Whispers of Success

I used to think in really crisp black and white views. I think we all do at times. I would look at what "success" meant and it often had an all or nothing view or at the very least numerical quantifiers. Whether it was the grade of a climbing route, how fast I biked, or how many miles I hiked there was always something related to a number.

When I began teaching yoga I am sure there were a few of those success parameters floating around in my head. How often I taught and how many students showed up were indicators of success. Yet, in the past few months a lot of that has faded away. I have found that success as a teacher comes more from how teaching makes me feel and how I interact with people. I have experienced milestones I had never even dreamed of.

• I have students bring me gifts. I would NEVER expect this and it's not about the material items. However, when I have brought gifts to my teachers they've been the ones who touched my life. It feels awesome to have that connection. 
• Along a similar vein I have students who have sent me emails, posted on my Facebook, and stayed after to talk to me. Whether or not they're sending compliments, sharing ideas, or inspiration that connection is, again, amazing. 
• I've been asked to collaborate with other teachers on workshops and projects. When you have exceptional peers and are asked to join them, wow, just wow. 
• I am still pumped up for my personal practice every day (okay ALMOST everyday). 

These emotional quantifiers have bee such a better way to measure my success. Tying into that which fuels my passion and makes my heart smile has pushed me further than any number on a scale. 

I am thinking about how I will plan my adventures for 2012. How these emotional indicators will play out in success as far as hiking, camping, climbing, cycling and racing goes in 2012. It's different, but it's the same. Maybe numbers do come into play throughout these activities...but that number will be the percentage of time I feel energized and how many times I smile throughout the day rather than what rating a climbing route is or how fast I can hike. 

Do you have emotional quantifiers for your life? If you don't, can you try? Where are you currently experience emotional indicators and how can that expand?

Leaping Cupcake!

They say time flies when you're having fun...which maybe why I haven't posted in a few weeks. I have been teaching so much, getting outdoors more and really contemplating how I will take everything to the next level in 2012.

I've been having a lot of dreams where I find myself in Hanumanasana, more commonly known as splits. This is not a pose that I am able to get into the full expression of during my waking life. Yet each time I have this dream I am showing someone that I can only go so far and then bam, I am there. So why is this significant?

Hanumanasana is named for a great leap taken by the Hindu deity Hanuman. This deity took the form of a monkey and was unaware of the great power he possessed. When called to remember his great power and strength he transformed, and grew and was able to leap from India to an Island in one move in order to save the kidnapped Sita. 

I have been hoping this will be the year that I go part-time at my day job and enable myself to teach more yoga and do more freelance work. I have a feeling my dreams might be trying to tell me it's going to be time to make the leap sooner than I think. 

Have you ever made a big leap? How did you know when you were ready?