The tale of a life well lived.

Beautiful Soul,

Today I'm back to work seeing clients and attending to a few details, like writing this note to you, after taking a break for a few days out in nature. I'm letting myself ease back in...and lucky me, I'm heading off again on Thursday for another 5 days hiking and exploring in the beautiful rock canyons of the Owyhee country in Eastern Oregon!!

Paddling at Crane Prairie

I'm not telling you this to brag but rather to give one example of what a no hustle life can look like! One where there's time and space for living and breathing!

Several years ago, I decided that my push, push, just work a little harder attitude was going to do nothing more than burn me out...on the work I love!!

I'd experienced major burnout twice before, which resulted in having to leave jobs. But I finally had to admit it was just as much me, as it was the job, that was creating the stress I felt.

After the second burn out, I quit my hospital job and started teaching yoga full time. I opened my studio and felt so fulfilled - I was finally doing what I truly loved to do. I was living my passion!

But that was part of the problem - I was "living" work. And, after about 8 years, I started to feel burned out, again. Not in the same way as before - I was still loving what I was doing. I was just so tired.

I was working hard. So many hours. Offering so much of myself. And putting a lot of pressure on myself so that every moment of work took so much energy.

That's when I started questioning not the work that was tiring me out, but the way I worked. I realized, that even though I loved what I was doing, I couldn't let "work" squeeze the life out of me. 

I had to write a new story about work and the meaning I placed on what I was doing. I wanted to learn not just to give to my work, but to work in such a way that I felt nourished and well cared for. And that took more than just loving what I do.

Now, I still put a lot into my work - my heart and soul, in fact. It is very meaningful to me. But I don't work 'hard' anymore. I work easy. I make the "work" mean less about me and who I am. And I play a lot.

I'm still in the process of writing the story. I don't know how it ends.

But I love the plot twists and turns thus far, and I know that final scene is going to be so much more meaningful than it would have been if I hadn't changed things up. The story is so much better with me playing more, resting more, and really developing the lead character in this tale of a life well lived!

I'd love to hear something interesting, or fun, about how your life story is evolving. If you're reading via email, jump over to the blog post and leave me a comment there - and if you're already reading on the blog...well, you know what to do!

I'd love to hear something interesting, or fun, about how your life story is evolving. Leave me a comment below and tell me about it!

With love,

PS....Want to hear more about how yoga can help you rewrite your story? One of my secrets was to use the Goddess myths to help me explore more of life's mystery, meaning, and depth.
In my next HeartBeats LIVE! I'll share more about that and how your yoga practice can help you to reimagine what's possible for you.
It's The Power of Story, Tuesday, June 7, at noon PDT. (via Zoom) - and it's free!
Sign up here to join me - and to receive the recording after!