Why should we tell our story

Why is important that we have our voices heard and that we come out of hiding? Men, women and children have been sexually assaulted, humiliated, shamed over many generations  and what is the reaction? More shame and humiliation. Why should we stay hidden and let the Patriarchy put us back in our closet of shame?

To me staying silent amid such courageous Truth Telling going on right now is destructive and regressive. Almost every woman I meet has been victimized by actual or attempted sexual assault. To deny these experiences is burying our pain and hurt and sending it down the generational stream to our children and grandchildren. It is unacceptable!

My Experience

I have had my own experience of a near rape in High School. I was lucky enough to have escaped but it left an indelible mark on me. I felt totally responsible for this event and deeply shamed. It was not my fault but I took it on and did not speak about it for many years.

I judged myself.

This was just one of many experiences that eroded my self esteem and my belief in my own talent. This led to an eating disorder and a stream of bad relationship choices.

Yoga, Meditation and Ayurveda to the rescue!

Finding the path of yoga and Ayurveda helped me and so many others heal from this early life trauma. I discovered an inner strength I never knew I had and provided skills to heal my eating disorder. I was literally trying to stuff my feelings of unworthiness and trauma to keep them from surfacing. I was trying to take control of a place inside that was totally out of control, fearful and traumatized.

By practicing yoga and learning about Ayurveda I was able to bring my body into balance with nature. I was able to connect to the deeper essence of who I am… The place that is beyond personality and ordinary mind.

Through the practices of yoga I learned to connect to my Higher Self on a daily basis. By adopting good healthy Ayurvedic habits, my nervous system calmed down and I began to sleep more deeply. I finally experienced a deep self-love and respect for the first time in my life. I was able to maintain a healthy weight without obsessing about my diet and exercise. I was free!

The behavior of the men who took advantage of me over the years is reprehensible to me.

How do we as a society address this total disrespect and violence?

The Root Cause

What is causing this behavior according to the wisdom teachings of Yoga and Ayurveda?

At the root of this behavior of violence and domination is the feeling of being separated from others. The Yoga wisdom teachings call it Mayiya Mala, the veil that shows us how different we are from each other; a different race, age, culture, generation, class, gender, sexual preference.

Otherness is what triggers our feelings of separation. This veil cloaks our true nature which is totally connected to the Oneness in us all.

It is hard to see the beauty and oneness in someone who belittles, humiliates, and disregards your feelings as worthless.

Both men and women are at fault in empowering the patriarchy.

I heard a woman on a podcast last week laughing at how Trump mocked Christine Blasey Ford. She let out a loud, huge, belly laugh as she shared how funny Trump was when he mocked this victim of sexual assault at a rally.

Where do we go from here?

Where do we go from here on finding the humanity in folks with whom we disagree? Since the confirmation hearing of Brett Kavanaugh, many of my students, friends, and colleagues have sunk into a rage and depression about where do we go from here.

Their own trauma triggered, they are anxious and feeling lost as to what can possibly come from this. What is the lesson we need to learn from this darkness?

The Next Generation

As a yoga teachers and health coaches we need to take a stand for the well being of ourselves, our students, our daughters and granddaughters. We need to ask how do we train our sons, husbands, nephews, and grandsons to be sensitive, aware and respectful around women and girls?

We are  called to discover an inner “Source” that will enable us to become resilient and strong enough to stand up to centuries of misogyny and the all powerful Patriarchy.

The practices and wisdom teachings of Yoga and Ayurveda are pathways to help cultivate an awareness and inner strength in both men and women to find a new way forward.

Finding New Leadership

Knowing at a very young age that independence was very important to me I sought out other independent spirits who had non-traditional paths. They were leaders in a new entrepreneurial feminist movement.

I was totally on board. My new friends were women like Molly Fox and Cate Stillman who have blazed new trails of leadership in the wellness and healing professions.

Why should you find your authentic path, your SwaDharma?

Finding the right path is good for the soul. By becoming an entrepreneur I see myself and many women finding their way around the Patriarchy. Being in professions where women excel and hold positions of power, I see women learning to share their power instead of holding others down in order to feel more powerful themselves.

Taking control of your own destiny

When I became a Yoga Health Coach 4 years ago, I began to work with men and women who want to step into their own power and realize their true potential. I am seeing people blossom and grow in new ways. They become more confident and self possessed. They take on skills to help them find their own inner voice and the source of their creativity. I see my students take on new health habits that bring them mastery over how they feel about themselves.

By stepping into power in your own life you can encourage your kids, grandkids, elders step into their own Swa Dharma. Everyone who steps onto this path affects the well being of everyone around them. It is magical!

The Next Right Step

In order to heal our society we need to share power and authority with both men and women.

We need to share the wisdom teachings of yoga and Ayurveda with the next generation and empower them to step into their own “True Path”.

We need to train the next generation of girls and boys to respect each other and not get caught up in trying to fit in by compromising what we know is right for ourselves and our bodies and hearts.

• Teach them to recognize true intimacy is not only physical but emotional.
• Train our young boys to have emotional intelligence and not objectify girls and women.
• Choose leaders who are awake and want to empower women and men in new roles.

The economies of countries who educate women are much stronger. Women will educate their children and help our society to evolve.

This will free both men and women to to step into their true path.

Let your voice be heard. I welcome dialogue about your own experiences of finding your own voice and true path.

If you are looking to empower yourself and become more independent, I highly recommend the path of a Yoga Health Coach. If you are currently a yoga teacher and struggling financially this will give you more financial freedom and autonomy. Studying with Cate Stillman had been immensely empowering to me and so many others.

“Embrace your suffering and let it reveal to you the way to peace” Thich Nhat Hanh

“The boring stuff” is not the same for everyone. Some wellness pros are super creative and dislike mundane tasks. Others are very organized and detailed oriented and love creating the infrastructure that is necessary for success. Setting up infrastructure isn’t always exciting, but it leads to exciting things. Likewise, creativity can be super exciting, but that doesn’t mean that what you produce is good. What makes it good is refinement, which can be really boring. The more we get involved with the boring stuff, the more fascinating it becomes and the more success it begets.

Sequencing (or krama) and efficiency are key to big career breakthroughs. Krama is divine order, the universal law of sequencing. Sequencing increases efficiency. Yoga Health Coaching teaches you the krama that has been tried, tested and proven to work. In Yoga Health Coaching, we show up with a beginners mind, with a willingness to be curious about our own krama and what is getting in the way of our success.

Schedule a conversation with Grace. Her job is to help you see what is getting in the way of getting what you really want.

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

• How the “boring stuff” leads to the fun stuff
• How to evolve your neurology by getting interested in the boring stuff
• How sequencing and efficiency are the keys to big career breakthroughs.

Links Mentioned in Episode:

• YHC Have a conversation
• Discover Body Thrive
• Awake Living
• Sign-up for the FREE live Living Ayurveda Masterclass series now!

Show Highlights:

0:00 – “The boring stuff” is not the same for everyone. Some wellness pros are super creative and dislike mundane tasks. Others are very organized and detailed oriented and love creating the infrastructure that is necessary for success. Some are really good at leading dynamic groups, and others have no experience with that at all. Some experienced practitioners are great at analysis, but aren’t used to being a learning, vulnerable member of their own dynamic group.

7:00 – It’s okay to change your mind in the face of new information!

9:00 – Setting up infrastructure isn’t always exciting, but it leads to exciting things. Likewise, creativity can be super exciting, but that doesn’t mean that what you produce is good. What makes it good is refinement, which can be really boring. The more we get involved with the boring stuff, the more fascinating it becomes, and you begin to evolve your neurology.

15:20 – Sequencing (or krama) and efficiency are key to big career breakthroughs. Krama is divine order, the universal law of sequencing. Sequencing increases efficiency. Yoga Health Coaching teaches you the krama that has been tried, tested and proven to work.

21:30 – Yoga Health Coaching and Body Thrive are also evolving with each iteration of the courses. New ideas are being tested and restested. We show up with a beginners mind, with a willingness to be curious with our own krama.

27:40 – Getting interested in the boring stuff leads to success in your wellness career.

31:00 – Schedule a conversation with Grace. Her job is to help you see what is getting in the way of getting what you really want.

Favorite Quotes:

“The infrastructure, which to me . . . I would call that the business model piece . . . it’s not always super exciting. But what it opens up is really fun, because life starts to get really fun because then the lifestyle starts to evolve.” — Grace Edison

“What makes something good is refining it. And that can be so boring.” — Cate Stillman

“Until we fall in love with that boring stuff, we don’t get traction.” — Cate Stillman

“YHC is better krama. Going through the Yoga Health Coaching course, . . . you don’t need to try it a million ways. . . . We can give you the sequence.” — Grace Edison

“When we think we already know it, that’s when we’re in the biggest trouble.” — Cate Stillman

“When you’re growing as a wellness professional, it starts where you want to leave it. . . . When you want to jump off, . . . it’s about to get good.” — Grace Edison

Guest BIO:

Grace Edison lives in British Columbia, Canada. She’s a mom of twin 8 year olds, a Yoga teacher, studio owner, and Yoga Health Coach — and she also works for Cate Stillman in Admissions at Yogahealer! More than anything, she loves to make people laugh and has a not-so-secret dream of doing stand-up comedy. Grace has a strong passion for empowering others to take their health and wellness into their own hands. She loves building authentic relationships, making people laugh, and creating supportive communities. After a long-standing relationship with severe depression, Grace has found deep relief through the habits of Ayurveda — and much credit is due to Cate and her Body Thrive program. After taking Body Thrive several times and jumping into Yoga Health Coaching, Grace came aboard the Yogahealer team.

By forming peer groups we have a better ability to overcome our negative thoughts and habits. We gently nudge our egos out of the way in order to stay on our true paths towards connection and growth. In listening to the feedback our peers give us, we are able to build trust and gain confidence in ourselves and grow at a rapid rate, breaking through our glass ceilings. When we take the time to pause, listen, and reflect on feedback we are given, we are able to see the habits we’ve created that we need to change in order to move onto our next level of self-growth.

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

• Where do our egos get in the way?
• How do peer groups help us to grow?
• How do we receive feedback well?

Links Mentioned in Episode:

• Body Thrive Book
• YHC Have a conversation
• Sign-up for the FREE live Living Ayurveda Masterclass series now!

Show Highlights:

• 1:10- From pissed to empowered! How our ego keeps us from connection and growth. We talk about working with our ego in order to own your actions and thoughts and realize your recurring patterns and change them.
• 9:50- We discuss how to use feedback from your peers or in peer groups. How to get to the point where you are super honest with yourself and with others and how to take feedback and use it to grow.

Favorite Quotes:

• “She thought she could, so she did.” – Grace Edison
• “A very strong accountability group will generate an entire energy where they can see the key strengths that every member can bring, and they leverage those strengths.” – Grace Edison
• “We open our hearts, we collaborate rather than compete, we take action.” – Grace Edison
• “Stop being pissed and be empowered.” – Cate Stillman

Guest BIO:

Grace Edison lives in British Columbia, Canada. She’s a mom of twin 8 year olds, a Yoga teacher, studio owner, and Yoga Health Coach — and she also works for Cate Stillman in Admissions at Yogahealer! More than anything, she loves to make people laugh and has a not-so-secret dream of doing stand-up comedy. Grace has a strong passion for empowering others to take their health and wellness into their own hands. She loves building authentic relationships, making people laugh, and creating supportive communities. After a long-standing relationship with severe depression, Grace has found deep relief through the habits of Ayurveda — and much credit is due to Cate and her Body Thrive program. After taking Body Thrive several times and jumping into Yoga Health Coaching, Grace came aboard the Yogahealer team.