What A Difference A Year Makes

Today is a moment for reflection. It is my birthday. It is also the day, 1 year ago exactly, that I left my corporate life to follow my passion for yoga. I remember on this day last year, feeling so incredibly grateful. I had just started this blog. You can see the post from that day here and my very first post detailing why I was making the life change here. I was so grateful, brimming with the excited energy  that comes with major changes and raring to go. When I left Forrester, my intention was to teach yoga. Just that. I thought I had found my calling, what I was going to do with the rest of my life. It didn’t take too long though before I started to miss business. This is a story I tell in pretty much every sales call I go on now. How my it was the combination of business experience and passion that created  YogaSource Boston. Because yoga alone wasn’t right and just business without deep love for your product wasn’t enough, but together it is perfect. I decided to start my company on August 7th of last year. It was the biggest risk I have really ever taken: putting myself out there, completely vulnerable, MBA-less…alone. But I just did it, figuring the worst case scenario was failure and I knew while not ideal, that I could handle that. Slowly, surely, with the support of my amazing family, friends, and my beloved, I built something. Something that I am really proud of and makes me very happy, very fulfilled. On this birthday, I am about to take office space, am planning to grow the team beyond my 16 amazing teachers to folks that can help grow the business and am proud to serve a client roster of 22 companies.

The point of this musing I suppose is that BOY, what a difference a year makes. Sometimes we get caught up with what we will do in the future, down the road. Better job, graduate degree, redecorate the house, make more of an effort with siblings. Maybe we will get to all those things in a few years, next year, I’ll do it next year. But what this year has taught me is to just do it, man. Do it now, do it now. Why wait? You can accomplish so  much if you start taking baby steps in the right direction. Work slowly, steadily and you will find yourself with something significant in a shorter time then you could imagine.

Just do it. Life is too short to live in a place where you are not chasing happiness.

A Day Of Love.

You are my sunshine

My lovely sunshine

You make me happy

When skies are grey

You’ll never know dear

How much I love you

New Year’s Resolution

The new year is quickly approaching. As I wonder about what my honey has planned to celebrate, I have been thinking a lot about resolutions. I am a strong believer in making small, manageable behavior tweaks to improve overall wellness and therefore happiness. In fact, I do it a lot throughout the year. I am sure it can be annoying for my friends and family as I throw out: I am not drinking this month, or it is a vegan month, or I am going to meditate every day. But the reality is that by tackling one small goal at a time and placing a time limit on your endeavor, you are greatly increasing your chances of success. And so what if you don’t keep up with it always. You can take what serves you and makes sense for your life moving forward in totality or in moderation. Change is important in health. When we stop changing or stop striving for the best version of ourselves we stop growing and limit our potential. So why not pick one thing, or a few that you want to tackle. Do it for a month, see what happens. You never know what might be a whole lot easier then you think.

I digress. Just for fun, here are 2 of my resolutions for the amazing new year that will soon be here:

1. Be more easy going understanding that not everyone plans the way that I do.

2. 21 Day Vegan Kickstart Challenge – really cool program! Check it out here: http://pcrm.org/kickstartHome/

It is that time of year

Today is my most special person’s birthday (happy birthday honey). Today is the eve of the Christmas holiday. Today is a day the YogaSource Boston HQ is closed (kind of). Today the christmas tree is twinkling, The Avett Brother’s are playing on iTunes, and my favorite candle is burning. There is a wonderful calm quiet to the house this morning. Today there will be baking and birthday dinners and YOGA and packing for the holidays. Maybe even a nap. Or two.

Today is a day of celebration. I cannot even put into words how grateful I feel for the love that I have in my life, for having met my soul’s mate. For the success of my young business. For the family I am going to get to see tomorrow and their unwavering support of all my endeavors. For all of the amazing things that have happened this year. I can honestly say, in this moment of reflection, that I have never been happier. More content in my daily life, sure of who I am,  and more hopeful for the future.

I hope that everyone has a most special holiday cherishing their time with family, friends and loved ones. Merry Christmas to all. x

Off-Season

Dinner for Two

Davis Pride

Don's Dahlias, As Thick As His White Hair.

The Barn Is Shut Tight.

Resting for the winter.

A little gourd for you.

Quiet Time.

YogaSource Boston: Feeling Great is Good Business™

I am extremely proud to announce the launch of my new company, YogaSource Boston, a professional services organization that brings the finest yoga teachers in Boston directly to local businesses looking to improve company performance through enhanced employee wellness.

The benefits of yoga at work include: decreased healthcare costs, reduced employee stress, absenteeism, and attrition paired with increased company appeal, job satisfaction, and employee productivity.

YogaSource Boston brings the power of preventive wellness right to client companies, offering busy employees a time efficient and complete mind/body workout. As a professional organization specializing only in the corporate market, YSB delivers premiere teaching talent as we maintain a staff of rigorously screened; tenured teachers who will make sure employees leave each class healthier, happier and ready to perform. Our clients manage their yoga programs with on-demand software that makes administration simple. They also have access to internal marketing assistance through weekly wellness e-mails and discount yoga products with free delivery. Our goal is to give clients and their employees everything they need to start a regular yoga practice that is time-efficient and effective.

I am so thankful to be working with an incredible team of teachers who are all leaders in the Boston yoga community and rock classes at studios like Back Bay Yoga, Exhale, Sweat and Soul Yoga, and Prana Power Yoga. Karen Fabian, Amanda Califano, and Caitlyn Graham are the starting team and all 3 bring the magic.

Please visit our WEBSITE to learn more about them as individuals as well as the services we offer, benefits or workplace yoga, and the unique value of YogaSource Boston. If you are a social bird, please like us on FACEBOOK and follow us on TWITTER. Both places will be great resources for the latest yoga and wellness news.

If you or anyone you know is interested in learning more about us and how we can bring yoga to your place of work, please send me a note at alexandra@yogasourceboston.com or call (617) 337-5883. I deeply appreciate any and all leads and support.

So folks, that is why my posting has been so terribly spotty these past few months as I have been working hard to prepare for this launch. I have never had as much fun professionally and cannot wait to share more as the business grows. A million, gazillion, triple dog trillion thanks to my family, friends, and a certain love who have given me more support and encouragement then a girl could dream of.

The Most Beautiful

Last week, the most elegant woman I know, turned a number not to be mentioned. Happy happy birthday Jin Jin, Love you forever.