Treading Water
It has been a while since I wrote my blog, but here I am. Sharing my musings towards the end of the year as I wind down for Christmas and sending all those who have supported me a special thank you.
The phrase 'treading water' comes to mind for many reasons. Obviously if we are unlucky enough to find ourselves suddenly and unexpectedly immersed in body of water we 'tread water' to literally keep ourselves from sinking. This is how I have felt since I decided to increase my teaching and expand my business at the beginning of 2020.
March 2020 - Splash! The pandemic plunged everyone into icy and uncharted waters. I tried to adapt, to keep growing my business, to find innovative ways of working using 'outdoor yoga', 'online yoga', 'on demand yoga', 'Facebook live yoga'. I felt I was frantically swimming trying to make progress in some direction whilst the cold undertow had other ideas, and more established yoga businesses took the lion's share of work in the pandemic. Alongside this I started my yoga therapy qualification (equivalent of a Masters) in March 2020 and we were the first cohort to study online. I realised I couldn't handle the combination of the pandemic, studying for a masters, and growing a business so I began to tread water with my business to just survive, letting go of lost opportunities and clients. However, treading water is not idle, or lazy or unambitious as some might think, it is tiring and it is a survival tactic.
Fast forward to 2021 - it's a long time to have been treading water. However, what I have learnt from my new hobby 'cold water swimming' is that swimming faster only makes you colder. So it seems treading water may not have been a bad option. Alongside the pandemic 'life' went on. I lost a family member, I gained a nephew, I dealt with personal issues and managed my mental health as best I could, I explored my faith and vocation, I passed exams, I swam in the sea and a local lake a lot...
...I let go of some opportunities that weren't serving me, I started some volunteer work reading to school children, I met new people online and offline who I am grateful for, I presented at conferences, I taught classes and one to ones in all formats and developed my skills as a yoga therapist and teacher, I ate far too many takeaways and chocolate bars and spent too long on social media, but I began to trust that I am exactly where I am meant to be at all times.
I feel as if the current has now brought me towards solid land and I can metaphorically feel my toes brushing the sea bed and the certainty it provides. So this is a note of gratitude to all of you who have supported me financially and emotionally throughout the year. It is a heart felt thanks to all of you who have been there providing metaphorical life buoys, rafts, food, and water to keep my micro-business afloat in 2021. Thanks to you all I am able to keep helping people in my community look after their minds and bodies, through sharing the work I love - accessible and therapeutic yoga.