Over the past 6 issues of this newsletter, I have shared the necessary steps for you to birth a new women’s circle into the world. From brainstorming your creative ideas, to establishing a structure, to filling your circle with the ideal women and welcoming them into your space with heart wide open – we’ve covered a lot of ground!

And there are a few more powerful tips I want to share with you to help make your circle vital and strong as it finds its legs in the world. Here are 3 steps to take after your first meeting.

1. Nurture Yourself!

Like a new mama who has just given birth, after your first circle you may feel jubilant, grateful, and peaceful – or you may feel exhausted, drained and self-critical! It’s so important to be gentle with yourself and to give yourself room for all of the emotions that come up.

Plan in advance for lots of creature comforts when your first circle is over – have a yummy meal ready and nothing else pressing on your agenda. Plan to be with someone who is nurturing and can focus on your needs. Be sweet to yourself and acknowledge all you have done.

If this was your first time leading a circle, it may have been a really big step into your leadership, which can feel exposing and vulnerable. If so, plan to meet a friend afterwards – or better yet, have a friend participate in your circle and stick around to help you clean up and debrief afterwards.

2. Reflect

After your circle, set aside some time to review how the gathering unfolded, what worked and what didn’t – and take good notes. (We always think we’ll remember the important stuff, but get in the habit of keeping detailed notes and you’ll appreciate it later!)

Compare your plan with how the circle actually unfolded. Often we expect an activity will take a certain amount of time but in the moment, inspired by the Goddess, it may take more or less. Record the actual sequence and timing of activities, and it will be a more realistic guide for next time.

It’s not uncommon to feel a little let down or deflated afterwards – kind of a post-partum blues. Some of us become hyper-focused on the things we didn’t like or we may blame ourselves for something that went wrong. We can blow up in our mind one or two little things that didn’t go the way we wanted, completely dwarfing all the things that went well. A trusted friend can help you be more objective (especially if she was there).

It is also important to record what worked really well – which music got people on their feet, which activities really opened people up. These can serve as a springboard for designing future circles.

Create a file to store your reflection notes and your circle outline. It can be very helpful to keep good documentation of your circles.

3. Keep Building

After your first gathering, it’s important to keep momentum going so your circle sisters are excited to come back for the next meeting. Help them feel the value of the circle between meetings, reminding them of the connection and support that was so tangible when you were together.

You might send a follow-up email or “snail mail” note including a poem you read at the last gathering, or a journaling prompt. You could create a YouTube video with a brief reading or exercise for them to do, or provide a recipe for them to try. Think of what would be particularly meaningful for your women.

You may also need to start your invitation efforts again, to bring new women to the next gathering if yours is a new or growing circle. Return to the ideas I explained in part 5 of this series, “Invite and Enroll the Ideal Women,” and expand your reach.

Remember that people’s lives are very busy — if they didn’t come to your first circle, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not interested! You might send out another email invitation to your whole list including a photo from your first circle or feedback you’ve received. Re-post your flyer in public places, and include the details in your e-newsletter.

If you are still growing your circle, you might give those who came to the first meeting a “bring a friend for free” offer for the next gathering. The women who are already excited about your circle are often your best ambassadors. They can be the ideal way to reach more women who will relish the opportunity to connect.

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I hope this series of articles has been helpful for you in creating your powerful offering to the world. A women’s circle can establish a rare, deep connection between the members. We lift each other up, and help each other to feel supported and inspired. We bring new light into people’s lives.

Holding the space for such a meeting of the hearts is a profound service to humanity. I am grateful you have joined me on this exploration. May your circle be filled with joy, grace and the presence of the Goddess herself.

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Now that you have the outline for your first circle and you’ve enrolled the ideal women, you are almost ready to lift the veil! Here are some nitty-gritty details to ensure your circle will go smoothly and that the Goddess’s energy will flow unhindered.

Write a Checklist
In the days before your circle, create a checklist of EVERYTHING you will need to bring with you. Before you go to set up, check your list! We always think we’ll remember certain items, but it’s best to leave nothing to memory.

Be sure to include on your list:

• Your outline of your circle
• A clock
• Music equipment (MP3 player, speakers, any cords)
• Refreshments, if planned (including cups, napkins, serving utensils, dishcloth)
• Extra yoga mats

Create a Welcoming Space
First impressions are so important. You want your participants to feel welcomed from the moment they step onto the property! Make sure the pathway to your space is clearly marked or add signs if necessary.

In your room, make the environment as pleasing to the senses as possible. Play music that evokes the mood you want, and consider the scents in the room, using aromatherapy, incense or fresh flowers. Experiment with the available lighting in advance, bearing in mind what time of day your circle will be held (you may want to bring additional soft lighting).

It may help to set up a few yoga mats or other markers to indicate the seating arrangement you intend, so people will know where to set up their seats without asking. Consider if you need a plan for those not comfortable sitting on the ground.

Plan ahead so that you can set up the room and be ready for your guests to arrive without feeling rushed. Consider asking someone to help you set up, so you can be relaxed and receptive.

Keep Comfort in Mind
Learn in advance how to control the temperature in the room you are using, getting any necessary training on thermostats, fans, or windows. Your guests’ physical comfort will greatly affect their ability to be present during the circle.

Also know where the bathrooms are located (and check to make sure they’re clean and well-stocked!) so you can direct your participants.

Be Present in your Heart
Before your first guest arrives, take a moment to ground into your own heart. Send out your intention that each woman receive the community and support she is most needing in your sacred space.

As each woman arrives, welcome her personally. Introduce yourself to any newcomers, and take the time to introduce women to each other. If yours is a larger circle, identify an ambassador in advance to help with welcoming the women to the space.

When it’s time to start, invite everyone to come to the circle. Again take a moment to connect to your heart and the Divine, knowing She is holding the circle with you. Take several deep breaths, and let Her lead through you.

Throughout the circle, keep an eye on the time adjusting your outline as necessary. Some activities will take more time than you anticipate, and some will take less. Be ready to let the energy of the circle lead you, without sticking too rigidly to your plan.

End with Clarity
Before you close the circle, let everyone know when the next circle will be held and any other planning details. If you are offering an option to commit to a series of circles, explain these logistics and the price before the circle ends. Invite them to register and pay today after the circle, which will make them more committed to show up at the next one.

Be sure to close the circle on time. This is an important aspect of keeping a healthy container for your circle. You can invite people to linger afterwards (if that is an option), but also be clear about the needs of the space if there is another event after yours.

You may want to arrange in advance for a volunteer to help you clean up afterwards. If possible, be available to say goodbye to each woman. Again, this personal touch will make all the difference in creating a sense of connection and warmth so women will want to return again and again!

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In my last article, I helped you create an exciting outline for your first circle that features your unique gifts and inspirations. Now that you know what you are going to do in the circle, it’s time to draw in your ideal participants.

Name Your Circle
The first step to draw in your women is to create a delicious name! The title is the most important marketing element of any event, and your circle is no exception. Use juicy words that describe the benefits they will experience or the essence of why you’re creating the circle. A subtitle like “A Monthly Women’s Circle” can provide important clarity.

Plan your Invitation
There are two strategies to invite circle participants. The first is to hand-select a small group of women whom you know would love your circle and invite them individually. A second strategy is to throw the doors open and invite everyone you know and see who accepts! You can also combine these two strategies.

Strategy 1: Select a Small Group
Choose a small group of women and prepare an invitation email that includes the following critical elements:

a) The juicy benefits of your circle. Start with why you are creating this circle, the good feelings your circle sisters will experience in this gathering, how it will change their lives. Don’t jump into the logistics right away – focus on the results they will notice, what feelings they will experience during the circle, WHY they will love it.

b) The logistics. Include the date, time, and location of the circle, as well as future circle dates, and the cost. Include a brief description of the programmatic elements that will be part of every circle, such as movement, journaling and meditation.

If you are going to require a commitment from your participants, explain the parameters here. For example, you might say, “You are invited to visit the circle once to see if it is a good fit for you at the drop-in price of $45. After that, each woman is asked to commit for six months so that our circle relationships can grow over time.” Mention the price for six-month membership, pointing out the discount over the drop-in price.

c) A clear next step with a deadline. Tell your reader exactly what she needs to do to accept your invitation and BY WHEN. For example, “Please reply to this email by Friday if you would like to join me. Then send a check for $XX made out to me at this address to save your place.”

Strategy 2: Invite Everyone you Know
For this strategy, in addition to an email invitation you will need a flyer or postcard – something you can hand out or post in public places. Include the same three elements outlined above: the juicy benefits of the circle, the logistics, and the next step with a deadline.

One key element in the “invite everyone you know” strategy is to include in your invitation a maximum number of participants. Refer to this maximum to entice quick decisions: “The circle is limited to 12 women, so save your place before it fills up.”

It may work well for you to combine the two invitation strategies – start by inviting a select group of women and set an early deadline, see how many commit, and then open any remaining seats to your whole list.

Begin Inviting
Aim to send out your first invitations and start distributing flyers about 3-5 weeks before your first circle is scheduled.

Think of all the groups you are in that you can tell about your circle. Send your email invitation to your whole email list. Post your flyer at yoga studios, coffee shops or places where women congregate. Announce the circle at all of your yoga classes and have many copies of the flyer available to give out. Put an announcement on your webpage.

Send Reminder Invitations
About a week before your registration deadline, send out a reminder to those who have not yet responded and repeat the benefits, logistics and the next step with deadline. If relevant, update the number of seats remaining. A day before your deadline, send out a final reminder email.

Maintain Excitement
As women accept your invitation, promptly reply to each confirming their attendance. Express your excitement about the event, and you might give them a journaling question or a relevant inspirational poem to consider before the circle meets.

A few days before the first circle, send a confirmation email repeating the logistics and advising your participants what to bring (for example, a yoga mat, water, journal and pen, restorative bolster, special symbol for the altar, etc.).

Remember at each step along the way to invite in the Goddess! Let her presence fill you with excitement and radiance that will bubble over into your invitations – be clear on the incredible gift this circle will be in the lives of the right women, and ask the Goddess for assistance drawing them in.

In my next article, we’ll explore all the important details to actually lead your first circle with grace, confidence and joy!

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In my previous article in this series, I encouraged you to let your mind run free as you brainstormed all of the possible elements and activities you could bring into your circle. I hope you enjoyed stoking your creativity and uncovering some unexpected ideas!

Now is the time to narrow in on the specific elements you want to incorporate in your first circle. While you can include some different elements in different circles, it is good to have some consistency from meeting to meeting to create a sense of continuity and ritual.

After your brainstorming, you may already have a clear sense of the most important elements to you – perhaps one or two really light you up when you imagine sharing them with your ideal participants. Maybe one element has emerged as a defining theme for your circle. If not, sit in quiet and open to the goddess’s wisdom and see which 2 or 3 elements rise to the top.

As you start to define your outline, remember the importance of creating emotional safety for your participants. In order for women to tap into their hearts and share deeply, they have to feel in their bones that this is a safe place to bring their true selves.

Some elements that create safety include personal introductions, giving a sense of what will occur, explaining logistics (location of bathrooms, ending time, etc.), permission to opt-out of any activities, and confidentiality. Consider what your women will need in order to feel your circle is a safe place for exploration.

Here are the elements that I include in every circle, along with a general sense of timing for each (this is based on a 2-hour circle ~ yours may be different):

1. Opening (15-25 minutes)

Cast the circle: Establishing a ritual opening can be a meaningful way to create sacred space. This can be simply lighting a candle or something more elaborate. You may include guided meditation, sound, a poem, Tibetan bells, safety guidelines (especially during the first circle, or when there are new women present), introductions/name greeting, check-ins from each woman, and naming the month’s theme.

2. Movement (40 minutes – 1 hour)

Engage with body and heart: You might incorporate free movement, shake your bones, sacred circle dance, spiral dance, yoga poses, partner poses, restorative poses, circle poses, or movement meditation. In my circles, this is usually the longest part.

3. Guided Meditation & Journaling (10-15 minutes)

Open and shift the mind: While movement loosens our bodies, guided meditation may loosen old patterns of thinking and allow new insights. Journaling gives a voice to new awarenesses that may arise. I like to give a focus for the guided meditation, which then leads directly into a journaling prompt.

4. Sharing (20-30 minutes)

Reflect and integrate: Sharing what they have received in the guided meditation and journaling (or any other circle activity) helps participants mine the depths of their experience and solidify what they will take away. Sharing also creates more intimate connections and forms deeper community. If the group is larger than ten, I may break them into partners or small groups for sharing; otherwise I tend to keep us in one group and either go around the circle to share or invite people to speak when so moved, “popcorn style.”

5. Ending (5-10 minutes)

Close the circle: You might close with a song, poem, theme words to consider in the month ahead, or a short ritual. Ritualized elements can be very comforting and create a sense of a shared bond.

As you identify the key signature components you want to include in your circle, remember that you don’t actually need a lot of elements – simple is often better and gives more time for people to deepen into their experience.

I usually prepare several extra activities knowing that I will not get to them all. As the circle unfolds, I keep an eye on the clock and let go of the activities that don’t fit – I can always use them in a future circle. Leading a circle is the perfect opportunity to invite in divine guidance and be ready to adjust accordingly.

After you have firmed up your first circle outline, you are ready to invite in your ideal participants! Stay tuned….

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Now that you’ve defined the sacred intention for your circle and set the parameters of where to hold it, how frequently to meet, and who to invite, it’s time to throw the doors open to the inspiration of the Goddess.

What are the elements you’d like to include that will make up each circle? Let your mind run free, and open yourself to many possibilities.

If you’re contemplating starting a circle, most likely you have many skills you can bring to your leadership. Don’t underestimate your potential!

You may have expertise as a yoga teacher in leading yoga poses, guided visualization, chanting, and/or meditation. You might have other relevant experience, such as training in coaching, journal writing, sacred dance, spiritual direction, art therapy, massage, mythology, story telling, music making, gemstones, Ayurveda, the 5 elements, puja and ritual, wicca and seasonal ceremonies, non-violent communication, public speaking, transformational learning, women’s spirituality, or more!

You name it ~ each of these skills can enhance your circle, and makes the experience you offer uniquely yours.

The Goddess is wide and wild, and she loves your circles to have a good dose of basic elements (like movement, sharing, and simple ritual), and always some new, playful ones!

There is no one right way to lead a circle, and there is no one standard formula for what must be included. In a future issue, I’ll tell you the elements I include in mine (and the time allotment I give to each) but for now, let’s throw the doors open wide to what YOU want to include.

Start by gathering the resources you have to bring to the circle. This is like an inventory of your assets. I gather the hands-on materials that would make a circle fun, and also brainstorm the internal assets (such as yoga poses I know, group exercises I know how to lead) I can bring to the circle.

So first 1) Gather physical materials, then 2) Take out a piece of paper and make a list of additional ideas for what you might integrate into your circle.

Materials and ideas to gather:

• Favorite poems

• Centering meditation themes

• Bells, candles, heart crystals, or other items to place at the center of the circle

• Simple but unique ways to have participants greet each other in the circle

• Simple ritual from puja, yoga, Ayurveda, lunar, seasonal, or Goddess wisdom

• Free movement exercises

• Sacred circle dances

• Spiral dance

• Yoga poses that work well in a circle

• Yoga poses for a deeper inward journey

• Partner poses

• Group poses

• Art exercises

• Partner sharing exercises

• Whole group sharing exercises

• Simple stories or myths to tell

• Guided visualizations

• Journaling questions

• Tarot, angel, or animal wisdom cards

• Specific tracks of music (or instruments) for the circle

• Simple songs that are easy to teach and learn

Believe it or not, you need a lot LESS than you may think to start your circle. Although I’ve listed 21 possible elements, you can lead an excellent circle with just 4 or 5 of the above elements!

So don’t worry if you don’t have all of them. Just work with what you already know how to do, and only add 1 or 2 new elements into your circle.

Also, believe it or not, simpler is better in a circle. What matters most is time to integrate and digest, time to share, and time to connect with each other. So you don’t need long, complicated stories, visualizations, or movement; just the basics can go a long way.

See you in the next issue!

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This is the second in a series of seven articles on starting a women’s circle. In the previous newsletter, I wrote about Step 1: Setting Your Sacred Intention. I shared reasons to start a circle and gave journaling questions for you to consider as you explore your greatest desires and motivations for starting a circle.

In this article, we will cover Step 2: Envisioning Parameters. Future issues will cover resources you will need, planning your circle, marketing and filling it, leading the first circle, and more.

Once you’ve set your sacred purpose and are allowing the Goddess to hold it with you, the next step is to get clear on the kind of circle you’d like to lead, and specify parameters that will build your circle’s integrity.

I always recommend starting with who you’d most like to invite, because often this will lead into other details such as times, cost, and the level of commitment you’re going to want from the circle.

Who You’d Most Like to Invite: You can probably think of several of your current students and other contacts who you know would LOVE to be in a women’s yoga circle (and whom you would love to include). Write down their names, and envision them saying “Yes!” to you when you invite them later. (We’re not quite at that step yet!)

While you are likely to invite many more than this small group, having an initial core in mind helps with every step of the planning process.

Size of Circle: What is the ideal number of women you would like to include in your circle? Most new circle leaders are happy starting with a group size under 20, or even under 13. Sharing our voices is a key element of the circle, so when the group is over 12 or so, it becomes necessary to vary activities to include both whole group and small group time. With a smaller group it’s possible to stay in one circle the entire time, which is a little easier on a new leader. Groups under 6 may not have the energy and diversity of group experiences to create a viable energy to sustain the circle.

Location: It’s so important to have an inspiring and sacred location. Privacy is important, as is having enough space for the number of women you’d like to invite. You’ll need enough room for yoga poses, circle dance, and free movement. Make sure the bathrooms are clean and convenient, and check with the owner about any food restrictions if you’d like to include food. I prefer a space with a low pile carpet to wood floor, as the carpet provides a calming influence. Make sure the lights can be dimmed. For me an ideal space has a womb-like feeling.

Meeting frequency, timing, and length of time: Many women’s circles meet monthly, and this comes from the ancient tradition of gathering on the Full Moon. Even today in India, many festival days are timed to coincide with the Full Moon. Timing a circle on the Full Moon is difficult in our culture, so I find that once a month on a fixed day of the week works well.

While some circles may meet weekly (equivalent to every quarter-moon in ancient times), I find that monthly is about right for most groups today. Meeting less frequently makes it hard to maintain the intimacy the group needs.

For me, 2 hours has proven to be a good length of time for a monthly circle, and I held my mine on Sunday evenings. I find that evening is an excellent time, as the Sun has set, and the stars and Moon become dominant, making this an excellent time for stories of the Goddess and communing with intuition and the powers of dreaming.

Content: What do you want to teach in your circle? Do you love art and is this something you’d like to include? Are you a storyteller who would love to weave in stories of the Goddess? Or are journaling and writing your favorite part, and you know you want to emphasize these?

I have found in my women’s yoga circles that participants always want yoga asana, so yoga movement accompanied by meditation, visualization, poetry, and chanting in many ways forms the mainstay of my circles. I add in sacred dance, journaling, and sharing, all of which help the experience to go deeper than a standard yoga class, giving participants that extra boost of soul nourishment they so long for. You may have different things you’d like to emphasize.

Pricing and Commitment: This is a sticky one for many teachers. Some I know would rather lead their circles by donation. I did this for several years, and what I found was that women told me how much they loved the circle, but weren’t committed! (And this showed in their attendance.) Later when I started a different circle, I required a 6-month commitment and charged based on this commitment. I found that the level of engagement and connection in the circle changed massively.

Once women knew that participation required a serious commitment, they took getting to know each other more seriously, and really began to form bonds of support among each other. My willingness to charge for the circle and require a commitment vastly improved the quality of the circle. My recommendation now is to have a drop-in price, but after one visit, to require women to commit for a minimum of 6 sessions. Whatever you choose, be clear in communicating your parameters to your participants.

Clarifying Your Vision

The parameters and structure you choose allow your circle to be strong and stable. Take a few moments to journal about your vision for your circle:

• In your mind’s eye, who do you see gathered in your circle? What is the ideal number to satisfy the intentions of your circle?

• Imagine the perfect space to hold your circle – what elements are present? Is it bright and airy with a panoramic view? Or comforting and quiet, like a cave? Do you need certain props? Let yourself get specific in your imagining!

• What time of day creates the mood you want to invoke? Or do your ideal participants require a certain timing?

• What content do you want to explore? What activities or elements are important to include? Is there a theme you want to weave through each meeting?

• What commitment level feels intuitively right for you? What income do you need to break even (consider room rental, supplies, food or drink, other expenses)? How much profit do you wish or need to make?

With clear parameters, your circle is empowered to take root and thrive. Deciding on these elements starts to create firm structure, which allows you to invite people with greater intention and power.

Keep your eyes out for the next article in this series, Step 3: Gather Juicy Resources

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Offering Women’s Yoga Circles is perhaps the most transformative and profound activity I’ve done in my journey as a yoga teacher. I know many of you want to teach circles as well.

For several years I lead what I called Women’s Wisdom and Yoga Circles. Later I changed the name to Blissful Goddess Circles™, (the participants really loved that name :-). Such circles still form the basis of all my work, including workshops, retreats, and even online small-group programs.

Whatever you decide to name your circle, and whether you choose to run it as a separate, monthly group or an integral part of your teaching, I highly recommend circles to you!

This is the first in a series of seven articles on leading women’s yoga circles. In this issue, I’ll discuss the value of such a circle and offer questions to help you envision the circle you’d like to start yourself. Getting clear on your intention provides the foundation for every decision you’ll make going forward. Subsequent articles will cover specific steps to prepare for and lead your circle.

Why start a women’s yoga circle?

• Leading a circle is tremendously fulfilling. You will get to go deeper with your best students, the ones most committed to growth and transformation.

• A women’s circle meets a deep longing to be seen and to see. It validates us as women, and helps us connect with what is most beautiful in ourselves ~ with wisdom and compassion.

• Women have met in circles over millennia as a way of invoking the Divine Feminine. The 64 yogini temples were the only temples in India built in a circle. As one of my circle participants said, “meeting with women in this way connects me with something ancient and female.” This grounds and settles us in our being.

• The actual geometric form of a circle, where everyone is equidistant from the center, leads to honoring all voices. Circles are especially healing for women, who have often had the experience of devaluing our own worth, or having been devalued by others. Circles empower us, inspiring joyful self-appreciation and self-awareness.

• As Thich Naht Hanh has said, “Community will be the guru of the future.” Circles provide community in which to come to know our own truth, and to gain clarity on important questions and actions in our lives.

• It’s fun! Dancing, circling, journaling, and listening to stories are truly delightful. What a great context to integrate with yoga asana. I promise you will go home in a better mood than when you arrived.

• You will learn so much about yourself as a woman. I am always amazed by the gems of wisdom offered through the stories of other women’s lives.

• It’s financially smart. As a yoga teacher, it makes sense to add an additional service and stream of revenue. The circle may also attract new students who will then attend your other offerings.

• To expand on the above, a circle will nourish the rest of your teaching. Your circle sisters will fall even more in love with yoga and your teaching, and will become those most likely to attend your other workshops and retreats. (And they will probably bring their friends!)

• You’ll be making a profound contribution to the healing and evolution of the planet. A circle provides the alchemical framework for deep transformation that births light and love into the world. What a service to offer!

Setting Your Intention For Your Own Circle

Spend some time journaling about YOUR reasons for wanting to start a circle:

• What is moving and stirring inside of you?

• What has been your experience with past circles? How have they touched your heart and helped you grow?

• What is the form, size, setting, or location of the circle you are envisioning, and how do you want to feel leading it?

• What is the transformation that participants are receiving from this circle? How do they feel being a part of it?

• How would you like this circle to blend with and enhance the rest of your teaching?

Now sit back and allow your intention to settle in your being. Invite the power of the Goddess to come and be with you. Light a candle in your heart, and feel the Goddess holding your sacred intention with you, guiding and protecting it.

May your intention come to fruition for the benefit of all beings!

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One of the most popular articles I wrote last year was on Expertitis ~ and how to recover from it. Over the past year, I’ve continued to watch how this shows up for yoga teachers ~ both newer teachers and those with many years experience.

Expertitis is the self-doubt that comes from being exposed to too many experts, and not enough time connecting with and affirming one’s own voice. I find that many yoga teachers end up comparing themselves to the experts, and then judging themselves as not good enough. Especially as women, we are so prone to doubting ourselves. This is an area worth examining again and again.

Here’s how expertitis can show up… (And believe me, what comes next isn’t an exhaustive list. There are so many more forms!)

In newer teachers it can look like anxious nail-biting ~ you wonder if you even really know enough to help your students. When you don’t trust your own experience and how yoga has helped you in your own body, it can feel like there’s nothing to teach.

In experienced teachers, it can show up as playing it safe ~ only teaching exactly the way you were taught, or staying too tightly within your comfort zone. This means you’re afraid to claim your own space as an expert on your life, your body, your yoga!

It can show up as confusion about next steps and future programs to offer, because when you subtly devalue yourself, it’s hard to get clear on the potential power you have within.

It can show up as fear of taking a leap, or fear of letting go of a class or program that’s been working for a while, but has grown stale and outdated.

Yes, there IS a lot to know about Yoga. And yes, there ARE experts who have spent their whole lives studying it. How wonderful that we have them as resources — through the books they write, the speeches they give, texts they translate, YouTube, teleseminars, and in-person training and workshops. It’s truly revolutionary that this information is available to so many today.

But ultimately, Yoga isn’t in somebody else’s head. It’s in YOUR body. It’s in YOUR connection with the cosmic source, universal intelligence and creative presence that is love and bliss itself. This is who YOU are!

Yoga is about becoming a rishii, a wise woman who can hear the thoughts of the cosmos. It’s about joy and vibratory power.

And ultimately, nobody else is the expert on you. Nobody else has lived the life you’ve lived, gone through the trials and challenges you have, or seen what you’ve seen. Nobody else has lived through your messes and learned to clean them up.

If you’re a teacher, all that you have to teach is your own lived experience, what you know to be true in your body-mind-heart. Yes, you can deepen that experience through training and study, but ultimately, if that training doesn’t increase your confidence in your own authentic voice, you will have no more to give your students than you had before you started!

To find your voice ~ whether a practitioner or a teacher, start by asking these questions:

• What are my passions?

• What healing have I experienced through Yoga?

• What do I know to be true?

• What authenticity of my body and life comes to me in meditation?

• How does my body feel when I practice?

• What words and inspirations arise for me when I speak about Yoga?

This is the scripture of your life, the texts you embody, the truth you know. This is the path to recovery from “expertitis!”

Let yourself rest in the truth that flows in and through you. Rest in a state of ease, knowing you have the support of the cosmos in every moment. This is a gift of deep repose and relaxation you give yourself, and a gift you give to all beings.

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We had a lot of fun one day omm-ing.  Here’s a short sound recording of us and our om’s.  Click here.

When you are true to your mission, its central core is steady, but the shape it takes will flow and change. The form of your work this year will not be the same as last year.

This is especially true for those of us committed to spiritual growth. Our lives present more transformational opportunities than most, and this is as it should be!

In order to grow and expand, we need to release the old. The process of letting go is often uncomfortable, so we may delay needed shifts. This can lead to resentment of activities which no longer serve our mission. Or we might become too busy, as we haven’t cleared space for new commitments.

Sometimes when we are not quick enough to let go, the universe will bring about the change for us, often in surprising ways! If so, relax and surrender. How can you flow with the inevitable change that is in front of you?

With practice, you can learn to anticipate needed changes before they are thrust upon you. Ask the following questions to determine what might need shifting in your life:

~ What activities no longer bring me bliss? Where do I experience resentment or resistance, and why?

~ Am I being guided to release the activity? What are the fears and doubts around releasing it?

~ Is this something I are being guided to stick with for now? If so, what responsibility do I have for the situation being uncomfortable, and what can I do to turn it around?

~ Am I clear that it’s time to let this go, even thought I’m sad about it? How can I be gentle with myself as I go through this transition?

Transition is not always easy, but we can learn to love ourselves in the midst of it. And as we release what no longer serves our mission, we will be able to dance with Kali, in the dance of universal bliss.

Join me ~ dance your true bliss with Kali!

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