The Big Bang!

In my life, I tend experience a multitude of weird coincidences. Maybe other people do too, I don’t know. But I like to think that mine are unique and meaningful!

Sometimes when I am at home and I am contemplating a decision, my kitchen light will automatically turn on (or the fan will automatically turn on). Now this may be the result of my faulty electrical work – seriously, it took me like 3 hours to install that damn ceiling fan – but sometimes, the timing of that light turning on just can not be ignored!

Then, when I was at the temple in Chiang Mai and I thought about everything I wanted out of my trip and everything I wanted from life, and that gong rang when I bowed to leave (with NO ONE around) …. come on…. that wasn’t nothing!

Finally, at the yoga retreat one night something really cool happened.

We were all laying on our yoga mats about to embark on a life dance journey….. stay with me people, I know this sounds weird!…. As we all laid there, Joel, the founder of Hariharalaya, spoke about how life is dance. Life is to be embraced with every moment enjoyed, not rushed through like a race (because we all know where the winner end up)..

Like my typical self, I was having a big conversation in my head about really seizing the moments in life. Finally, I looked up and said to the world (in my head) … All right, life – let’s f*cking dance!

At that EXACT moment, a HUGE gust of wind blew through the yoga studio. You can not tell me that was just a coincide, especially, when it did not happen again for the rest of the night! I even confirmed that this actually happened with Pam, who agreed she knew the exact moment I was talking about… the wind was real, people! It was real.

I’d be lying if I told you at that exact moment my life changed. Nothing happened later that evening other than I danced my sober ass off through the journey of life… man.. do I wish I had my camera for that. I have never danced so hard. I don’t think any of us had. Definitely, not sober.

ANYWAY, after that I was just doing a lot of thinking about what I wanted and why I was here. And one thing about Pam and I travelling together that has gotten, almost scary, is our ability to finish each others sentence without even knowing what the other person was going to say. We are constantly thinking the same thing!

So when Pam looked at me the night after we left the retreat, and said she thought she wanted to do her yoga teacher training at Anamaya, I freaked out. Well we both freaked out.

Can we? Should we? Could we? We were screaming at each other! We pulled up the website and started reading through everything getting more and more excited. We decided against all the reasons not to, particularly the fact that I can only do very limited push ups, we were going to do it anyway.

The website said Get ready to be in the best mental and physical shape of your life. Seriously, who can argue with that? I want that! We want that!

So we emailed them immediately to see if they still had space! While we waited to hear back, we travelled by mini bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh in Cambodia. For sure, we were the most annoying people talking non stop the entire trip about the teacher training and what it would do for both of us.

First of all, to clarify, neither of us have the desire to work in a yoga studio. I know a lot of you were thinking, you’re going to quit your job after 10 years of school and become a yogi? No, not at all. Instead of changing paths in life, we are going to make our own paths. Build our own way!

I mean seriously, I always say that I am a bird that shouldn’t be caged! So I couldn’t fit into the corporate box. I’ve decided I am going to build my own damn box!

Being a professional involves so much more than desk work, it involves being in the community and networking with other professionals. The trouble was, I hated traditional networking events… blah! There is nothing I hate more than going to some event where everyone is superficially talking to each other and exchanging business cards. To be honest, I usually only go for the free drinks and, almost always, forget my business cards.

Yoga will be something creative I can do in the community! It makes me more than an accountant (snooze-ville) and will allow me to meet people genuinely. Many of my clients are wineries! I would love to talk to them about doing events together. Yoga and wine? Can you get a better combination?

Also, desk work is poison to the soul. I genuinely believe that. I am here because I experienced that! But our office is located next to a gorgeous park. I want to start organizing yoga at lunch for the staff that I can lead. A way to get people out of their desk and out of their deadline filled minds. I love helping people. This lets me help people, but in a new way.

Pam also has HUGE plans for her patients. As a registered massage therapist, she will now be able to assist them with customized yoga programs that will take into consideration their current injuries.  It will be designed to strengthen weak areas while protecting them from new injuries. It’s brilliant!

When we arrived in Phnom Penh, we received confirmation they had room! All we needed to do, was complete some applications so they knew we were serious.

We poured our hearts out in those applications. We knew what we wanted. And we wanted this!

The next day, we waited anxiously for a reply.

Then in the middle of the night, on what turned out to be our 2 year friend’a’versary of knowing each other, we received confirmation that we were in!!

Talk about a sign.

This was happening. And this was going to change our lives!

Note – at the date of this video we have not quite practiced yoga everyday although we have had great intentions.  We have been busy being awesome around the world and will, hopefully, get into a routine very fast 😉