Women in Business: Angelina Love Yoga ~ Follow Your Bliss

10/09/2014 Angelina , business , entrepreneur , motivation , Small business , women in business , yoga 0 Comments

Beyond the sales figures, marketing and social media I think there is a holistic side to business. That side that says I'm doing this for the love of my craft, my enjoyment of doing it, for the happiness it brings me to teach others. We don't get to hear that enough in our highly competitive markets.

I have the pleasure to bring forth, one such woman, one who took that thing which sings to her and decided to make a life from it. Angelina is a yoga instructor currently living in Costa Rica with her husband and seven children. Over the years she has practiced various styles including Hatha, Vinyasa, Kundalini, Yin, Prenatal, and is currently practicing the Primary Series of the Ashtanga tradition.

Here is her story as it has unfolded:

I began my yoga journey fourteen years ago. I was pregnant with my third child and was looking for ways to improve my health and bring a little peace into my world. I was drawn to the introspective aspects of the practice and its holistic, compassionate approach to health and wellbeing. I wanted to explore who I was beyond all of the superficial ways in which I had defined myself up until then and was searching for a sense of purpose in my life. Prior to my decision to stay home and raise my children I worked for a large brokerage firm on Wall Street. Even though I enjoyed it in many ways, I knew that fast-paced lifestyle wasn’t for me. I wanted desperately to slow down and experience a richer quality of life. When I practiced yoga asana (postures), spent time in mediation, and made a habit of breathing consciously I found that slower pace from which I could meet each moment with patience and gratitude. I began to see opportunity all around me even in the most challenging of situations. So I stuck with it because I could see myself becoming a better person and I loved watching that transformation.




There is nothing I could share with as much heart, commitment, and sincerity as the thing I am most passionate about. This practice is something so deeply rooted in my heart that it is more than what I do, it’s who I am. I believe if you want to be happy and successful in this world you have to follow your nature. If you want to know what to do with your life, how you can be of service to others, you need only look at the things that bring you great joy and fulfillment because that is what we are all after. For me, that’s the tradition of yoga. I believe it holds the keys to many answers that people are looking for, proven methods which can help us all reach our highest potential. When I see this unfolding in my own life, I feel a great desire to share. In The Inner Tradition of Yoga, Michael Stone says, “Yoga is a practice of horizontal transcendence (you and me in relation to each other) rather than a vertical transcendence (my practice for my own freedom).” When I started this practice it was all about me. There’s nothing wrong with that, in fact, I believe that’s exactly what I needed at the time to become my own best friend and see the great value in my life. Once my cup was full I started thinking more from the perspective of service and how I could take what I’ve learned and offer it to others.


There is definitely a time commitment to the process of becoming a teacher and then teaching. I get up early every morning for my sadhana (personal spiritual practice) and in addition to that I spend time developing teaching skills and teaching. One of the things I’ve heard many times by experienced teachers is how easy it is to set aside your own practice when you begin to focus your energies on teaching. So I try to be mindful of that and make sure I hold a space for my own practice and make it a priority. Living in a house of nine people, and homeschooling seven children presents many time challenges on its own. I’ve had to find creative ways to make this a sustainable lifestyle. Practicing before everyone wakes up is ideal as the house is quiet and I can really be fully present, but that must be paired with an early bedtime or it catches up with me quickly. It’s always a process of tweaking as life is always changing, but when you want something badly enough you make it happen. I’m lucky to have the support of my family; they really stepped up to the plate and pitched in wherever necessary when I made the decision to become a teacher.


What I find most challenging is dealing with self-defeating inner dialog, because it can hold us back from giving our business all we’ve got. We are our own worst critics and I think this is a learned behaviour. I remember as a young child feeling so brave, smart, and beautiful and never once felt like I had to reserve those feelings for fear of how they might be received by others. Somewhere along the way we learn to stop thinking and speaking highly of ourselves. We brush up against the world around us to learn what’s socially acceptable and unfortunately what I see so often is that we aren’t encouraged to celebrate our greatness. It stems from the idea of separateness which leads us to comparison. If I abide in the truth that you are me and I am you, I can only rejoice when something wonderful happens to you and I will see your beauty as my own. I spend a lot of time journaling and writing out the picture of what it is I’m trying to create. It helps to go back to it in times when my inner dialog isn’t in alignment with my intention. 

I’ve always intended to use the internet as my main platform for teaching because of its ability to connect us all to a much larger audience. I live in a remote location on the Pacific coast in Costa Rica so it especially makes sense in my case if I want to stretch my arms out further than the local community. My goal for the future is to create a retreat centre here in Costa Rica where people from all over the world can come and experience a deeper connection with themselves as they slow down to the rhythms of nature. A place where others can come to rejuvenate as well as experience the creative synthesis that emerges through group settings. Defining my target market (those looking for what I have to offer) and finding ways to reach them by engaging them through rich media (videos, images, products, etc.) establishes a strong interactive online presence. This type of interaction creates a more personal connection with my target market than traditional marketing strategies.

I hope that I’m able to inspire and encourage my students to engage in the transformative possibilities through the tradition of yoga. I hope to successfully convey a spirit of unity and inclusiveness that is at the heart of this spiritual practice. I want my students and those who may simply be following via social media to feel like they can relate on some level to the common experiences we all find ourselves in and find practical methods of improving the quality of their lives and the lives of those they touch through conscious living. But the one thing I hope most of all is for them to feel loved.

 

Randy May DevOps Specialist | Agile Architect | Sr. Software Engineer Blaazin Software Consulting Inc. Since beginning his career in 1999, Randy has become a seasoned and accomplished professional in all areas of Software Development. He honed his development skills at several development organizations, and has embraced a focus on software quality and the speed of development. He has implemented processes and technologies at many software companies to reduce time-to-market, and improve overall quality. Email: randy.may@blaazinsoftware.com Website: www.blaazinsoftware.com