Unfunk with focus

Hey There,

Over the weekend we celebrated 6 years as a yoga studio.

The number 6  feels odd. Sometimes it feels like we have been doing this for 60 years, and other times it feels like 6 days.

 

In these 6 years, however, we have learned some things... well, at least 6 things.

I would love to share some of the learnings with you below, in no particular order of course 

Focus will unfunk us

I used to think that I was really good at multitasking, and then I came to the realization that multitasking was just moving from one task to the next and then back again. Useful as a mumma but not useful when trying to grow this business.

Focus has improved a lot in the past couple of years thanks to junk journaling, less social media, and more reading of actual paper pages.

Consistency is key for you to trust us as a studio for your own well-being, and when we stay focused, we can deliver that consistency to you.

Resting rocks

The Pita in me is constantly battling with this one. The nervous system can only handle so much hustle, no matter how much tapas and coffee I have within me.

When we take a moment to just be as we are, ideally with something that fills our cup rather than depletes it (for me at the moment that's hanging in my backyard and pretending to lose to a race with my daughter while roller-skating), we then present as our best selves when it is time for action.

Trust the gut

If something or someone starts to give you red flags, know that this is possibly your instance trying to tell you "Hey, this thing.. it's not aligning".

I have ignored this feeling in the past and it has not served me.

If something doesn't feel right, even though logically everything seems to make sense, or it's just what everyone else is doing, or because you don't want to disappoint someone, sit with that feeling. The awkward dealing with it now will save you an awful deal later.

More does not equal more

It's the same with self-help books, right?  Like you can read and read and read every single book. Have your mind absolutely blown, and be like, "WOW! I get it! The meaning of life is to.....", and then before you even give yourself the chance to implement the things, the next self-help book is waiting for you, and then before you know it, its another grand idea and you have completely forgotten what the meaning of life was in the first place.

What if we just read the same book twice, or 6 times, and ACTUALLY took the steps to nurture it into our life?

As someone who once opened 5 studios in under 5 years, I feel this so deeply. SOS (shiny object syndrome) had a tight grip on me. Sure it was fun and exhilarating at the time, but I would never want to grow that fast again. Quality over quantity.

Connection and community first

For many years I didn't know what our offering really was. Yes, it was yoga, but what did that really mean? To be more flexible? Get rock-hard abs and hold a 10-minute headstand? Peace & enlightenment?

After speaking to many students and reading all of our testimonials (we currently have 1231 five-star reviews on the Mindbody app alone!), it's human connection.

Some of us hate to admit it, but we humans are a social species. We need human connection for our own mental and physical well-being.

Listen

Because when talking, we are not listening, and when we are not listening, how can we learn?

Everything and everyone has something to teach us.

Thank you to all of our teachers who continue to share their love and passion with all of us.

Thank you to my family for making sure I eat at least 3 meals a day and laugh at least 30 times a day.

...and thank you to all of our students and giving us the opportunity to listen and learn from every single one of you.

We look forward to continuing this educational experience.

Enjoy the sunshine (and the first week of school holidays for the mums and dads out there!),

Annika xx

P.S. Special shout out to Vanessa for playing the handpan for our yoga class over the weekend, and we look forward to working with you again at the Australian Yoga & Wellness Festival in February!

P.P.S Aerial Yoga Teacher Training starts this weekend and Level 1 Yoga Teacher Training starts next month! We have a handful of spots left in each.

Feel free to email back if you have any questions on either of these.