Today, I’m excited to fill you in on everything new in my life and business and what I’ve been up to lately.
I’ve been experiencing a creative surge in the past months and I am so excited to share the new offerings I’ve created for you. I’ve launched a new meditation app (But First, Exhale), opened up 1:1 coaching spaces, re-branded my website, published a new free alignment resource, and revamped my newsletter. (As part of this update, I’m starting a new “Ask Me Anything” section. Send me a question here!)
On the personal side of things, I’ve been growing, traveling, listening inward, and releasing stuck energy. These experiences have led me to some deep learnings and realizations in the past months — from bowling bumpers to a simple question that flipped everything on its head. Read on for some of this wisdom, from my inner voice to yours.
When you first went bowling, maybe at a birthday party or a school event, do you remember the big foam bumpers they used to put in the lane’s gutters? They look like huge pool noodles and they signal to the whole bowling alley who is brand new to the game. At first, bumpers are the reason a newbie can bowl at all. They save you from getting a dreaded “gutter ball” every round. But with time, you need them less and less. They make things less fun and exciting. Just like bowling bumpers, fear and worry dull your experience of life. We think we need them to keep us from falling into the gutter, but the ball can roll perfectly straight without them. When we live from the inner voice, it is like bowling without the bumpers. We don’t need the mind’s fear to keep us safe. And even if the ball does fall off the lane — it always comes back to us for another round.
My inner voice has also been giving me guidance on the concept of premeditating. Think of the term “premeditated murder”: meaning that someone has decided ahead of time that they were going to kill someone else. We do the same thing with our actions — premeditating on what we're going to eat for dinner, what’s on our To-Do Lists, or what someone will think of you. This mental work drains the life out of our days. When you notice yourself pre-meditating, invite yourself back to now. Rather than thinking of something that isn’t yet happening, come back to what you are experiencing here and now.
About five years ago I taught barre classes at a local studio. It was fun, but at the time, I worked 12 hours a day as an actuary and often felt stressed and anxious. This was a time in my life when I sought validation externally, and so after every class, I would be looking around the room, asking myself “Are they smiling? Did they like it? Do they like me?”. I remember scrolling through the ClassPass app to see what reviews people left. If they left a good review, I was high as a kite. If there was a bad review, I felt incredibly low.
Recently, my inner voice guided me to become a workout instructor again, something that is bringing me a lot of joy this time around. It’s been fun to come back to it and not feel such an intense fixation on what people are thinking. Although when I started, I did notice a little bit of the mind’s tendency to look around the room and ask “Are they liking it? What do I need to do?”. When I spot this, I am able to ask another question instead: “How can I just be in this experience and have fun for myself?” This has been an incredible flip of perspective, one that takes me back to a more inner focus, rather than looking for other people to confirm or validate the experience.
If you're looking for spiritual guided meditations for inner peace, emotional balance & intuitive clarity, the But First, Exhale app is here to support and guide you.
If a 7-day reset to get back into alignment feels like just what you need in these changing seasons, check out the 7 Days of Alignment Free Guide.
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Become What You Are by Alan Watts
7 simple daily practices to cultivate more alignment, inner peace and presence, starting today.
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