From this day forward, responding to external demands (ie emails from strangers insisting it is imperative I join their group blah blah blah) only gets 15 minutes of my time per week.

... and any email that causes me immediate anxiety just gets deleted.

I think it is so tempting to let external forces (ie email) dictate where we spend our energy and time. I vow to stay centered and spend my time and energy based on internal promptings of spirit instead.

I have decided it is time to set some boundaries in regards to work - this is after spending the entire holiday weekend practically on my computer!

Well, I just messaged a question about finding balance. Afterwards, I decided to make my way thru my top priority emails. I accidentally deleted the entire file and could not recover it. I feel relieved. I guess that is the answer!

Today I am pondering life balance - is it possible with all the stresses and demands of modern life? With all the constant stimuli how can we know what is truly important to respond to? These are my thoughts this morning.

Trusting Your Own Voice

Lately I have come to realize how important it is to listen to my own voice. I have taken a lot of advice from professionals over the past months about how I should be marketing myself, what yoga classes I shoulder offer, what population I should reach out to, etc. I have spent a lot of money on this advice as well. I felt resistent to much of the advice, but I convinced myself that by not taking the advice offered I was being stubborn and preventing my success. So, I threw myself into marketing to a different population (the 20 somethings) only to realize four months later that it just didn't fit. Our speciality is applying yoga therapeutically to help individuals reach optimum balance, mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. We help people feel better, function better, gain clarity, move forward in life. That is what we do and we do it well.

The latest advice I am being given relates to my pending hypnotherapy certification. I have been advised not to advertise pricing up front or to give people an idea of how many sessions they might need. I have also been advised not to try and explain what hypnosis is. I may regret it, but I am going with my gut on this one. Those who know me understand that I like to have all my cards on the table. Is this good business? I don't know. Does it feel right? Yes! For some reason, I have been blessed (or cursed) in this life with an extremely sensitive sense of what is right. I respond strongly when I feel I have been misled or deceived and I have an equally strong repulsion for deceiving others. I like to bring everything into the light that is possible to bring into the light. I find it refreshing to do so. Thus in terms of my work as a hypnotherapist, you will find a explanation, approximate guidelines on the number of sessions you will need, and pricing on my website under private offerings.

What about you? Do you trust your own voice? Why? Why not? Who taught you not to trust yourself? Please add your thoughts here if for no other reason than to explore your thoughts and let your voice be heard.

I am feeling gratitude for the many wonderful yoga students and colleagues in my life. The world is full of people who just want to do the right thing ... may your kindness change the world.