It has been in the last few years that I have come to the realization that I did not know who I was, what I wanted to do, what value I possessed, and the many blessings I already had been given. The dreams I had when I was younger was to either be a veterinarian or a lawyer. While I respect veterinarians, I knew my love for animals was too great, so vet school was out. Moving forward, I received a Bachelors in Criminal Justice, with the thought, next step, law school. While in college, I got married, and 18 months later, we had our first beautiful baby girl. Now that I was in the adult world, with responsibilities, after college I needed to get a job. I began working in the office at a nearby automotive facility.
Where did this leave my law school dream? Here's the recap, I was a wife, mother, working full time, and attending law school in the evening. I was exhausted. I know, I know, lots of people do this, and bravo for them, I, on the other hand, decided that law school would always be there, but my children's youth would not. Instead, I decided I would focus on becoming a manager at the facility I worked at. With my husband and I both in automotive management, it made moving a little easier. After a few years, we picked up our now family of four, plus several fur babies (that is always a given in case you haven't already noticed ;)), and moved to Kentucky.
Great, now what? Well, I worked for several more years as a Materials Manager, had another little princess, and rescued more fur babies. I was living the perfect life, right? WRONG! As I said, I have always felt a strong connection to animals, nature, and the Universe as a whole, problem was, I didn't know what to do about it.
Although I loved the people I worked with, after our third child, it was harder and harder for me to leave her at day care. I wanted so badly to be with my children. By the time I got home, cooked dinner and gave baths, I really only had about 30 minutes to an hour of quality time with them, and that was if I didn't get a call from work. Let's be realistic, there is no 9-5 when it comes to being a manager in automotive, you are on call 24/7.
Well, the Universe has a way of giving you what you ask for, positive or negative. With the looming possibility of the plant I worked in closing, I knew had to make a decision. Do I go looking for another facility, or do I start looking into something that resonated more deeply with me?
Again, thank you Universe, my mom told me about a yoga teacher training program. I had been practicing yoga for many years already, and knew how good it felt physically and mentally, so I gave it some serious thought. After saying good-bye to automotive, I was now focusing on my family with better intention. I was still a manager, really people, being a stay at home mom is a full time job in itself, and let's remember, there is no paycheck. I was happy being with my girls, but I still felt like I was supposed to be doing more. I decided I wanted to try this teacher training thing. Needless to say, I was hooked.
It was through this program that I really started to gain a better understanding of what I wanted for myself, my family, and what I wanted to be able to offer others. This was it, this is what I was born, this time around, to do! After nearly a year, I received my Yoga Teacher Certification. Before that was done, I was also in a program to learn more about vegan nutrition. From there, I completed Certification in Vegan Nutrition, became a Certified Health Coach through IIN, received Certification as a Y12SR leader, and became a Reiki Master. The best part about all of these programs was that it still allowed me time with my family, and I was able to share it with them too. Going through a life changing journey is an amazing process, but when those around you can also learn why your are doing it, and apply some of those tools for themselves, it makes it even more incredible.
So where does this leave me? It has been through all of this growth, and self discovery, that I have been able to heal physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I was able to forgive myself for not being perfect, for making mistakes, acknowledging that I deserve to love myself and those around me. It is through of all of this that I opened Bright From The Heart Yoga & Wellness in 2011 so that I could share with others, and hopefully, they can learn valuable tools and apply them at whatever time in their life they need them. My dream now is for wellness to be a family business. All three of my children have gone through Reiki I & II training, and my older two are completing their programs to become Certified Yoga Teachers as well.
My journey is far from over, I have much to share, as well as much more to learn. The difference today, versus 20 years ago, is that I feel an immense sense of love, gratitude and joy in each day. Am I all grown up now? No, but I'm getting there :).
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