2020 was like no other and looking at the way all things stand in the world today as we enter 2021 with the virus, politics, financial insecurity, health, openings and closings of small business, inability to see and be with family and love ones surely looks like a nightmare we all have been going through and still waiting to end.
Personally this past year has been rough. Between selling my yoga studios of 13 years at the end of October 2019, undergoing total hip replacement surgery in December, and then Covid19 striking China in January 2020 and cancelling several of my yoga trainings and conferences scheduled for there and abroad, I feel like my wings have been clipped. Teaching yoga is my happy place, more specifically traveling and teaching yoga in other countries, especially teacher trainings gets me fired up! It allows time to cultivate a relationship with the students and methodically establish a foundational yoga practice within their own routines and then building on that by giving them the tools of how to skillfully, artfully and authentically teach the science yoga.
I was supposed to be back in action & on an airplane to Asia in February 2020, ready to lead workshops, teacher trainings & Internationally present at conferences & festivals, but instead I have been living in a 26 sq ft RV with my husband and stepson in the backyard of a house we have been renovating for over a year. SHIFT HAPPENS!
However, in the midst of it all I have to remind myself Spiritual growth can take place anywhere, anytime as long as we are conscious and present in the moment. We must also be willing to show up and do the work, receptive to learning and then receive it. The setting of a clear intention isn’t always necessary to move us forwards in life, but it can be tremendously helpful in staying focused and motivated. I wholeheartedly believe that there is a divine plan for all us in these unfoldments.
I realized I had to learn how to navigate the online world fast if I wanted to continue to share new offerings, attempt to make a living stay or at least make grocery money. There has definitely been a learning curve, along with many frustrating & embarrassing moments. From teaching a LIVE yoga class outside in my in-laws backyard and having to jump out of a headstand and chase the camera around as the wind blew it around, to navigating the multi layers of Zoom in order to incorporate a microphone, music, recording device, multiple payment methods and more. I eventually settled into an inspired space wanting to learn how to improve my online platform in order to offer better products and a broader reach.
We all want to be of service. Teaching virtual yoga has been my saving grace throughout this whole surreal experience, and to think I almost stopped several times, because let’s face it, there just so many people jumping on the online yoga bandwagon!! Everyone who has attended a yoga teacher training, and even those who have not, are all teaching yoga online. The online yoga market is beyond saturated.
Each time I contemplated stopping, a student would reach out with an email, text or voicemail message telling me how much the classes and trainings were helping them get through the pandemic and everything that goes with it. It is because of the students, that I just keep showing up, even on those super challenging days. It is in the showing up and serving others, that I also have received. Turns out, that teaching virtual yoga classes is healing ME TOO! I teach that whatever is unfolding at every moment is absolutely necessary for our growth, and that we are exactly where we are meant to be.
Perhaps all of these most recent happenings could be to make us realize and remember that we are in the midst of a great reawakening so that we don't take anything in life for granted and prioritize what's truly most important in life. Being part of the yoga teaching community, where we are committed to living and sharing a life of high values and vibration helps inspire and keep me “on task.”
Hindsight is 20/20. As I look back on 2020 I definitely see where I could have been better .
I wish I could have been more disciplined with my writing, and open with sharing my personal experiences and challenges.
I wish I could have been more consistent with staying in touch with family and friends.
I wish I could have finished the projects I had planned and not fall victim to frustration.
But here's the thing: Change is always certain, and comes with the NEW. Can we seek to learn and appreciate the old? Can we learn from our old relationships, memories, past accomplishments and so on without clinging? Getting stuck in the past, causes change and transformation to stop, growth stops and truly LIFE STOPS. Change is unknown, and we have never been here before. It’s normal to feel uncertain and anxious, but there is no other way to manifest change, except by stepping into the unseen.
Why not get excited about 2021? I love the energy of a NEW YEAR! We all get excited to set new resolutions, new goals, and plans for the year. Personally, rather than set goals I set Intentions. I think of an Intention as a conscious direction we choose to show up for in life and choices. Trust that there will be times in life when we are fully committed to pursuing our passions, and other times like after the year we have had, that responsibility and necessity will dictate that we put our passions aside and do what needs to be done.
My main Intention for 2021 is to “Patiently Serve.” I want to be able to better serve my family, friends, students and even though it may sound cliche, this planet without expectations and the need for instant gratification. I am fully recommitting to connecting with the yoga community through daily offerings of online classes, workshops, trainings, writings and blog posts. I commit to transitioning through the fear barrier that I allowed this pandemic to create, and slowly enter back into teaching yoga in person. I recommit to the personal projects I began in 2020, and do what must be done in order to contribute to my family in a bigger way.
It is never too late to ask yourself that one simple question. What are you committed too in 2021?
I would love to read your answers...
In gratitude,
Tymi
About the Creator
Tymi Howard Bender
TYMI HOWARD 500 E-RYT is an International Yoga Teacher, Certified Holistic Health Coach & Founder of Guruv Yoga Studios & Manifest Yoga Virtual Studio. Join Tymi ONLINE and around the globe at www.tymihoward.com / www.tymihowardyoga.com
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