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What does it look like when you are doing your best? How does it feel? What inspires you to do your best? Since the entire purpose of starting Your Best Yoga is to encourage everyone to simply do and be their best, I thought it may be fun to start a conversation about what that actually means and looks like. I asked some amazing women from the Yoga and Wellness community here in Winnipeg, as well as some of my international favourites, to help me start this conversation by sharing with me what it looks like for them when they are doing their best. I think you will find their words inspiring and motivating - I know I did! For me, I am doing my best when I am living in my truth, even if it is scary. I am my best when I am kind and compassionate with myself when I don't have it all figured out or when I fall out of a balancing posture in class. I feel my best when I see the best in others and reflect it back to them. I am inspired to be my best when I am surrounded with other people who are passionate about life and living it fully. I am my best when I try my best - even if that means that I try something that doesn't succeed, because to try at all is always best.
Here is what some of the amazing women I reached out to had to share...
"Doing my best means living a way that feels balanced and inspiring. Infusing plenty of play into my practice, whether it's on or off my yoga mat, and taking time to be quiet and marinate. Doing my best feels good in my body and puts my mind at ease."
- Mary Beth LaRue - Yoga teacher, life coach and writer based in California and co-founder of Rock Your Bliss
"To me, doing your best is the action of putting your whole self into a project, a conversation, a new opportunity or a relationship. When we show up all in, I am talking our darkness and light, owning all of our sh*t and all of our gifts, we grant ourselves (and others) the permission to truly be ourselves and give our best effort genuinely possible. A reminder: we don't always have all the answers or the skills or the athletic talent, what we do have is heart and willpower to connect, create, ask for help and contribute. If we operate from this space, for ourselves and through the lens which we see others, we can get up to some major magic, together."
- Jacki Carr - Goal Coach and co-founder of Rock Your Bliss
Instagram, Twitter: @jackicarr
Facebook: www.facebook.com/goalsontherocks
" I am doing my best when I am being as real as possible. When I realized my voice in the community was growing and starting to have an impact on people’s lives I made a promise to myself… to be real. For me its not about being the strongest, the most flexible, or having a big yoga following. Physical strength and flexibility come and go… same with yoga followers, which is good. I always tell my students if they want to keep growing they have to experience lots of teachers. Being real doesn’t come and go. I am doing my best when I stay true to who I am. It’s not about sharing what I think people want me to share. It’s about being myself. When I made that promise to myself to be real, that’s when I got the strongest response from the community. I don’t think it’s necessarily because of what I am saying, or teaching. I believe people are connecting with what I share because I’m just being myself. Keep Shining!"
- Samantha Squire - Samantha has a passion for many types of yoga, and different meditative practices. Recently Samantha started her own business, Om at me Bro Bootcamp here in Winnipeg. In the future Samantha plans to teach more meditative practices, but for now she wants to shake up the fitness community with Om at me Bro Bootcamp. She approaches fitness with the intention that when you do what you love the body that you want will come!
"Doing your best is giving yourself whole-heartedly to your passions while still knowing when enough is enough. Going beyond your best is a disservice to ourselves. Working hard while maintaining balance in our lives and relationships is what makes us soar."
- Kathryn Budig - International Yoga Teacher and Author
"Doing my best means showing up, for whatever the task may be, with patience, compassion and curiosity. It means pushing myself to do things before I feel "ready" or "perfect" enough. And at the end of the day, remembering to not take myself or whatever it is I’m doing too seriously…reminding myself to have fun, smile and laugh!"
- Sarah Colatruglio - Winnipeg based nutritionist and blogger
http://tuttalavita.ca/
Now it's your turn!! What does it look like when you do your best? Share with me in the comments below and you will be entered to win passes for you and a friend to come to a "Go with the Flow" class in November for Free! Also, like us on facebook and leave a comment there for another chance to be entered into the draw. I will be randomly selecting one winner on October 31st - Good Luck! And don't forget to sign up now for the beginner class that starts November 9th - tell your friends, parents, aunts, uncles, grandmas and grandpas if they have never done yoga before this is the class for them!
I would also like to extend the largest THANK YOU to all the amazing women who shared and contributed to this post. Very sincerely - Thank You.