Category Archives: Authentic Self-Expression

2 Types of skills you need as a yoga teacher

Yoga Business Mentor, Yoga Business Coach, Trauma-informed Yoga

Two Types of skills you need to learn as a yoga teacher

There are two types of skills you need to learn if you work as a yoga teacher/therapist, bodyworker or an embodiment practitioner/coach:

  1. your teaching/trade skills
  2. and your business skills

With both of them there is no shortcut or overnight success – do not believe the hype. Those who become an overnight success often have been mastering their skills for 5, 10, 20 or even more years. They showed up day after day and at some point they reached a tipping point – that place where others recognise the depth of their mastery and skill, and they feel confident with sharing their expertise.

One set of those two types of skills cannot be a substitute for the other. You can be an insightful, compassionate and experienced practitioner but not be good with business stuff and struggling to support yourself and your family from your work.

And the opposite can also be true – you can be great at marketing and promoting your work but not so great at getting results for your students and clients, and having to work twice as hard because your students don’t stay.

Both types of skills require you to first learn the knowledge, then work on your deeper understanding, and then practice, practice and practice. Day after day.

The knowledge and understanding on its own is not enough – you have to work with your students and clients for some time to turn that understanding and knowledge into good practical applications.

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For example – you can read many books and watch many trainings on trauma-informed yoga but unless you work with this approach with your students and clients for some time and learn from each experience – you will not truly understand what this approach is and how powerfully healing it can be. The same goes for practicing and teaching Yoga, Mindfulness or Embodiment.

And when we talk about your business skills – it takes time to master them too. It’s like learning a new language and a new way of perceiving things and then trying it out to work out what works for you.

But the biggest thing about business skills is that it’s an inside job. Strategy, marketing skills and techniques are not enough. Your business decisions and your path need to be aligned with your soul and your wholehearted purpose. And guided by your inner wisdom and intuition. It is an ongoing work with your beliefs about who you are and what you can do.

In a nutshell – you have to create and build your own Embodied Wisdom Path – meaning – you have to carve out and follow your own path. This is the road less travelled. And there is no cookie cutter approach for that.

It requires you to become a person who can show up for yourself, your students/clients and your business – day after day.

It will ask you to trust the process and your own inner guidance, and believe that you can create a business that you love – even beofre you see the results of your hard work.

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So today be kind with yourself and remember it’s all about learning and mastering your skills. Nobody was born with an ability to teach yoga or mindfulness, give a healing massage or build a sustainable and thriving business. We all have to learn those skills – one day at a time.

And I also want to encourage you to reflect which one of those skills you need to develop and nurture more right now.

From my experience of mentoring and coaching many yoga teachers/therapists, bodyworkers and somatic coaches I often witness practitioners spending a lot of time and money to learn more modalities in hope that that will resolve their feast and famine issues, instead of giving enough time to learn how to make those trainings pay for themselves.

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What do you think? What’s your experience? I’d love to know!

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And if you’d like to more support in both of those skills – with training as Trauma-informed Yoga Teacher or building your wholehearted yoga and wellness business – reach out and I’ll be happy to talk with you. Book your free call with me let’s talk.

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yoga teacher training Ramsgate, yoga teacher training Kent, TREY, trauma-informed yoga.

Choose commitment over enthusiasm

Let’s talk about why you need to choose commitment over enthusiasm in your yoga and wellness business and trauma-informed work. If you find that you cannot stay consistent in your yoga business or keep hitting burnout cycles – then this training is for you.

For more FREE support and trainings join the Trauma-informed Yoga and Embodied Resilience for Social Impact Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/traumainformedyogaandembodiedresilience

For more information about 80-Hr Trauma-informed Yoga & Embodied Resilience Teacher Training & Mentoring, and Yoga Business Mentoring go >HERE<

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Embracing Yin

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Autumn is happening all around us…

Last Saturday I was outside of Canterbury in a little village in the middle of the fields. It was raining and the hills looked misty. The leaves on the trees started turning red and yellow. It was a great Autumn day. 

And I was with a group of lovely women in a cosy yurt, with a wood burner throwing a warm and soothing light, a soft music playing and a little altar with candles, gift pouches and healing cards in the middle of the room. 

We were gathered for Sacred Pause Day Yoga Retreat. A second one I hosted at the same place. But last time it was summer time and very hot and sunny outside. A completely different experience. 

So…

> we created a circle with our mats and bolsters and got comfortable with blankets and many cushions
> we practiced gentle embodied mindful yoga in the morning and yin/restorative yoga in the afternoon
> we took time to meditate and breath deeply
> we took time to reconnect with our bodies and our inner experience
> we practiced listening deeply to our body’s wisdom 
> we practiced with curiosity and kindness 
> we connected with each other with compassion 
> we did a yin ritual 
> we had lots of warm Yogi and Pukka teas
> we had nutritious vegan lunch and chatted happily

And it was a perfect Autumn day – a day of Yin season. 
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Autumn is a perfect time to embrace more YIN 

Following our Sacred Pause Day Retreat one of the participants send me this note: 
‘Interesting Saturday made me connect with how tired I was, … then in the evening I felt really relaxed and revived! The last 2 nights I have slept really well and started the week refreshed rather than exhausted! So a good start, plus got up 10 mins earlier to do stretches!’

And that’s what Yin offers you when you embrace it..

… when you just let go of constant striving and doing….

… and you lean into the support of Mother Earth and support available around you. 

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Maybe it’s:

  • sinking into your favourite spot on your sofa or armchair, with a good book
  • a warm nourishing cup of tea
  • having a nourishing and healing Thai Yoga Massage 
  • going for a walk in a forest or woods and connecting with Autumn trees full of colour 
  • committing to a weekly nourishing yoga class 
  • taking little breaks during the day and resting more 
  • eating nourishing warm foods 
  • reflecting on how this year has been and letting go of whatever doesn’t work for you any more 

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Yin is a heart medicine 

It’s a feminine soothing energy that heals deeply. Especially in our constantly busy society. 

It allows us to re-connect deeply and find our own rhythm. And live in line with Natures’s rhythm. Just like we are build to do. 

>> SO WHAT CAN YOU DO OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS TO EMBRACE YIN IN YOUR LIFE?

I’d love to know! 

anetai lotus

What is VITALITY?

wellness coaching, life coaching, Ramsgate

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Do you know that VITALITY is another byproduct of responding skilfully to your needs?

But…

…maybe we need to start with defining what vitality is. 

What I see is that in our society vitality is being portrayed as jumping out of bed in the morning and welcoming your day with open arms and a big smile on your face, being ready to conquer the world! 

Well…

In my eyes that’s a really bad way of looking at vitality.

Yes, sometimes you can wake up and jump out of bed full of joy and wonder.

But life is not like that all the time…

 

Sometimes you might struggle with your business/work, or be very tired from a busy period of work or looking after children, or have a disagreement with someone, or a loved one is ill or dying.

In those times I doubt that you will jump out of bed full of beans! 

Does it mean that you have to loose your vitality and wellbeing? Does it mean we can only be ok when life is ‘rosy’? 

If that’s your belief then I’m sorry to say but you’re screwed… 

Because life is life and those challenges are part of it. 

And there is another way…

A way that allows us to be real in our lives and the same time stay fully engaged.

A way to bring more pragmatic wisdom and skilful action into our lives. ☝️

A way that can help us stay connected and responsive to our needs within challenging circumstances. 

It’s simply about showing up for yourself, acknowledging your feelings and responses, honouring your needs and above all responding to those needs with compassion.

It will look different for each one of us.

You might need:
> more time on your own
> more time with loved ones
> journal about your feelings and inner processes
> talk with others
> seek professional support
> move your body more
> seek more stillness
> change your job
> cut things out in your business
> shift your focus more into whatever nourishes your soul

It’s just so personal and individual. There is no cookie cutter approach. It’s just your inner wisdom guiding you to what you need. 

And so vitality might mean eating well and taking rest so you don’t exhaust yourself and keep your energy levels steady.

It might mean going to your regular yoga sessions and have a movement practice that is right for you right now.

It might mean taking any other skilful action to nurture your vitality.

Because even in those challenging times we can still act with self-compassion and loving-kindness towards ourselves and relate to others and the world from this space. ❤️

>> SO WHAT DO YOU NEED TO NURTURE YOUR VITALITY? 

And if you’d like to have some help to work it out – reach out and let’s chat. This is exactly what I help my clients with in Thrive with Body Wisdom – 3-month coaching programme. I offer FREE 30 mins consultation so let’s chat. 

anetai lotus

Trusting Your Inner Wisdom

Trusting Your Inner Wisdom

Trusting Your Inner Wisdom

Trusting our own Inner Wisdom is one of the most challenging things in life. We are surrounded by ‘experts’ telling us how to live our lives, what’s good for us and what we should avoid.

But have you noticed that when you follow some of that advice you feel worse rather than better?

It’s because we are all very different and we need different things and our needs change throughout our lives. As a woman in my 20s I had very different needs than now when I’m in my mid 40s. My needs have changed on all levels – body, emotions, mind and soul.

So often we get caught up in the detail of the advice rather than looking at the bigger picture. And so to gain a deeper understanding we need to look at our needs in the context of our lives – our relationships, living conditions, work or business, health and obligations.

This is the reason why so many of us set the health or business goals and then fall short or give up altogether. We set them from the mind level. It simply comes from ‘I should’ story.

>> I know I should drink more water but I forget.
>> I know I should exercise or do yoga every day but I haven’t got an hour for myself.
>> I know I should go to bed earlier to get more rest but that’s the only time I have for myself.
>> I know I should speak to my business partner about his/her pushing of the boundaries but >> I’m not good with confrontations and it might make things worse.
>> I know I should look for another job but at least I know my current job well and it’s secure.
>> I know I should do something about feeling burned out but I can’t stop, I have to keep going.
>> I know I should prioritise my health and wellbeing more but I have too many things to do.
>> I know I should make changes because it’s not good for me but it has to wait.

I hear it every day when I chat with my clients. And often this cycle will repeat itself for a long time – we try for few days and then give up, then try again and give up again.

And I know how it feels. I did it for many years. When I was tired and things were not working – I simply tried harder. I believed that if only I really wanted it to work and I tried hard enough it would be ok.
Instead I burned out and my physical and mental health suffered. Even just thinking about it make me feel tired.

So how do you come back home to yourself when you’ve got so lost in the busy-ness of life?

The only way is to simplify and come back to basics.

You take time to pause, turn inward and connect with the wisdom of your body.
You ask and listen to the feedback from your body, not the story coming from the mind.

Yes, it takes practice, time and commitment.

But so does any other relationship you care about. And you live with yourself 24/7.

But it doesn’t have to take hours each day. It just has to create a positive and strong momentum.

And you might need support – sometimes more and sometimes less, depending on your needs. Doing it on your own is always harder.

So take some time today, get yourself comfortable on a chair or a bed, soften into that support underneath you, bring your awareness inward and just notice how you are in this moment – body, emotions, mind and breath. And spend some time with yourself, learning to trust that Inner Wisdom within you.

And if you’d like some help with creating healthy habits to support you on your wellness or business journey get in touch and let’s see if we can work together. Check the options for working together HERE.

anetai lotus