Compassion in the Chaos

I have always been a seeker.  Getting into anything and everything.  I was Type A.  I worked hard and I played hard with high expectations of myself.  When I really found yoga (had done several times in college, but wasn’t ready for all it had to offer) I was running marathons and living in Austin, TX working in a high stress job as an Apartment Property Manager for luxury downtown lease up communities.  Before yoga, I ran hard and long distances to clear my head from all the stress from my job.

Originally, I came to yoga because I had heard so much about it and was curious AND I was running marathons and knew that I needed to stretch more.  I was ready for less stress and more balance in my life.  I also was seeking a more healthy community. I was a gymnast in my younger years, so the physical practice and poses attracted me.

I immediately loved the practice (Vinyasa and Hatha initially) and the way it made me feel.  I also loved the community of like-minded individuals and the way the practice naturally stayed with me off the mat and inspired self inquiry, healthier habits, mindful living, and more balance in work and life.

Yoga has been with me through 20+ years and I have learned so much about myself.  The practice has evolved and transformed with me through two pregnancies, parenthood, injury, loss/grief, aging/perimenopause, etc. There is so much depth and vastness to the practice that it has stayed interesting and exciting, both to learn and share with others. The more I learn, the more  I know AND the more I realize how little I know AND the more I want to learn and share more :)  My personal practice style and intensity has ebbed and flowed with the seasons of my life, but some movement and breath practice has always remained a constant helping me to ground in body, reconnect to heart, to soften, to feel, and to listen.

After 20 years of yoga, life is very busy with 2 wild boys, but it is definitely more grounded and balanced with my yoga practice.  Life is more mindful and intentional. I have the ability to drop into body and heart - to reconnect and check in with myself, to listen, and breathe. I have tools for mindfulness, nervous system regulation, and a better ability to see myself (and others) and my patterns with compassion.  That being said, my life is still chaos and drama with my boys often and I yearn for less doing, less mess, and more quiet….someday. ~Kristen Albert