I am lucky enough to have a job that I am truly passionate about and love doing every day.  Not everyone is as fortunate as I am though.  One of my students was complaining about working this morning saying that she is ready for a vacation away.  Before I became a yoga instructor, I had my fair share of jobs that weren’t for me.  I learned a lot about myself and what I like and what I don’t like during that time.

How to stay happy at work?

I believe that there are certain things you can do to make work just a little more bearable.

Creating a positive work environment and giving yourself the space to grow are two necessities.  By taking your life in the office into your hands, as much as you can, you can create an environment that is lighter and helps make you more productive.

During a stressful time in the office it is very important to clear your mind and try meditating for a little bit.  Meditation can help reduce your stress levels and help you see the issue in a different light that will help you solve the problem.  In the recent years I have seen that companies have been acknowledging that meditation and time away is needed to up the productivity levels.  I read that some companies are even making meditation and relaxation rooms.  I think this is a great idea and a step in the right direction.
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Decades of sleep research by the National Sleep Foundation, NASA, the National Transportation Safety Board, and scores of academic and medical researchers have unequivocally shown that a brief 20–30 minute nap can result in the following beneficial effects:

• Increase alertness       

• Reduce accidents

• Improve judgment

• Boost creativity

• Improve learning and memory

• Reduce stress

• Control blood pressure

• Increase reaction time

• Control weight

• Improve mood and energy levels

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I know that it is easy to get consumed in your work and lose track of time, but it is important to take advantage of those 10 minute breaks.  I once worked at a job where I sat at a desk and stared at the computer all day, I used those breaks to do a lap around the block and regain my sense of being.

If you really believe in the cause of your company do anything and everything to make it the best it can be.  If you don’t love it, work hard to make your mark within the company and maybe your ideas can be used to steer it in the direction you like.  I believe it is important to always stand up for what you believe in.

Manipulating your day to make it better is how to make a not so ideal situation better.  If your work environment is getting you down, take action to make it better for you.  Your life and happiness is up to you.  How you choose to live each day is in your hands.  Why not make it the best it can be every day.

Namaste.

Anita

Today was a great day.  My partner and I made a healthy lunch together with food we got from the farmers market and spent the rest of the day sitting outside enjoying the weather.  We had a conversation that made me feel extremely happy about our favorite places we have practiced yoga around the states.  I never thought about how many places we have been fortunate to practice at.

Here is our list of places we have been and two that we are planning to go to.

Hopefully, these make you want to take your yoga to the next level and travel with yoga.

• Grace Cathedral in San Francisco is one of the best places I have practiced yoga at.  The spiritual environment of the French Gothic-style cathedral is second to none.  There are weekly yoga classes offered as well as a 75-minute class on Tuesday nights.  It was a little chilly there so I suggest wearing layers and of course, don’t forget your mat.

• After my paddleboard yoga experience I am eager to go back to the Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.  You can do yoga with the dolphins swimming around you, obviously through the window.  You practice in the underwater viewing area at the Dolphin Habitat.  It was fun having these playful animals swimming around, although it was a little distracting.

• Traveling to Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies was one of the highlights in outdoor yoga practices.  You can sign up to get transported to a remote place in the Rockies to practice and really connect in solitude with nature.  The wild landscape and serenity made this one of my favorite experiences.

• The natural attitude of Hawaii makes it one of the most relaxing and peaceful places in the US and makes it a perfect place to practice yoga.  When my partner and I were there we did our own practice on our private beach.  The sun rising and hitting the water at dawn was an unforgettable time.

• A few years ago I traveled to New York and found free yoga classes in Bryant Park.  It was great to get away and spend time with a group of people with my same passion.  They also offer free tai chi lessons that I stuck around for after.

• I haven’t been to Chicago but it is definitely on my list.  One of my good friends used to live there and said there were free yoga classes on Saturday s in Millennium Park.  Although I love practicing in nature, it is a different feeling being so small amongst the giant sky scrapers that makes your problems disappear.

• Another place on my list is to go to Alaska and practice in the natural beauty.  I have read reviews about the Tutka Bay Lodge on Kachemak Bay that make me want to plan my next trip there.  The photographs of the rough wilderness and peacefulness of the water are breathtaking.


What is your favorite place to practice yoga?

Namaste

Everyone has days when they question themselves and misplace the drive and determination they once had. 

There are days when I need something to lift my spirits and give me reassurance that what I am doing is right. 

Today, one of my students said she wasn’t going to be back.  Of course I asked why?  She was feeling discouraged about her growth from yoga and questioning if it was really doing her any good.

It is always difficult hearing my student’s struggles but it is human nature to feel disheartened when things are not the way imagined.  I listened to her concern and just asked her to take some time to reflect on her journey thus far and be grateful for how far she had come from beginning a few months ago.  She said she would and left with a smile. 

I have a feeling after reflecting she will be back.

Everyone gets down sometimes, I even question things once in a while.  I have put together some of my inspiration to keep my disciple and will power strong in questioning times.

If you are feeling like what you are doing isn’t benefiting you or feeling like you can’t get better, you can.  Please just take time to reflect and read what inspires me, maybe it will inspire you as well.

• There are no competition or judgment in Yoga.
• The past has no power over the present moment.
• The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it.
• Yoga is not about self-improvement. It’s about self-acceptance.
• When you make a choice, you change the future.
• The quieter you become, the more you can hear.
• The attitude of gratitude is the highest Yoga.
• The mind is above time and space. If you decide not to complain it will immediately compensate you with intuition.