on balance & happiness....purusharthas

How the last week looked in the areas of duty, prosperity, pleasure and liberation:

Dharma (duty):
*date/gathering with BW's teachers
*taught the girls at Florrence Crittenton Home
*reviewed quizzes and writing assignments from yoga teacher training
*made the agonizing decision to cancel yoga teacher training Saturday session
*begin to coordinate make-up time with trainees
*plan week
*schedule and have lunch with college professor/mentor
*work on, complete, email monthly newsletter
*inquire about yoga shirts for special Haiti class
*meet with Meredith, discuss and plan yoga for teens class
*make-up four hours of yoga teacher training
*secure a knitting date and host

Artha (prosperity)
*more quality time with quickbooks
*many emails to try and secure a date for fall retreat
*cancellation policies for retreats, workshops, yoga teacher training on the website
*purchase and set up studio printer
*update and have new class schedules printed
*purchase supplies for the studio
*do teacher payroll
*secure subs for time I'm away
*create contract for studio rental
*put details for more workshops in mindbody software
*work on updating ad for natural awakenings
*begin working with Retta to create stuff to advertise for tulum retreat
*work with my life coach to come and present for yoga teacher training and yoga teachers (she's a yoga teacher too!)
*talk with Barb at Snug Hollow about a one day spring yoga retreat

Kama (pleasure)
*cook delicious new soup from Snug Hollow cookbook
*dinner with brother and sister-n-law
*get 3 new books in the mail
*meet mentor for lunch
*purchase a new purse that makes me very happy
*go to a hockey game with the Tessandori's
*reading on the ebook
*andy and I have breakfast with friends
*monday....everything is great fun
*solo coffee date with new purse and books

Moksha (liberation)
*yoga class with Jeanne
*journaling
*self inquiry with new/fresh dreams
*sit with discomfort....but only a couple of times. so tough for me.
*coffee date with brother to talk about things we want to do this year

In looking back over the past week, the **thing** that stands out the most is a conversation I had with my professor/mentor about taking risks. I explained to him that I felt like it's been a while since I've done just that and I was feeling a pull towards that.

Later on I sat down and wrote in my journal a little outline of the biggest risks I've taken over the last few years:

2004 - put house up for sell in TX, quit job and move back to KY, do first teacher training, form Barefoot Works as a LLC and start teaching yoga
2005 - Complete 2nd yoga teacher training. Teaching yoga in central and Eastern KY.
2006 - Start looking at spaces for studio, decide on Patchen Village. Do all the renovations. Barefoot Works has a home. Teach all classes except one.
2007 - Lead 1st international yoga retreat. Still teach all classes but one. Upgrade from all things "paper" to mindbody software.
2008 - Lead first 200 hour yoga teacher training. Have more teachers to teach. Slowly begin to pass classes to other teachers.
2009 - Move studio across street. Quadruple the size. Do more renovations. Fall madly in love with new space.
2010 - ??????

That's where I am. Dreaming about the next risk to take! It's exciting. Fun. And scary. I'm certain it's not opening a second studio location. Doesnt' feel right, right now. I love to be a teacher of yoga, not be an administrator of yoga. The wheels are turning and I have a few ideas.

Inviting you to grab a pen, and make note of the risks you've taken over the years. Big and small. You might surprise yourself by what you discover!