Be. Look. Move.
When we start down a path of offering something to the world, my experience has taught me that
we are as ready as we need to be at that exact moment
the future is unpredictable
if it doesn’t challenge us, it doesn’t change us
nothing we do or have done is ever wasted
Yes, even the collective experience of the pandemic that has effected each human on this planet… it is for something.
With my fist raised, teeth bared and eyes cursing God, I have spent countless hours saying “Why?” I would get lost in the analysis of ‘why’ and, while entertaining to speculate, I’ve found it is not a productive question. So lately, I’ve started asking “what can I do with this?” or “what can I learn from this?”
Without a doubt, this pandemic has ripped the rug out from underneath all of us, especially boutique fitness studios, and ours, Power of Your Om, has not been spared. With the question of “what” in mind, I started to look back at my life since I became a responsible adult AKA -when my parents stopped paying for me to live.
This brings me back to 18 years ago when I graduated from college, bought my first car (a Honda Civic), got health insurance (not Cobra), rented an apartment (in Appleton, Wisconsin where a 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment cost $450), and got a “real” job.
It’s 2002, I landed a job in product development with the consumer products company, Kimberly-Clark (KC). I can still remember my first day. I met my manger, was assigned a desk, figured out how to set up an email and sat with my 20 oz bottle of diet coke staring at a computer in disbelief and lacking hope as I wondered,
“is this really what people do all day?”
“did I go to college for THIS?”
Clearly, I had high expectations for my first day on the job and somehow I decided to stick it out for 4 years. I began exposing myself to different parts of the business. I didn’t like where I was, but I knew where I wanted to go. So I started to set up meetings with people in the marketing research department to learn what I didn’t know and what I would need to know to get there. It took a few years but I moved into marketing research and found something I really loved, talking to consumers about their habits and behaviors.
It should also be noted that KC had an incredible health center with a 25 yard pool (where I first learned to freestyle swim), and group fitness classes, including yoga. So about 16 years ago, I started taking yoga classes twice a week.
Months and years went by and I found a hot yoga studio, Midwest Power Yoga, that rocked my world and ironically I began to realize I was not meant to live in northern Wisconsin anymore. I started interviewing everywhere and landed a job in Illinois, 45 minutes from my family.
I’ve learned not to have such high expectations about first days on the job, however, during my first week, my manager quit and traffic was hell. Nothing I could do about his career choice but I knew that I could avoid 25 minutes of driving by getting up at 5am, and going to the gym located in the same parking lot as my office. I will not be a victim to my circumstance.
Every night I set out my workout clothes, work clothes, shower gear and food. I would get up at 5am, make peanut butter toast and coffee, drive to the gym and workout till 7am, get ready for work while silently judging all the ladies who spent more time getting ready than exercising, arrive to work at 7:15am, leave at 4:30pm, workout again and drive home at 6:30pm to avoid traffic.
How did I get started in triathlons you wonder? My circumstances. I loved moving, I hated sitting. When I got bored (remember this is pre-kids), I’d turn on my space heater, roll out my yoga mat and throw on a yoga DVD. I knew Deborah Williamson’s Power Yoga DVD by heart.
The job itself was okay. What I did not love, however, were the scowls I got because I left the office after I was done with my work, which was earlier than most. I was not interested in climbing the corporate ladder by staying late to impress anyone.
“You are going home already?” I would hear often, as I waltzed out of the office at 4:30pm. I still remember the look I got and it was in that moment that I decided this life was not for me. I was earning a lot of money for a 27 year-old. I was so scared my parents would be livid with me quitting and not using my college degree. But was was stronger was the pull inside my soul that said, “this is not your purpose.”
Something captivated me about yoga and I found myself constantly looking online at the Teacher Training Bootcamp Baron Baptiste was holding. Deborah and the teachers at my Wisconsin yoga studio always talked about Baron. I thought they were the raddest humans I’d ever met, so the idea of a week long yoga-ass-kicking was right up my alley.
I want this. No excuses, justifications or reasons not to…So I signed up.
It’s been said that “the program starts when you sign up,” and it did. I couldn’t stand my job anymore and so I quit with a job as a consultant and a hopeful side hustle as a yoga teacher. I went to the teacher training and upon return the economy began taking a dump. Nobody had money to spend on marketing research and my dreams of a jet-setting qualitative research consultant making bank ended rather quickly.
I was high on life regardless and auditioned to teach yoga at a few studios. I was turned down before I got offered one class on Tuesdays at 5:30am at Lifetime Fitness, 30 minutes from my house. I was excited, so I said yes. I taught for a few months before not being excited anymore.
I kept getting in trouble for turning off the air conditioning, people complained that I didn’t play music, and nobody had respect for being on time or staying for the full class. It was annoying. That gig lasted about two months. I got just enough experience and guidance to realize what I didn’t want to do and also what I did want to do.
“Go look for space, Adrienne,” said my yoga mentor. And so I did. I didn’t know the first thing about running a business but I was excited about yoga, learning and creating a welcoming place for people to build community and feel good in our bodies. Everyone told me there was too much yoga available and I did it anyway.
My first class had 47 people in it. For 5 years I taught with passion, trained teachers and elevated those newly inspired by yoga, as leaders of their best life.
Upon visiting Santa Barbara ten years ago, I got lit up by the lifestyle, geography and the weather. Who doesn’t?
My yoga studio was my baby, but I had a souls calling to live at the beach. I didn’t know how we were going to make it but I needed to try.
So Jason and I moved and I ran the business from afar as I taught at a few studios in Santa Barbara. I heard the familiar whisper, “Go look for space” and with the help of my realtor, we found the spot for Power of Your Om 9 years ago.
And now here we are - almost 6 months into pandemic life where our physical yoga studio, among many others, cannot hold classes indoors. So, we created a new virtual business overnight. Because many people stepped up to teach, manage and keep their memberships and participation going, we are able to cover our expenses and survive.
Someone said to me just yesterday that “We set troubled humans on a path towards facing and dealing with the shit that life brings.” He also told me that we’re damn good at it. I’ve been down on myself a bit lately, but I believe him.
When I run into you and others around town, the first question is “how’s the studio?” That question is not easy to answer in our brief moments together, especially with our facial coverings muffling our conversations. The thing I want to say is, “I wasn’t born just to survive,” but this is a much longer conversation.
I took two months off so that I could get reconnected with my purpose and our purpose as a business in this community. I was sinking mentally and emotionally and didn’t know what to do next. At this point in time, I had stopped practicing yoga for a month after going strong with virtual classes for 2.5 months. I didn’t recognize the person I was becoming. Ugh. It sucked.
Now, I’m starting to see the forest through the trees and reemerge from my sink hole. Thank you God!
For as long as I can remember, yoga has been my true north. It introduced me to who I can be when I remove what’s not needed. It showed me my programming, where I get derailed, how I get derailed, and how to bring me back to center. It showed me how much I love to move and who I can be for the world when I serve myself fully.
I love the physical practice. I love a hot, sweaty, challenging yoga class and I’ve learned to appreciate the deep opening and release of a chill class. Yoga has kept me strong, centered and injury-free when I trained 30 hours a week for triathlons. It has created ease and freedom in my back and shoulders when I’ve taken on too much responsibility. It has healed my aches and pains when I’ve overdone workouts and it has allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief after extended periods of time sitting at my computer or driving. It reveals how anger and resentment reak havoc in my body and my relationships. It taught me how to allow for my emotions when I dealt with the loss of my parents and miscarrying.
Yoga has brought me the awareness to stay when I want to run. I’ve never done anything for more than 5 years until recently - not a business, not a marriage, not living in one city. Between 4 and 5, I’ve always left.
Yoga has directed me to be of service and live a life I love, for love, regardless of circumstance.
I believe that my purpose is to use powerful conversations, stories and honest sharing combined with physical movement to create freedom for everyone to live their best life.
When I look back over these 16 years, I’ve only participated in the daily asana practice a handful of times for any stretch of time. I practice living yoga off of the yoga mat wherever I go - up Gibraltar, swimming in the ocean, doing HIIT workouts, what I intake (news, social media, food, conversations) and more importantly, taking action for my mental health, my relationships and parenting my daughter.
So, if you’ve taken a break from the yoga mat… you are not alone. I do it more than I’d like to admit…but I always come back. I am a disciplined and obedient student of yoga. Staying in the practice of yoga and looking back has taught me to keep at it…because the best is yet to come.
I’ve created a new system that seems to work no matter where we are.
Be where you are - Own it all, especially the mess.
Look where you want to go - You may not be there yet, but seek a future you want to live into.
Move into Action - Get moving by taking the next best step
Repeat Steps 1-3 as needed.
I’m following my own system and I’d love for you to join me in trying this on. It creates the possibility of freedom no matter what.
During this time away, I’m seeing that it’s time to make some changes and I want to invite you all into our created future with us.
Over the next few weeks, you will receive notifications of some changes to the class schedule, including new locations and additional workouts, process for registering for classes, program offerings and digital classes and challenges available. I will be running the day-to-day operations, teaching and planning our long term strategy and vision.
Join me in the practice of yoga, from wherever you are right now.
Please send all Power of Your Om correspondence to me at: adrienne@powerofyourom.com