Here’s a preview to week 2 questions and poses! Thank you everyone for participating so far!
- Would you be willing to do something very unsatisfying (for example, clean toilets) for five years if you were certain that the experience would afterwards bring you a deep sense of personal fulfillment for the rest of your life?
This could go both ways. Why must one need to endure something that is not appealing in order to be happy? I am living that right now.I am grinding, I am working, I lack sleep sometimes, I don’t want to do anything sometimes, I feel like people don’t take notice, no one cares, why am I doing this again?
Because I don’t want to go back to where I was before. Because I love the good that comes with all I do. There is no “bad” that comes with this life. There is nothing I do that is “unsatisfying.” Some things just require more time and don’t give instant rewards. But again, it is all perspective. I am rewarded every morning with a new day, fresh air, a strong body and mind to keep doing what I love, and I am blessed with the most amazing husband, friends, family, and clients.
Today’s pose is Shoulder Stand – Salamba Sarvangasana (this is a variation in ear pressure pose). At first, this pose may be uncomfortable. You may find it hard to breathe. As you continue to work on the rest of your practice, opening your neck, chest, and shoulders, coming into the pose will be easier, stacking your joints and lifting the chin away from your chest will allow you to breathe easy. This inversion can be very therapeutic and I practice it during my restorative classes as well.
“There is no elevator to success, You have to take the stairs.”
- What has been your biggest disappointment in life? your biggest failure?
My biggest failure was the first time I had ever failed anything – the CFA. I had such an ego and I couldn’t stand the idea of not finishing something.
When I was younger, things came easy to me. I didn’t have to work very hard and I got good grades, I did well in a lot of things and got things I wanted on the first try. I passed CFA level 1 on the first try. I passed level 2 on the 3rd try (which was already devastating), and I failed the final level twice and said fuck it. 6 years of this self-inflicted torture. It was doing nothing for my life. I was stressed, unhappy, tired, anxious, and lost site of who I was. I just thought I had to get these fancy letters to make a tonne of money, look really smart, and look like a boss. I felt like such a failure and I couldn’t stand the thought of not being able to finish it. Who knows, maybe one day I will go and write level 3 again – but i highly doubt it LOL – once I gave myself permission to let go of the need to pass, and realized that my happiness and healthy were more important, I started to open my eyes up to other strengths in my life, such as my ability to help people, teach people about their own health and happiness, and I discovered my deep passion for yoga. I started studying again and went back to school, not for the CFA, but about yoga, anatomy, nutrition, and exercise. I have been been happier to open a book and I have never felt more knowledgeable. Now I am not saying the CFA is horrible and I am not hating on people who finished it. It was just something that did not do me any good or add value to my life. I am clearly meant for something different. A positive that came out of it was that I do enjoy managing my own finances and trading stocks. What I learned has helped me tremendously in the investment strategies I execute.
Today’s pose is handstand – Adho Mukha Vrkasana
The death of me! This pose has taken me years to master and I am still far from it. But I am not going to give up. I’ve come very far from my first attempt where I couldn’t even kick myself up the wall because of low strength, confidence and heightened fears. Each fall is not a failure but another chance to get up and try again.
“Don’t fear failure. Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts, it is glorious even to fail.” – Bruce Lee
- Would you accept a guaranteed, lifetime allowance of $50,000 per year (adjusted annually for inflation) if accepting it meant that you could never again earn money from either work or investments?
Yes. An at first it sounds like I am going against everything I’ve been talking about – “following your dreams, working hard, sky is the limit,forget the money etc.” But, I would take that $50k to travel and eat. I wouldn’t be able to make living out of the two things I enjoy – teaching yoga and trading stocks. I’ve also limited my own potential – financially.
but what if i took the money to travel and eat, while teaching yoga on my travels, and being compensated with a place to stay or food? I do love what I do and I would do it for free. I HAVE done it for free. Money is important because we make it so, but it is not my motivation.
I’ve simplified my life dramatically. Used to shop all the time, designer jeans and handbags. Now I am in work out clothes all the time, enjoying week long hikes and living in the wilderness. I don’t need a lot of money for that. WELCOME TO RETIREMENT 🙂
Today’s pose is Easy pose – Sukasana/Lotus – Padmasana
If lotus is uncomfortable, sit in easy pose. If easy pose is not easy, use blocks for support.
“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” – Steve Jobs
- Would you accept a much less enjoyable job paying twice what you make now? If you received the same pay regardless of your job, what kind of work would you do? If you were financially independent, would you continue to work? If not, what would you do?
No. Even with what I am doing now, I have been approached to do projects, teach in a particular location, do other things that may be related to what I am doing, paying me more than what i could be making if i do the same thing all on my own (for the time being) but I’ve turned stuff down. The old me probably would’ve taken every opportunity that came my way. To an extent I still do, I don’t want to miss out on opportunities and I will never know if it is right for me unless I try. but if I know it was something I would enjoy less than what I do now, I would not take it just for the money.
If i were financially independent, I would probably work less hours, but I would continue to read and gather knowledge, blog, and teach yoga. All while travelling 🙂
Today’s pose is Monkey pose – hanumanasana
probably my favourite yoga pose and stretch. when the teacher gives us the freedom and tells us to pick a hip opening pose during restorative, to hold for 5-10 minutes, I do the splits 🙂
“So many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health.” – A.J. Materi
- Does living as though you control your own destiny lead to a more powerful life?
Yes. Even in regards to the destiny of each day, where I can control and schedule my days. What clients I see, when I exercise, eat, sleep. A lot of the times I am accommodating my clients and my initial plans take a back seat, but this is all part of my growth, putting in the work, and being adaptable. I am my own boss and never again will I have to prepare for another job interview, annual review to earn a raise, work mindlessly for a promotion. I will never have to let anyone else tell me how to do my job unless I am specifically seeking advice and feedback from my coach, friends, and clients, which is something I do often and thrive for.
Today’s pose is Tiger – Vyaghrasana
I love how this pose makes me feel – the physical stretch in my chest, shoulders and hips, as well as the power I feel internally, with a strong core and proud chest.
- What would you do if you realized that unless you changed jobs and took a 25 percent pay cut, you would have moderate insomnia and a nightmare every month or so? Is there anything worse than the worst nightmare?
This took me a long time to look past. From 2010-2012 I was in a job where I thought i really wanted to move up, roll with the big boys, and make lots of money. I was a junior trader and my boss was a dick. He treated me like a personal assistant and dangled a carrot in front of me every day. I was oblivious enough to endure it for so long. I had anxiety going into work everyday, there was no doubt that this contributed to my IBS, I came home every night and complained with my husband. I also gave up teaching and working out in the mornings because I needed to be at work really early before the markets opened. I raced from the gym to the GO Transit station to get to work on time. Every morning gave me a mild heart attack. I wa fortunate enough to fine another corporate job that paid better, had an awesome boss and more freedom. So I guess I didn’t leave that shitty job for a pay cut. But I did leave the most recent job, the benefits, the corporate credit card, the parties and the year end bonuses to start my own business. That job wasn’t as horrible as the previous, but I did get some anxiety on sunday nights, I would cringe when I received an email from work. I sat at my desk but would’ve rather been doing something else. I knew i had to go. My worst nightmare is to live that painful life and not be true to myself.
Today’s pose is Candy Cane – ardha chandra chapasana
one of my worst nightmares would probably be losing my physical abilities because then I wouldnt be able to do what I love. some things aren’t controllable such as a fatal disease or accident, but what I can control in the meantime is my fitness. this pose encompasses multiple aspects of fitness and movement such as core strength and stability, hip mobility and stability, balance and focus. It is a beautiful pose and feels incredible once youre able to open up your body
- Walking along an empty street, you notice a wallet. It contains $5,000 in cash but no name or address. What would you do? Would it alter your decision if inside you found the name, address, and picture of either a wealthy-looking young man or a frail-looking old woman?
IF there was no name of address I would totally keep the money. If it had the owners information inside, no matter what they looked like, I would return everything to them. I believe in Karma and i have a tendency to blame supernatural or outrageous things when something bad happens, so the less I have riding on my conscience, the better, and i will not blame external factors on my mistakes. I’m not crazy superstitious, but i will avoid what I can. I wouldn’t hire a feng shui expert into my home, but i will take into consideration some common beliefs when it comes to how i set up my home.
Today’s pose is
Flying pigeon – Eka pada galavasana
There are many prep poses leading up to this, such as crow, pigeon, toe stand, figure four, lotus. Often times you can’t just jump into something and expect everything to go your way. You need to give it time, practice and patience, otherwise, everything could come crashing down.
Below are the details of the challenge in case you missed the post.
