 hours I had a couple brand new gigs lined up from people who had heard about me randomly.  I was not trying for these things, but I had continuously “thrown darts at the dartboard” and once the universe knew my intention- something stuck.  Sure enough, within the time allotted up to the day before… I made the EXACT amount of money needed to enter the teaching program.  It was an incredible fit for me- combining my love of biomechanics & teaching that came from the horse world, my love for connecting with people & making playlists from the music world, and my love of choreography, energy, and spirituality from my childhood spent in between the dance studio & church.

I’ll leave you with this… do not think that you are not worthy of what the universe has to offer you.  It is vastly expansive and you should tell it what it is that you want.  Say it out loud, set yourself up for success, and let it work magic within your life.  The yoga practice is a great way to set intention for your life and learn how to breathe through tough moments and enjoy the continuous breath throughout the roller coaster of the time on your mat.  Take it from the girl who stumbled into a yoga class one time, it can change your whole life if you let it.

Namaste, Angela