Yoga as it relates to life

BY DAY: I'm a PR manager for a Fortune 500 company. BY NIGHT: I'm a yoga instructor. Namaste!

[jacquelinebayley]

Poolside playtime!☀️👣 (at Balboa Island, Newport Beach)

[jacquelinebayley]

Day 6 and FINAL day of #WakeUpAndYoga☀️This challenge was heart warming and surprisingly profound. The rawness of it helped me find my mission as a teacher. I'm a newbie to it and I've been both loving teaching while also being scared of it. I got my certification solely for the reason that I believe in yoga whole heartedly and wanted to know more, auditioning for classes on the sched because it was part of the journey. Sometimes it feels like I fell into teaching and I wonder if I'm actually good at it. I've been asking myself these Qs: why do you do it? If you really believe in yoga & want to share the gift with others, why are you feeling this way? Here's what I came up with: I'm teaching because I'm facing fears every time I do it. I'm scared of stumbling on my words, of failing to inspire, and of sounding silly. But I'm learning to BELIEVE in myself - at the end of our teacher training journey, when we passed around a bucket of rocks with different words written on them, this is the rock I pulled...I didn't fully understand the significance at the time. By taking this journey towards deep-rooted love, I'm hoping to inspire others to do the same. Yoga is an absolute mirror for you. I want my students to face their fears in the postures (and life) yet try it anyway. To believe in themselves and practice self love. I can feel love for all of my students and I want them to feel it for themselves too. And that's where I see I need to do the same. (Thank you day 4.) Yoga is a practice - it takes time to develop strength and flexibility in our asana, and takes time to cultivate understanding of the philosophy behind it. Teaching is a practice too. I won't become a great teacher overnight - it takes work and discipline. But here's a quote that comes to mind: "with discipline comes freedom" - @anthonychav27, the teacher who started it all for me. Anthony, you cracked the door open to my yogi soul, dude! Now the whole community is continuing to help me open it. Thank you. As for sharing the mantra love: gosh, I can't wait for my next class....or for my next human interaction for that matter. ☺️ Life happens FOR you.

[jacquelinebayley]

Day 5 of #WakeUpAndYoga: how does yoga impact your life off the mat? It's not just an exercise for me - I try to take what I'm learning on my mat to the office everyday. I also draw on experiences at work as inspiration for my practice or for theming my classes. Here's a major breakthrough I had recently: I used to think acceptance and going with the flow was a passive thing or a personality trait that some people possess and some don't. What I'm finding out is that acceptance (or love for the present moment) is actually very active. I'm realizing that "letting go" is believing that the situations are unfolding for you - it's an active choice, one that needs to be made over and over. And it's not easy. Easy is falling into unconscious patterns. Now when challenging situations arise, I'm telling myself that whatever I'm facing is worth it - I'm gaining valuable lessons out of it. Specifically when it comes to our jobs, if we're choosing to show up everyday, we can choose to be positive while we do it...we can choose to give it everything we have. Set reminders everywhere, then watch the affect on our minds and those around us. Life happens FOR you. PS: Had a busy morning and had to fly out the door today. Fortunately I already have a sweet photo by @joncarrollphotography that's perfect for day 5. 💕

[jacquelinebayley]

Day 4 of #WakeUpAndYoga ☀️ This one makes me uncomfortable. Directions: stare at yourself in the mirror and, ignoring your perceived flaws, give yourself a compliment out loud. Snap a selfie through the mirror and post your compliment. Uhhhh.....😳😳😳 I contemplated skipping today. Or making my own rules. But why? Because I judge myself harder than anyone I know. And my fearful side was talking...again. But this quote comes to mind, "You as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection."- Buddha. That's exactly what I'm encouraging my students to feel in my classes. 🙌 It's time to do the same! So here goes!! 😯 "Jaci, I love you for being passionate, energetic, loving, and emotional. I love you for your determination - you make anything happen that you set your mind to. I'm proud of you for your drive, your big heart, and your willingness to dream." Yikes!😛 #growth #facingfears #fear #love #selflove #unique #yoga #acceptance #believeinyourself #befree #believe #dream #positivity #breathe #journey

[jacquelinebayley]

Day 2 of #WakeUpAndYoga ☀️ Breakfast with a side of yoga: this is the breakfast I've been eating every morning, but this time I gave myself time to eat slowly. I also finally ate outside on my bistro set, something I haven't done since I got the set. I'm thankful for this challenge, reminding me to slow down, change my morning routines, and count my blessings. "Nothing, in all of the Universe is more delicious than to be in this physical body allowing the fullness that is you to be present in the moment."

[jacquelinebayley]

Gooood morningggg! ☀️ Day 2 of #WakeUpAndYoga: Bed-asana! Today is Tuesday, the busiest of work days. I gave myself time this morning to sleepily stretch while repeating of my mantra - I'm ready to be awesome. ☺️Have a great day!

[jacquelinebayley]

Good morning! ☀️ I'm participating in #WakeUpAndYoga for the next 6 days! Day 1: morning mantra. For me this saying means that each moment is important, even the ones we perceive badly. Those are the times where we can learn the most and sometimes they knock us down just enough to clear our minds and point us in the right direction. Every moment is happening FOR you. It's a reminder to slow down, breathe, cherish the moment, and •trust• #mantra #affirmation #yoga #inspiration #positivity #trust

[jacquelinebayley]

Breathe, breathe in the air Set your intensions Dream with care Tomorrow's a new day for everyone A brand new moon and brand new sun

[jacquelinebayley]

Breathe, breathe in the air Set your intensions Dream with care Tomorrow's a new day for everyone A brand new moon and brand new sun

[jacquelinebayley]

Heart is skipping! Today I auditioned with @dc_lee84 and @christinestc to teach the next level of #poweryoga at @corepoweryoga - couldn't be prouder of my #yogifamily. Nailed it. Gosh it's been quite a journey together. Dah! Guess that means I'm ready to break outside of my comfort zone even further and start choreographing my own flows! Eeeee! :) This mantra becoming even more central in my life: ~Life happens •F•O•R• you~

[jacquelinebayley]

Birthday smiles!!! 😊Thank you all for making me feel so special today!! I'm SO grateful. Gosh I'm one lucky girl. I decided not to focus on getting one year older, but to think of all the blessings and memories that each year brings. And my goodness, I have more than I can count. #thankful #lucky #Hi #imaclown #halloween #bestholiday #happy

[jacquelinebayley]

Last night I found myself lying awake thinking about what my class theme will be. Then I realized that I was looking into the future too much, taking away from what I needed at the present moment the most. So today my theme is #presence. I haven't prepared a single quote or idea for tonight - I simply intend to be fully and completely present with my students, guiding them into the #hereandnow as best I can. Whatever comes out as #inspiration comes out - and hopefully I'll be present enough myself to sense what my class needs. 🙌 I'm really loving this whole teaching thing! Even though my mission is to inspire others, I'm finding that my students are inspiring me more than I could have imagined. Plus I get to take really angelic looking photos. 😛 📷 credit: @joncarrollphotography

[jacquelinebayley]

Growth

I'm working on accepting challenges whole heartedly...on stepping outside of my comfort zone more often, yet being easy on myself when I don't quite meet my own expectations. Life is about finding a balance of growth and acceptance. Yesterday I went to a sculpt class at my yoga studio, which I normally avoid like the plague. But I'm working on finding new layers of growth, not only in my physical body, but also in my mind. I knew it would be challenging, but MY GOODNESS I almost died. I took SO many breaks throughout class. I did my best but my body just isn't in it's prime right now, sitting behind a desk 50-60 hours a week. As a former professional volleyball player, taking so many breaks could be potentially devistating mentally. But instead of getting down on myself, I'm choosing to feel inspired by the class. I'm going to go more often and watch my growth. I can't wait for the next hard class where I can take my body to the edge and watch the transformation, not only physically but mentally. With a strong body comes a strong mind! I'm choosing to accept where I'm at, but to work towards improving. I'm taking the concept off my mat as well and am letting yoga transform me in my everyday life. Next goal: look for an opportunity at work to practice public speaking. Eek!

[jacquelinebayley]

I Did Enough Yoga to Hate Myself - YOGANONYMOUS

I thought yoga was going to be all fun and games. I followed a cute chick into a classroom one day because she smiled at me. I know I had other plans for the day, but I’ve always reserved the …

[artemisiasea]

Do you worry about the future often? ~~~ Instead of putting our energy into worrying about the future, why not dream of a future with a creative mindset to picture what we want it to be like? Why worry when we can use positive thought and affirmation to inspire us and support our ultimate dream?

[theyogamentor]

Photo

[jacquelinebayley]

Disappointment

I've been noticing that I tend to get disappointed easily. Disappointed in others, in situations, or in myself when I don't perform the way I imagined I would. It comes from habitual thoughts: I don't even realize I'm doing it until my emotions respond to those pesky negative thoughts.

So here's the epiphany I'm having right now as I write this, feeling at this moment slightly disappointed: I'm letting myself get down because I'm not consciously watching my thoughts. I'm living from habit rather than intention. I have to make a constant effort to switch it around. But I'm up for the challenge! Because happiness is a choice. It's a practice we cultivate - let's change our habits through choice. Starting right now......

Had a photo shoot with Jon Carroll Photography this morning! I set an intention for myself to calm the nerves! It turned out to be an amazing morning with them!! So glad I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and do the shoot. Thank you to Jon and Dani - two sweet, talented souls. Photos coming soon!