I’ve been practicing hot yoga off and on (more off, than on, really) for the last 3 years.  I can still remember the first time I came out of a class…I felt completely peaceful and at ease.  I was relaxed and energized at the same time.  My mind was clear, and my body was elated!

Due to daily commitments and pressures, yoga has come and gone in my life.  But thankfully, the results are always the same – inner peace and outer strength.

Moksha Hot Yoga - front desk

As of today, I have completed 3 days straight of my yoga practice.  To some, this probably doesn’t sound like much, but that’s the most consistency I’ve ever experience!  I feel so safe in the studio…it probably sounds cheesy, but I know that I’m there for myself and the only person I have to please is me.

Yesterday I met with Lisa Whitford, co-owner, studio director, and teacher of Moksha Yoga Calgary.  When I originally talked to her about spending time with the studio as part of my OWJ program, she was immediately interested.  Lisa has been teaching for about 8 years, and originally got into yoga because of some discomfort she was experiencing with her back.  Talking with Lisa is calming in and of itself.  She has a lot of insight into the whole crazy-yoga-trend, and hasn’t let herself forget why she came to practice in the first place.

Spacious Changeroom

Personally – I’m kind of enjoying using the term ‘practice.’  To me it means that yoga is always a work-in-progress – you’re not some ‘professional’ yogi who never makes a mistake, you’re growing and trying new things in order to get better at it.  I’ve never used the term before, but I love the way it applies.

One of the first points Lisa made about yoga, is that it’s not just about the physical state of the postures.  She explained that there’s a certain grace needed to physically transition through the postures, and that one of our goals should be to transfer that grace off of our yoga mat, and into our daily lives.

This makes so much sense. It takes concentration and guts to get into (and then hold?!) some of the positions yoga teaches.  If you can perform these postures without giving up, without complaining, and with a sense of determination – all the while being realistic and honest with yourself and your limitations – you have practiced with grace.

“It’s not true until it’s true for you.” – Lisa Whitford, Moksha Yoga Calgary

When Lisa made this point, she was talking about yoga and the different variations and definitions it has grown into: Moksha, Bikram, Ashtanga, Hatha, Anusara, etc., are all different forms of yoga practice.  But no matter what you call it, or what postures you assume, the purpose of these variations remains the same: to unite the body and the mind.

The term ‘yoga’ roughly translates as ‘yoke’ or ‘union.’  The Yoga Journal notes that the purpose of yoga is to,

“…strengthen the body, to bring flexibility not only to the spine, but to the mind, and to calm the nervous system and quiet the mind enough to connect the practitioner more deeply to his or her spiritual center.”

Lisa’s original statement, however, really applies to the One Week Job Program: “It’s not true until it’s true for you.”  Have you been forcing yourself into a career that you’re not totally sure of?  Do you feel pressure to please others in regards to your job description, as opposed to yourself?  Have you been selling yourself short?  What it really comes down to, is that if you don’t believe in what you’re doing, why are you doing it?!

I’ve personally struggled with my own lack of direction, and in the end, you need to do what makes you happy.  It seems like an obvious point to make, but from my conversations with others – it’s not always the case.

What’s your yoga? What unites your body with your mind?  Is it running? Making music? Writing? Driving a combine?!  Whatever it is, embrace it!

I am absolutely embracing this week of yoga – and am really thinking that if I had the opportunity to do it full time, it would be an amazing experience.  I owe it to my body, and my mind could definitely use some conditioning as well…  Maybe there should be a OWJ devoted especially to learning about yourself through yoga…thoughts?!

Thanks for sharing this experience with me…

Namaste – the light in me, honours the light in you!

- Amanda

“One Day” – Matisyahu

One Day
sometimes I lay
under the moon
and thank God I’m breathing
then I pray don’t take me soon
I am here for a reason
sometimes in my tears I drown
but I never let it get me down
so when negativity surrounds
I know some day it’ll all turn around
cause all my life I’ve been waiting for
I’ve been praying for
for the people to say
that we don’t wanna fight no more
they’ll be no more war
and our children will play
one day
it’s not about
win or lose
we all lose
when they feed on the souls of the innocent
blood drenched pavement
keep on moving though the waters stay raging
in this maze you can lose your way
it might drive you crazy but don’t let it faze you no way
sometimes in my tears I drown
but I never let it get me down
so when negativity surrounds
I know some day it’ll all turn around
cause all my life I’ve been waiting for
I’ve been praying for
for the people to say
that we don’t wanna fight no more
they’ll be no more war
and our children will play
one day
one day this all will change
treat people the same
stop with the violence
down with the hate
one day we’ll all be free
and proud to be
under the same sun
singing songs of freedom like
one day
all my life I’ve been waiting for
I’ve been praying for
for the people to say
that we don’t wanna fight no more
they’ll be no more war
and our children will play
one day

During my week as a Yoga Instructor in Week 7, I met Henri. I remember he said to me:

“When my students come into the class, it is my opportunity to impact the outer world through my inner studio. If I can change their mindsets, so that when they leave here, they are feeling calm and relaxed, that will alter how they experience the rest of their day and the other people they encounter. In doing so, I am creating a ripple effect far beyond I know the implications of.”

Every day we have the power to impact those around us – a kind word, a genuine smile, an inspiring blog post – whether that impact is positive or negative is up to us to decide. The important thing to remember is that either way, our ripples will be felt.

———–

Hi Sean,

I can’t tell you how much I’m inspired by your project and your message. Your statement in “My Generation” sounds like a manifesto I would sign a hundred times over! Really, wake up, people, realize that you were not supposed to waste your lives working in boring, soul-destroying jobs where you leave your spirit at home along with your values, passions, and creativity! There is more to life than that, and it is your responsibility to apply all the gifts you were given – not just the ones your company wants you to use for its own purposes.

This is a subject that really gets me going, because I’ve spent most of my life looking for that amazing feeling of connection in the work that I do – the feeling where work feels like play, where you can’t wait to get up in the morning and get back to work, where you’d do what you’re doing even if you weren’t getting paid for it. I, too, tried out many different occupations and did a lot of soul-searching to discover who I was and what I had to contribute. Now, at 38, I finally have it, and I’ve made it my mission to help others find their true path.

One of my favorite authors, Marsha Sinetar, who wrote the bestselling career exploration classic “Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow,” says: “Work needs to fit my personality just as shoes need to fit my feet, otherwise I’m destined for discomfort.” And also: “Our right work is just as important to personality health and growth as the right nutrients are for our bodies.”

I’d take it even further. In my view, our right work is an essential part of our spiritual growth. To search is more natural than not to search. It really is a part of being human. So to all of you who are still searching – don’t give up! It’s all part of the journey, pieces of the puzzle. One day they’ll come together, and then you’ll know that all was not in vain!

I’ve commented on your project on my blog for my readers, and I look forward to continuing to track your adventure. I really feel there is a quiet (or maybe not so quiet) revolution taking place in our society – a revolution in how we as a culture view work and our relationship with it. Your generation is definitely leading the way, and people who are older are beginning to wake up as well. As a career exploration and transition coach, I’m going to do all I can to help that along!

Izabella Tabarovsky
www.projectcreativevision.com

It is something I had previously recognized, yet I really understood it today; I really enjoy the creative process and developing a vision for the future. I was speaking with the president about the french immersion programs they have, ones they are thinking about developing, his passion to share the french language and expose as many other Canadians as possible to the distinct Quebec culture.

We were discussing the direction of the program and generating ideas as to how we can cultivate our vision of its future. During this talk, I had a lot of energy as I was contributing my ideas and was passionate about the possibilities and where it would lead. Then, I was assigned to do some research on the computer in which I was lucky not to fall asleep on a few occasions.

I realize that I am going to need to be in a creative position, a visionary type role in which I am sharing my vision with others and seeing the potential of a certain idea or opportunity. I am not all that interested in the day to day (for more than a week that is), yet I love to look to the future and develop a plan as to what needs to be done in order to get there. And thus, one step further…

My first article in the Globe and Mail came out today, I am not able to pick up a copy as I am currently in rural Quebec, though I could tell that my mom was pretty proud in an email this morning, so I guess it turned out pretty well.

Next week I would like to head to Quebec city, yet do not have a job lined up as of today, so perhaps I might just go straight to Montreal. If you have any contacts or ideas for potential One Week Jobs in Quebec city, or if you live in Quebec city and just want to meet up, give me a shout!

If you haven’t checked out the ‘Pledge Your Passion‘ section on the site as of yet, give it a read and make your promise today:)

keep searching,

-Sean

I am constantly in a new environment, continuing to challenge myself every day, learning new things week to week, meeting tonnes of great people, I am really passionate about my message, and I am helping others. ‘One Week Job’ the career? Well, not likely as the gig doesn’t pay too well;)

I think one thing we must remember is to continually assess why we are doing what we are doing, and if indeed we are enjoying it. One of the quotes that is on my bedroom wall at home is, “It’s not what you do or how much you do, rather it’s how you do it and why you are doing it” I think that we can sometimes lose direction of what we initially set out to accomplish. As I recently received in an email, we must often ask ourself when presented with a new decision; ‘Can I draw a reasonably straight line from where I am, to where I want to go?’

The reason I have been thinking of this lately is that after coming home to Vancouver for a friends wedding and having a week off, I have been able to take a moment away from the whirlwind ride that I was on. With all the media attention throughout Canada the project has received and with the interest of turning One Week Job into a show, I have been forced to stop and think in order to re-evaluate my reasons for setting out on such a journey. I do not want to make it something that it is not, in that I have it all figured out and know exactly where I am heading. The reality is that I have no idea where this is all going to lead and by pretending that I do as a host of a show would only be defeating the purpose of why I began One Week Job to begin with.

I think it would be beneficial if through video, people are able to experience the adventure with me; the uncertainty of not knowing where I will be the following week, how I am going to get there, being scared/excited when presented with a new and challenging situation, overwhelmed with the amount of work I have created for myself, seeing my ups and downs throughout, etc. yet staying true to the experience. In this way I think documenting the journey with a video camera would be quite beneficial in that it would be easier to bring people through the experience with me, allowing them to draw more from it and the lessons that I learn a long the way.

Okay, decision made, sorry for seemingly thinking out loud!

If there are some sponsors willing to get involved with this project to help out with equipment expenditures and to pay a small crew, an installment could be released each week in which a different company could sponsor it. It will then stay online with the companies logo who sponsored that weekly installment appearing at the beginning as well as a watermark in the corner throughout that episode.

I imagine it would look something like this, yet with interviews of my employers, my take on the particular job, what it takes to do this job, and what I am learning throughout the experience.

Let me know what you think, or if you have any other ideas!

-Sean

“Hey Sean! So I quit my job on Monday (finally!!!) at 11:45am and at like 2pm I got a call for an interview for this job I applied for April 10th, had the interview today and got it an hour later!!! So I’m starting my passion next Monday and never settling again thanks to you! Cheers.”

Great to hear Erin, go for it!

-Sean

PS – If you haven’t yet, make your promise today.

I will not settle for a career that I am not truly passionate about, I will not allow yearning for weekends and the illustrious two week vacation a year to define my life, I will be in a positive work place situation and I will love what I am doing.

I made a promise for passion and I think you should make that same promise today.

What exactly will this particular situation look like and how am I going to get there? I am not too sure, yet I believe it is far more important that we first start by making this commitment to ourselves, taking the leap wherever it leads, and find the courage to persevere in the face of our fears, self-doubt and uncertainty.

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” – Ambrose Redmoon

To me this “something” is our happiness, our well being, our choice, our life.

I think we would all agree that it is well worth it, yet many of us still choose to let this innate fear paralyze us and settle into comfortable, secure positions despite being unhappy in them. The encouraging thing is that every day is a new opportunity to change this.

Here is another one of those opportunities. Leave your name in the comments section below to make your promise today!

It was awesome talking to kids about life skills that I feel are so important, and to hear them taking positive things away from the experience, made it so worthwhile. It is an important message and it will definitely be something that I will be doing in the future. One of the kids actually wanted my autograph afterwards which was really cute, so I signed my name a long with a reminder note: “Keep it real!”

Only one day left before I teach my first yoga class. There will also be a camera crew in as well just for some added pressure!

-Sean