The Joga Project
Almost a year ago I let my mind wander, not far because that's risky; but just far enough to think about sharing my programs with more people.
I hadn't really thought about how - I just had a vision in my mind of helping women (and men, but let's be honest my empowerment goals were primarily directed towards women) empower themselves by setting down the weapons they were using against themselves!
Weapons you ask? Guilt, shame, comparison, judgement, negative self talk, see where I am going? The reality is I lived the better part of 40 years of my life hating almost everything about myself! My hips were too big, my thighs were flabby, my boobs were too small, my skin was blotchy, my hair had a mind of its own; if asked to name something about myself that I liked my go to answer was 'my eyes' - I got some good peeps! lol
Sad really that beyond my eyes I struggled to like much of anything; what is even sadder is I am not alone - ask any woman you know to list 5 things they love about their body, you could be there a long time! Ask for 5 things they hate; and they will snap off 15 quicker than you can write that shit down!
For 10 years I have worked in a terribly vulnerable environment for most women, a fitness studio! Pull on those unforgiving skin tight yoga pants and sleeveless tops; and hope that everyone does as they are told, and keeps their eyes on their own mat, so they don't notice you! The pole studio was even worse because you had to wear booty shorts to get anywhere in there! Making women feel comfortable in their skin became an obsession with me; and my heart would cheer when layers were shed because each layer represented the lowering of weapons!
You can't effectively teach something you don't practice though; I had to drop my own weapons and be authentic in order to be trusted... not easy! The moment I took on the role of trainer I immediately slapped a bunch of 'judgements' onto myself with regards to how I had to look... a trainer doesn't carry 10 extra pounds, she doesn't have bad hair days, or cellulose! There was a rude awakening with my name on it not far down the tracks, the humbling reality that just because I was a trainer didn't mean I could be perfect was a bitter pill!
The Joga Project was something I coined to integrate everything I had learned over the past 10 years and share it with as many people as possible. The body weight resistance training that is crucial to building strength, the nutrition that is crucial to all things wellness, the self awareness skills that open your mind to all the possibilities of 'You' with a capital Y, the alternative fitness like pole, and aerial silks, that feed my gypsy soul; and finally, the yoga that welcomes all of it under the umbrella of a healthy active lifestyle with gratitude, compassion, and truth!
The ability to embrace ourselves in all our imperfections is born of one knowledge; we are capable of change. We can lose weight, we can do the splits, or stand on our hands, we can have a healthy relationship with food, we can meditate, and we can love ourselves right now in this moment! We don't have to lose 20 pounds for that to happen! We have to accept that change is possible, that's all!
The Joga Project is about embracing change, the fact that it is available to everyone, and that it is entirely possible no matter who you are, or how old you are! Maybe I won't change the world, or have a million followers; I'm ok with that, what I'm not ok with, is doing nothing! Change is something I have embraced, and growth is something I am experiencing because of it... that's worth sharing!
This week I received a text message from a client telling me that she and her husband had started to meditate together to ease the tension of busy schedules; made my heart happy and I told her so; her response 'I learned from the best'. The best; actually, is knowing that something I shared is having a positive impact on someone's life!
As I head into uncharted territory with my new venture I'm not making any claims of being the best, I have no expectations on the outcome; this is actually my journey to my own personal growth - helping others along the way is an added bonus. I am leaning hard into the discomfort; as Brene Brown would say, and having an affair with my creativity, according to Elizabeth Gilbert ... Oh the places I will go!
I hadn't really thought about how - I just had a vision in my mind of helping women (and men, but let's be honest my empowerment goals were primarily directed towards women) empower themselves by setting down the weapons they were using against themselves!
Weapons you ask? Guilt, shame, comparison, judgement, negative self talk, see where I am going? The reality is I lived the better part of 40 years of my life hating almost everything about myself! My hips were too big, my thighs were flabby, my boobs were too small, my skin was blotchy, my hair had a mind of its own; if asked to name something about myself that I liked my go to answer was 'my eyes' - I got some good peeps! lol
Sad really that beyond my eyes I struggled to like much of anything; what is even sadder is I am not alone - ask any woman you know to list 5 things they love about their body, you could be there a long time! Ask for 5 things they hate; and they will snap off 15 quicker than you can write that shit down!
For 10 years I have worked in a terribly vulnerable environment for most women, a fitness studio! Pull on those unforgiving skin tight yoga pants and sleeveless tops; and hope that everyone does as they are told, and keeps their eyes on their own mat, so they don't notice you! The pole studio was even worse because you had to wear booty shorts to get anywhere in there! Making women feel comfortable in their skin became an obsession with me; and my heart would cheer when layers were shed because each layer represented the lowering of weapons!
You can't effectively teach something you don't practice though; I had to drop my own weapons and be authentic in order to be trusted... not easy! The moment I took on the role of trainer I immediately slapped a bunch of 'judgements' onto myself with regards to how I had to look... a trainer doesn't carry 10 extra pounds, she doesn't have bad hair days, or cellulose! There was a rude awakening with my name on it not far down the tracks, the humbling reality that just because I was a trainer didn't mean I could be perfect was a bitter pill!
The Joga Project was something I coined to integrate everything I had learned over the past 10 years and share it with as many people as possible. The body weight resistance training that is crucial to building strength, the nutrition that is crucial to all things wellness, the self awareness skills that open your mind to all the possibilities of 'You' with a capital Y, the alternative fitness like pole, and aerial silks, that feed my gypsy soul; and finally, the yoga that welcomes all of it under the umbrella of a healthy active lifestyle with gratitude, compassion, and truth!
The ability to embrace ourselves in all our imperfections is born of one knowledge; we are capable of change. We can lose weight, we can do the splits, or stand on our hands, we can have a healthy relationship with food, we can meditate, and we can love ourselves right now in this moment! We don't have to lose 20 pounds for that to happen! We have to accept that change is possible, that's all!
The Joga Project is about embracing change, the fact that it is available to everyone, and that it is entirely possible no matter who you are, or how old you are! Maybe I won't change the world, or have a million followers; I'm ok with that, what I'm not ok with, is doing nothing! Change is something I have embraced, and growth is something I am experiencing because of it... that's worth sharing!
This week I received a text message from a client telling me that she and her husband had started to meditate together to ease the tension of busy schedules; made my heart happy and I told her so; her response 'I learned from the best'. The best; actually, is knowing that something I shared is having a positive impact on someone's life!
As I head into uncharted territory with my new venture I'm not making any claims of being the best, I have no expectations on the outcome; this is actually my journey to my own personal growth - helping others along the way is an added bonus. I am leaning hard into the discomfort; as Brene Brown would say, and having an affair with my creativity, according to Elizabeth Gilbert ... Oh the places I will go!
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