I made a commitment to myself, at the beginning of my 39th year. I promised that I would step into my 40's stronger and healthier than I have ever been. Not just within my body, but emotionally, soulfully and with focus on ambition (however that manifested).
I recommitted to ashtanga. I have always kept the practice at the core of my yoga.... but I wasn't truly committed to the completeness of it. I would let my lack of focus morph into abandonment and move into something else. Still practicing asana, but not ashtanga.
Quality health has also been a priority, but like the yoga, I wouldn't fully commit to what it meant to be truly healthy. And as age is becoming a reality, I felt I really needed to address it.
Who doesn't want to feel his/her best? It is a pretty simple concept. But my healthy, didn't leave me feeling very good. I was accruing various issues and after putting my body in the hands of the trained professionals... I still felt like shit. I absolutely knew there had to be a better way.... a more natural way.
Realizing that my kiddo is growing up as I am getting older hit me hard. Who will I be when I'm not homeschooling, taxiing and feeding her on a daily basis? How can I still do the on deck parenting thing, while figuring out what I am going to be when I (ahem she) grows up?
Countless conversations with my Hubs (we are in it to win it) about where we are at, where we are going and how the hell we are going to get there left me with more possibilities and less focus.
The future was closing in on me. I yearned for more. For something deeper and still more fulfilling. And when I really looked inside, I realized I already knew what direction was next for me.
I am a teacher. Once upon a time I was an English teacher. I am a yoga teacher. I am my daughter's teacher. And as a teacher, I am always a student: in my practice, in parenting and in health and wellness. By looking at what fuels my soul I was able to narrow down a hopeful future.
So, I enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.
I am only a quarter of the way through my education and inching closer to 40, but now the path ahead seems a lot clearer. I am so ready to share what I'm learning. I am so excited to help people realize wellness, to feel and be healthy.
Forty is looking pretty fabulous.