Borrowing Belief for Your Growth and Goals

"I’ve learned that loving yourself requires courage unlike any other.
It requires us to believe in and stay loyal to something no one else can
see that keeps us in the world – our own self-worth.” - Mark Nepo

“But can she really teach?” my mother asked my sister confidentially once I told her, "I am going to stay in NYC and teach yoga" at a time when anyone who practiced yoga was considered granola-y, spiritual or finding themselves.

I was living in New York then and trying my hand at teaching yoga, building a private client base and hopping around from studio to studio. A series of events had led to a career switch from a beauty world marketing executive .. to now… trying to teach yoga?!

My mom (like many) feared that I wouldn’t be able to survive (or thrive) as a yoga teacher in the most expensive city in the world, as an alien without her work visa anymore and as a very recent graduate of a 200-hour yoga teacher training program.

That same line was going off in my brain, too… for a long time.

"Can I really teach yoga?"
I wasn’t sure. 

Evidence would show me first that, actually, I couldn’t teach yoga. 

I bombed the yoga teaching final exam (yup, I ran out of the room from nerves… yup, I did that).

Cueing the poses didn’t come naturally to me like DOING the poses. 

The philosophy and anatomy overwhelmed my brain.

How would I disseminate it all into words and create a moving experience for others?

At first… teaching was challenging.

But if I wanted to stay in NYC, and I did, I needed to start making $. 

So it started with a pressure cooker of a situation where I had basic skills and knowledge that needed plenty of finessing with little belief, and a few obstacles to mount, too.

I had to work with my fear of public speaking.

I had to work with my fear of public speaking in spandex.

I had to work with my fear of public speaking, in spandex, moving and holding the postures in an inspiring way while perspiring. 

I had to work with my fear of public speaking, with all eyes on me basically naked, telling people to move in various ways, sounding calm, looking relaxed while commanding a room and conveying a feeling of safety and competence with confidence.

Oh, belief levels were low, and when I started teaching, I remember having to find the courage and stay loyal to believing in myself SO hard.

When I think back, I began to borrow belief by tapping into resources inside and outside of me.

This helped me keep moving forward, working with my obstacles despite fear.

Borrowing belief looked like pulling out and catching what I had going for me:

💜 Strengths, passions, skills.. basic and otherwise.

👯 I listened to friends who were encouraging and gave helpful, loving feedback, not to mention they let me practice teaching them in my 2 x 2 living room.

I LOVED ❤️ yoga. Check. 

I loved learning more from teachers, books, students and my own practice.

I adored being in the community. 

I began falling in love with holding space for people (and came to know this) 

I knew I loved watching people have an experience that transforms their state … and I love being a part of that. 

And what I often told myself (and still do) is, “If she can do this, I can do this.”

Every new endeavour starts with working with our minds and finding beliefs that will serve our growth and goals!