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When I began my career in real estate in Tacoma, I didn’t realize just how busy my schedule was going to become. Before I was a realtor helping people buy and sell houses in the Tacoma area, I had been making my living teaching yoga. I taught over 10 classes per week at times and would take yoga classes myself four to five times a week.
As I developed in my career in real estate it began to push yoga further and further off my schedule. This past summer I was working 6-7 days a week, and I couldn’t remember the last time I had taken a yoga class. It was the busiest the Tacoma real estate market had ever been, with houses going pending within 4 days, often selling for 106% of list price or more. At that point, I found myself only teaching one yoga class per week, and was feeling quite burnt out due to the crazy workload.
One day when I was feeling overwhelmed, I told my partner Alex that I thought I needed to take a break from teaching as I was feeling stressed out from how full my plate was. Thankfully, Alex and I have been together for a long time, and he was able to see what I couldn’t. When I voiced how stressed out I was and my thoughts of quitting teaching yoga, he suggested doing the opposite– he said I should keep teaching, and actually start going to yoga classes myself. Being a bit persistent, I again reiterated how overwhelmed I had been but instead of telling me how right I was, he laid out all the reasons that I am now going to share with you, that are so easily forgotten.
When I’m going to yoga consistently, I’m called to check in with myself and my feelings, both physically and emotionally. Yoga is an intentional step away from the busyness that our lives can easily become. For me, this intentional time allows me to reflect on what’s going on, and if I need to make any changes. When I’m checking in with myself regularly, I’m able to listen and understand my own needs more clearly. From there, I’m able to put into motion actions and boundaries to keep myself happy, and more sane. The reality is that when I’m taking time for myself, I’m actually a much better human, friend and realtor. I think a lot of people are aware of the physical benefits of a consistent yoga practice (ie building strength, flexibility, agility etc), but what I had forgotten was the mental and emotional benefits of the practice I had been teaching.
So, I started to up my yoga practice again. At first I found it difficult to stay present while I was in class… often my mind would wander to whatever transactions I had going on at the time, and things I needed to tell this client or do for that client etc. After more consistency, it became easier and easier. Now I can actually tell the difference it makes. I don’t have such large reactions to obstacles that come up, and I have a deeper acceptance that everything will work out (because it always does!) and am more confident in setting up boundaries, as I know that they benefit both me and my clients. The last thing I realized is that when I am practicing yoga regularly, I am much more inspired in the classes that I am teaching, and have renewed my love of teaching.
I’m so glad that a simple suggestion from a friend brought me back to the mat, and I hope this blog post does the same for you!
Written by local yoga teacher and Windermere real estate agent Laura Anderson. Laura can be contacted at https://www.lauraandersonproperties.com/ or https://www.buyahomeintacoma.com/
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