Happy 2008 Everyone.

I have taken off the week between Christmas and New Year to get “my house” in order for the New Year.  This has included both my actual house in the form of cleaning out, organizing, and painting as well as my figurative house – my personal being.

My original plan was to completely transform two rooms of my house in these 10 days.  As often happens in old homes, however, the first project turned out to require a lot more time and effort than I anticipated.  Thus, I had to adjust my expectations for the week.  I have only three days left and I am still working on the first room. 

As I have (mostly) patiently worked away on this project, I reflected on this past year and began to understand just how out of balance my life has become.  Like the little room in my house, the project of buying and renovating a building for the studio and then moving ended up costing a lot more in time, energy, and money than I ever anticipated.  At times I felt the process took more than I actually had in my resource bank.  I will admit now that at times I felt pretty bleak and wondered if I would be able to continue on with my work.  The mantra that got me through was “just keep going,” three little words of advice uttered a couple of years ago by a client and fellow business owner.  That phrase resonated with me so much that I have posted it in magnets on our filing cabinets at work.  Sometimes the letters get messed up so that it says, “keep gong oni” but I never forget it’s meaning – EVER.

You, Jane, and all the wonderful teachers at LRY have played a crucial role in my getting through one of the most challenging years of my life.  I just want to say THANK YOU for all your love, support, and patience during this transition.

As the New Year approaches I am feeling quite optimistic.  We have scores of dedicated students like you who bless us with their presence and practice each week.  We have 12 students beginning the LRY Life Balance Yoga Therapy teacher training in January.  We have dedicated, talented teachers in Sally, Dorota, Terri, Linn, and Avi who bless us with their skills and presence. 

We also have liaisons with other professionals in the community who share related goals and missions.  One such professional is Kym Black-Caporale of Alternative Health Concepts.  Kym is an acupuncture physician and former speech pathologist who has put together an alternative health care team to treat a client in the community with a neurological disorder.  I am so fortunate to be a part of that team.  We are also affiliated with Barbara Rhode, LMFC, and Annette Reiter, LMFC, who masterfully bring psycho-education and psychotherapy together with yoga therapy to help clients move past barriers to lead more blissful lives.  I thank all these professionals for their trust in me with their clients.  It is my hope that together we can do our part to help revolutionize healthcare.

Three and a half years have passed since I purchased the yoga studio from Terri McBride.  After my first year, I wrote a letter reflecting on the wisdom I had gained over that period of time.  Below in blue is that original letter with my current comments following in black.

Living Room Yoga LLC is coming up on a year of existence.   To honor this anniversary, I would like to share some thoughts with you. 

What I have learned:

1.  No experience is wasted.  I have worked a variety of jobs in my life, from the very mundane to the creative and complex, making an excellent salary to making minimum wage.  Every one of these experiences has either given me skills I now use or allows me to have empathy toward others in similar situations.  This is still true!

2.  Just keep going.  Many of you own your own businesses and have passed along words of wisdom to me.  The most frequent message has been to just keep going – despite setbacks, disappointments, failures, or fear.  Thank you for this wisdom. 

Right on!

3.  Keep going back to your mission.  My mission from the beginning has been to run an ethical business that benefits all concerned – yoga students, teachers, artists, service providers, the world, and myself in general.  I have learned this is a delicate balance not easily attained.  My thanks to those of you who have understood this mission, supported it, and shown me compassion when I missed the mark.  When I am in doubt about what to do, I go back to my mission.  Yep, nothing has changed here!

4. You cannot please everyone all the time.  Even with the mission of creating a winning situation for all concerned, some folks still end up angry and frustrated.  Do your best to make it right and move on.  Also still true!

5. Keep your eyes on your own paper.  I believe we all have a mission in this life that is channeled from the divine, God, the higher power, or however you look at it.  When I am seized by fear or competition about what other studios are doing, I remind myself to just keep doing what is in my heart.  Oh this is so true – several times this year I became concerned about what other studios were doing, especially during our slow summer.  I ended up rushing into adding classes and teachers – efforts that were not productive.  Because I was so out of balance and exhausted, I was acting out of fear instead of from my center.  (I hope) I learned my lesson.  I am now back on track and am offering what truly comes from my heart.  It seems to be working great!

6.  Travel light.  Live within your means and pay everyone what you owe them.  I am happy to say, the studio is debt free except for paying back my husband and I some start-up costs.  There is a lot of freedom in not owing.  I still believe this wholeheartedly.  I am happy to say that besides our mortgage and renovation loan, we are again debt-free.

7.  Ask for help.  The studio and my sanity would not be where it is today without the help of Danielle, Michelle, Emily, Sally, and Terri, the many students who have served as sounding boards and advisors, and colleagues in the community that have referred students to me.  Thanks to all of you for your hard work and trust!  Well, Danielle and Michelle moved away over the last two years to pursue their own dreams – Danielle is pregnant with her second child.  Michelle and her husband are running a B&B in NH.  Emily still lives in the area and is a new mom.  I miss you guys!  Of course Sally and Terri are with us still, and we have added some other gems to our lives like Linn and Avi and Dorota – and of course Jane.  Truly Jane has had the most impact in helping the studio move forward and helping me retain my sanity. 

Another who need to be acknowledged my friend, Mary Ellen, who has been my editor, sounding board, and support over the last four years.  ME also moved away last year and is greatly missed.

And my friend, Gaylene, who always brings an exuberance for life to the table and reminds me that there is more to life than work work work - Gaylene ALSO moved away last year and is greatly missed.

THANK YOU TO ALL! 

8.  Stay present.  Oftentimes in running the business aspects of the studio, I have to deal

with frustrating situations right up until I have to teach a class.  Interrupting my frustration to be 100% present with the class often dispels the frustration completely and allows creative solutions to emerge.  This is still true – although Jane handles many of the potentially frustrating situations now THANKS BE TO GOD!

9.  We are all afraid…. of looking stupid, of not measuring up, of failing, of missing the mark.  See #2 – just keep going.  Still very very true.

Thank you for a great and challenging year, for indulging my need to share my thoughts, and for sharing yoga with me. 

Thanks AGAIN for indulging my need to share.  I look forward to sharing life with you in 2008!

Stacy Renz

Living Room Yoga