What do I DO all day long?

A lot of people wonder what it is I do all day long. I think it is a fair and great question! Although it is ever evolving, and I am currently experience some big changes – this is a bit of an overview of my daily life!

In the morning, I wake up to take out the puppy and feed him breakfast at 5:30 am. At the same time, I put away last nights dried dishes, clean little odds and ends, feed Digger, clean his litter box and check the house for things that may need to be done before the day actually begins.

I hop back into bed and check my email while snuggling with hubby & Apollo. This allows me to catch up on things and people who were emailing me at all hours of the night and get back to people as soon as is possible. Emails usually include things about Journey to Hope, volunteer prospects, yoga classes and family things.  This is the time when I begin brainstorming about blog posts and the classes I will teach.

At the moment, I am doing the 21 day Deepak Chopra meditation challenge and am trying to incorporate meditation into my morning routine as well.

When hubby’s alarm goes off, it is time for both of us to begin to get ready. We both shower and get ready individually and I typically continue cleaning and creating a list of things that need to be done by the end of the day. I also plan dinner in my head – potentially defrosting chicken or looking at what we have in the fridge.

Green smoothies, overnight oats, fruit, luna bars or toast are my breakfast of choice. The hubby doesn’t eat breakfast, so I try to make him a cup of chai or coffee – and by make, I mean over the stove in a saucepot the way his mom taught me! :)

Depending on the day, I will teach 1-5 classes. On my busy days, I hop right out of bed and don’t shower until mid-day or evening. At the moment, Wednesday is my busiest day so I make time for a nap on Wednesdays knowing full well that my body won’t make all 5 classes without rest in between.

In order to prepare for these classes, I write lesson plans in a small notebook I keep with me. It has little thoughts and ideas for classes. Sometimes I plan out a whole class with special sequences, meditations and more. Other times I will come up with a few ideas of poses I want to incorporate and go with the energy of the class itself.

Playlists are also important – so I spend some of my afternoons creating those as well.

In my daily life, no matter where I am working or what I am doing I believe making connections is so crucial. I stay in touch with my friends as best as I am able. One of my girlfriends and I are pen pals, another is a lunch date girlfriend, and many more are yoginis that encourage me to ATTEND class as well as teach.

When I get home I begin to make dinner. The hubby doesn’t like to eat anything other than dinner – so I make sure I create delicious, yummy and nutritious meals EVERY night. There are times when we will go on a date or (very rarely) order a pizza but typically I am in the kitchen with fresh ingredients making dinner every night of the week!

At the moment my life is in midst of yet another transition. I love my job, and couldn’t imagine doing anything different – but the universe has given me an opportunity that I know is right for this moment. I have been asked to go back into my old position with a company I love and worked for in graduate school. This week I am spending a lot more time on my mat. I have been transitioning others into teaching my daytime classes and am hand picking through my amazing list of volunteers to place folks in the best possible locations for Journey to Hope.

This transition is for the best, and I am thrilled to be going back into the world of 9-5. Scared? YES! Excited? YES! I will be able to create better classes, content and actually have more time for my own practice. I am also seriously researching a particular 500-hour RYT program at the moment!

This position will allow my personal life to become more stable and thus allow me to be a better yoga instructor. Journey to Hope is finally in a place where I feel I can transition into more of a director’s role. I hope to be able to continue teaching directly with our students, but at the moment this is right where I need to be.

I honestly and truly believe that everything happens for a reason. Yesterday while in class, I read a meditation from the exact date. Often times I research and look for great meditations. Yesterday I picked up Journey to the Heart and opened right to July 23^rd. It was a passage about fresh starts and change: the idea that even if something is scary, it can still be right. We need to set aside our ego and trust that the universe knows what it’s doing. I wasn’t looking for a job; one was extended to me. I think that’s a pretty clear sign from the universe: don’t cha think? :)

My life will now be transitioning into a 40-hour workweek (slowly), and I will continue to teach nights and weekends. I will also continue to run Journey to Hope while growing it to be the organization I dream of it becoming.

Life is full of adventure and opportunities. We just need to know which ones to grab and which to leave behind. It’s like the old proverb goes.... a man is in a flood and asks God for help. A boat arrives and the captain asks him to hop in. The man says: “no thank you, I’m waiting for God to send a sign.” The water gets higher and a helicopter comes. The pilot drops a line but that man says he’s waiting for God to rescue him. Eventually he drowns. When he gets to heaven he is angry with God for not saving him. God replies: “Son, I gave you a boat and a helicopter – what more could I have done to help?”

We need to open our eyes to the idea of change, challenge and choice. But we also need to open our eyes to the opportunities that are given to us by the universe. It is our choice as to whether or not to accept them.

So what is it that I do all day long?

Write. Drive. Work. Teach. Take classes. Lunch with friends. Laugh. Cook. Clean. Organize. Play. Write more. Laugh more. Cuddle. Work. Work. Work. Learn. Drive some more. Cuddle. Love. Laugh.

That’s what I do all day long – what do you do?

Get out there – do yoga & make life sparkle!
Namaste,

Jenny