Yoga reminds us that we are full of potential and capable of living out our lives to their fullest. We have endless possibilities, but so few people actually live out their lives to achieve, breathe, and experience this potential. Fear, self doubt, and a whole other mess of circumstances can stand in the way. It can seem, if we choose to look at things in a certain way that life is one big set up for failure, to do what we are told, get in line, and pay attention to a formula that has been set by someone else who didn’t live up to their full potential. Why subscribe? Fear can lead to a life of unanswered questions like, “what could have been?” and even worse, glazed over complacency.

One thing I love about yoga is it naturally empowers you to realize who the heck you are and then hopefully give you the energy, courage, and inspiration to go out and do something about it. Last night at Strala a woman came to class who told me she was afraid to come to other studios because she is over weight. She even sent an email and asked if it was ok that she come! She obviously hadn’t been to Strala yet, where we have all shapes and sizes. She had been doing my yoga videos on-line and DVDs for a while and finally came to Strala with a friend. She was right in the front row, excited about her life, passionate, and full of zest and energy. Her body is open, strong, and when she wobbles on the mat she holds herself together with focus and determination. This is a woman living life, driving past her fears, her own limitations and past choices to start again fresh, in the present moment where anything is possible.

I’ll share some of my own life story (so far) to illustrate how it works.

I’m from a tiny town in Illinois. I liked to meditate in the woods as a kid and had big ideas for myself and lots of joy about pretty much everything. Without any connections to people in the “industry,” I got myself to Chicago and was dancing (and doing some more yoga)… although not super fantastic enough to be a professional ballet dancer…My boyish hips are made for yoga, not ballet. I could have performed contemporary but that’s a whole other story.

I kept going after experiences that made me feel good, made me feel like I was making a difference. A lot of people tried to tell me I was crazy, that yoga is a mature market that never hit it big and had no room for someone to make it different. People told me it was impossible to reach everyone through yoga, and that it’s only for the “yoga people.”

So that could have been my dead end right there. I could have gone a different route and thought, “OK, they are probably right. I should pick something else, just continue to do yoga, but stop worry about bringing it to the masses and all of that nonsense.” But I knew what I wanted to do and negativity was never and still isn’t anything more than a small annoyance to me…like a fly that won’t leave you alone on a nice day at the beach. Are you going to let the fly kick you off the beach or are you just going to ignore it until it gets tired of you and moves on?

When you do what you love you become a magnet for everything that aligns with your intention. You become extra magnetic especially when people haven’t seen something quite like how you are doing it. Remember everyone is unique and when you are being you, you are extraordinary. Problem is most people try to be like someone else that is “already successful.” Trick is to be YOU. Cultivate YOU.

So what happened? Well I work a lot because I love what I do so I am always working. I have other people’s sweat on me daily, and I love it. I get to work, meet, and be friends with my heroes, and I have a team of amazing people at Strala that are fantastic and passionate individuals doing great work. And if things weren’t as glitzy as they are currently I’d still be doing what I love.

I’m not gushing here to brag about all the cool things in my life, but I’m letting you in on a little secret. You can do whatever you wish, and it’s not about the outcome, it’s about the work. Work hard, follow your intuition, pay attention and trust your heart. Study yourself. That’s yoga. Keep doing yoga and your world will expand.

You can start fresh in this moment, knowing anything is possible…and that means for YOU.

What would you like to do? See? Experience? What’s holding you back?