On my birthday weekend in July, I was involved in the biggest event I have done since I became a yoga teacher.
The Funarium is the newest and one of the biggest kids festivals to hit Perth.
Not only was it an honour and privilege to be asked to be a part of it, it was also a huge step outside of my comfort zone.
This year has truly been all about stepping up and playing bigger, and here is what I learnt from this experience and some pictures I love from the event....
The Funarium is the newest and one of the biggest kids festivals to hit Perth.
Not only was it an honour and privilege to be asked to be a part of it, it was also a huge step outside of my comfort zone.
This year has truly been all about stepping up and playing bigger, and here is what I learnt from this experience and some pictures I love from the event....
1. Believe in yourself
At some point you just have to step up and back yourself. There used to be a time when I would have turned away from accepting a big job like this. But something inside me said, "I can do this" and I trusted it. And not only did I do it, it went well and I also created my first relaxation audio (free for you to download).
2. Take one step at a time
Every big goal is made up of smaller bite size pieces that are so much more easier to "chew" so to speak. Rather than being overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task at hand, which I often do, I find it helpful to break the bigger picture down into easily actionable steps that move you step by step closer to the end result you are after.
3. Ask for help
I knew from the start that this job was way too big for one person alone. I listened to my intuition and asked for help from the person that I knew would be perfect to help. I felt blessed to be able to partner with Michelle from YogaZoo as we were on the same page about the event from the very first call. Along with the 4 amazing teachers she connected me with to teach for the 3 days, we were a dream team. Everyone worked well together, classes at the event were fun for all ages and the 3 days went as smoothly as one could wish them to be.
4. Be flexible
Not everything will work the way you want or hope. This was true for our area. Despite all our preparation and planning, the event which was tailored to kids from 4 to 12 years old, our classes ended up becoming for all ages as kids yoga turned into family yoga. We even had a bub on a mat whilst mum did yoga with her older daughter and dad was yoga-ing on another mat beside her. It meant we had to be flexible to adjust the classes according to who was on the mat.
5. Honour your self
With 9 classes each day over 3 days, I planned little else after each day to honour my body's need for rest. Even though it was my birthday on the Saturday, my celebrations were contained to a glass of red and a bit of chocolate with dinner (a gift from one of the teachers) that evening and a massage after the event to begin my body's rebalancing process.
6. Don't forget to play
After participating in 27 classes with nearly 400 students of all ages, the reminder to play and enjoy the moment was well and truly etched in my mind by Sunday evening. Kids are the perfect reminder to us to enjoy every moment, to play and have fun. There were no shortages of laughter and smiles in our classes. If ever I have to work again on my birthday, then this would probably be the only way I would want to spend it.
7. Connect with your family.
With over 40 activities in 10 themed zones, from science to cooking, action to craft, dancing to drumming, this event was huge! But what I loved was the feedback from so many parents who joined us for yoga who loved that this was one of the few activities they could enjoy with the kids. It was so heart warming to be on the mat with them and witness the shared connections, smiles and laughter between kids and their parents/loved ones. It was another beautiful reminder of what is important in life, connection with others, especially our family and loved ones doing things that are fun.
8. Celebrate & give thanks
Though I was pretty exhausted by the end of the weekend, I still took the time to reflect on our massive achievement and we did take time to celebrate with one another at the end of the month.
A huge thanks to Michelle, the teachers Leah, Julia, Renae and Genie and most importantly every pocket yogini and their families that joined us for a class. It was the most amazing weekend and a birthday spent with you all I won't forget soon.
Here's hoping we get to do it all over again next year!
(and not on my birthday would be even better)
At some point you just have to step up and back yourself. There used to be a time when I would have turned away from accepting a big job like this. But something inside me said, "I can do this" and I trusted it. And not only did I do it, it went well and I also created my first relaxation audio (free for you to download).
2. Take one step at a time
Every big goal is made up of smaller bite size pieces that are so much more easier to "chew" so to speak. Rather than being overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task at hand, which I often do, I find it helpful to break the bigger picture down into easily actionable steps that move you step by step closer to the end result you are after.
3. Ask for help
I knew from the start that this job was way too big for one person alone. I listened to my intuition and asked for help from the person that I knew would be perfect to help. I felt blessed to be able to partner with Michelle from YogaZoo as we were on the same page about the event from the very first call. Along with the 4 amazing teachers she connected me with to teach for the 3 days, we were a dream team. Everyone worked well together, classes at the event were fun for all ages and the 3 days went as smoothly as one could wish them to be.
4. Be flexible
Not everything will work the way you want or hope. This was true for our area. Despite all our preparation and planning, the event which was tailored to kids from 4 to 12 years old, our classes ended up becoming for all ages as kids yoga turned into family yoga. We even had a bub on a mat whilst mum did yoga with her older daughter and dad was yoga-ing on another mat beside her. It meant we had to be flexible to adjust the classes according to who was on the mat.
5. Honour your self
With 9 classes each day over 3 days, I planned little else after each day to honour my body's need for rest. Even though it was my birthday on the Saturday, my celebrations were contained to a glass of red and a bit of chocolate with dinner (a gift from one of the teachers) that evening and a massage after the event to begin my body's rebalancing process.
6. Don't forget to play
After participating in 27 classes with nearly 400 students of all ages, the reminder to play and enjoy the moment was well and truly etched in my mind by Sunday evening. Kids are the perfect reminder to us to enjoy every moment, to play and have fun. There were no shortages of laughter and smiles in our classes. If ever I have to work again on my birthday, then this would probably be the only way I would want to spend it.
7. Connect with your family.
With over 40 activities in 10 themed zones, from science to cooking, action to craft, dancing to drumming, this event was huge! But what I loved was the feedback from so many parents who joined us for yoga who loved that this was one of the few activities they could enjoy with the kids. It was so heart warming to be on the mat with them and witness the shared connections, smiles and laughter between kids and their parents/loved ones. It was another beautiful reminder of what is important in life, connection with others, especially our family and loved ones doing things that are fun.
8. Celebrate & give thanks
Though I was pretty exhausted by the end of the weekend, I still took the time to reflect on our massive achievement and we did take time to celebrate with one another at the end of the month.
A huge thanks to Michelle, the teachers Leah, Julia, Renae and Genie and most importantly every pocket yogini and their families that joined us for a class. It was the most amazing weekend and a birthday spent with you all I won't forget soon.
Here's hoping we get to do it all over again next year!
(and not on my birthday would be even better)
