“We have never stayed home long enough to experience the truth about ourselves”  -Erich Schiffmann

The idea of staying true to yourself and your beliefs is a topic that has been on my mind a ton lately. When life gets busy, or when things seem to be overwhelming, the temptation is to  cut corners. Sometimes we will even waver on our beliefs because it seems our lives will be easier to manage. It’s easy to lose yourself along the way, and honestly, the compromises sometimes are necessary in the short run. Working longer hours to make more money, or staying in a job you aren’t really passionate about can make events pass by in a blur. The struggle is to always remember who you are and what’s essential to your life.

My advice:  find what you love and do it. That is why I’m pursuing working with veterans and service members with PTSD and TBI and teaching them yoga. I love it, even though it can be difficult, believe me. Lately, though, I’ve found myself making more time for less important things that don’t interest me as much. As a result, I’ve lost precious time to do things that are important to me. But I think it takes moments like that to make you re-affirm with yourself what is really important. Kanani, Dave and I all came into this line of work with different backgrounds and different reasons behind our choice. However, we share the same love to help others through reconnecting with their breath and bodies –our passion is what makes the difference.

Choosing something you love and doing it also relates to some of our readers who might be afraid to try yoga because it goes against what they do/believe/think (like the tough Marine who thinks he won’t be strong anymore if he tries it). We aren’t asking you to give up who you are, but to be open to giving yoga –and alternative methods of healing a try. It is usually the things you least expect in life that surprise you the most.

So this Sunday I encourage you to take some time and look at what you are doing and ask yourself “am I doing what is right for me?” who knows the answer may just surprise you.