Welcome to the Align Yoga Podcast, where the ancient teachings of yoga meet the
modern principles of mindset, manifestation, and business growth. I’m your host,
Autumn Adams, yoga teacher, retreat leader, and business mentor, with over a decade
of experience leading retreats and helping yogis transform their lives. Each episode
brings you powerful insights, practical tools, and stories from industry experts to help
you create a thriving heart-centered life alongside a yoga career that feels authentic and
deeply aligned with your purpose.

Hello, yogis and friends. Welcome back to the podcast. Today, we’re diving into
something that can completely transform your life, going all in.

I’m talking about bold choices, the kind that change the trajectory of who you are and
who you become. I know that if you’re tuning in, something in you is already calling for a
change, and today, we’re going to explore how you can answer that call. So, let’s talk
about why bold choices are the fast track to inner alignment and authenticity and why
they’re worth making.

When we choose boldly, we give ourselves permission to align with our true desires,
values, and our potential. Too often, we build lives that reflect only part of what we want,
influenced by others’ expectations, outdated stories and beliefs, and our own comfort
zones, but bold choices dissolve these layers, revealing who we really are. Imagine living
a life where you don’t have to wear a mask, where every choice feels true to you.

Maybe that’s pursuing a new passion, changing your surroundings, or taking on
something that scares you a little. By going all in, you are creating a life that is truly,
fully yours, and it is your birthright. I want to share a story from one of my own retreats,
and it was a memorable moment that retreat attendees still talk about to this day.

It’s what I call my burning the boats moment. Have you heard the expression burn the
boats? When you burn the boats, there’s no turning back, no easy way out. There isn’t
any room for excuses either

There’s no option to go back, so you’ve got to go all in on going forward. During our
retreats, we often have a final ceremony to release what holds us back from living our
best, most aligned lives, and during that ceremony, I released playing small and the fear
of being seen. For my call-in, I called in to burn the fucking boats, and I declared it with
every fiber of my being.

It was so powerful. We all had a little laugh because I was swearing during a yoga retreat
and in a ceremony, no less, but my release and call-in struck a chord with every single
woman in that circle. It reminded them that we all have our struggles, and my struggles
are similar to theirs, but even more importantly, I was able to model what stepping fully
into your power looks like on a visceral and energetic level.

Literally, in that moment, I was sick of my own shit. I was sick of wavering, and I was sick
of allowing the expectations from others to guide my decisions. At that moment, I wasn’t
just making a choice.

I was stepping into a new version of myself, a version that felt unstoppable. I am
fortunate now because I get to see students and clients make bold moves like this all the
time, quitting jobs that are out of alignment, buying their dream property, opening the
boutique or the yoga studio they never thought they’d be able to, embracing new
beginnings, or committing to a more intentional lifestyle, and I know firsthand that these
choices are scary, but the payoff, it’s immeasurable. So you might be wondering, why
does this next level commitment matter so much? Why go all in on something that feels
so big that it feels as if your stomach is going to jump up into your throat? It’s more than
just doing the big scary thing.

It’s about seeing what’s possible for you. It’s about living larger and more confidently. It’s
about knowing your worth, your resilience, your capability.

Studies have shown that making a strong commitment doesn’t just align us with our
values. It has the power to transform our focus, our perseverance, and our self-esteem.

So let’s take, for example, the research on grit by psychologist Angela Duckworth.
She describes grit as passion and perseverance for long-term goals, and her studies
reveal that committing fully to a purpose helps us stay the course, even when things get
tough. It’s that remembering our why. It’s not just about following through.
It’s about building resilience. Every time we commit deeply, we develop this kind of inner
strength that allows us to push forward and stay focused on what matters most. When
we make a bold commitment, we’re also telling ourselves, I am worthy of living my truth,
and that message is incredibly powerful.

Research using the Rosenberg self-esteem scale shows that people who commit to their
values and goals experience a boost in self-worth. They start seeing themselves as
capable and valuable, seeing their own identity in a new and empowered light. Now
imagine making a decision and sticking with it, not because it’s easy, but because it
aligns with who you truly are, because it gets your gifts out into the world who need
them most.

This kind of commitment becomes an act of self-love. It’s like telling yourself, I deserve a
life that reflects my deepest values. I deserve a life that is happy and true and aligned
and abundant.

Now I know commitment can bring up a lot of fears, fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear
of being seen, or maybe the worry that we’re just not enough. But here’s where growth
mindset comes in. You can listen to episode two if you need help overcoming limiting
beliefs.

I want to share again Dr. Carol Dweck’s research because it shows us that a growth
mindset thrives on challenge. When we commit fully, we’re saying, I’m here to learn, to
grow, to push my own limits. We move past the fear of failure, viewing it instead as a
stepping stone to becoming stronger, more resilient, and more connected to our
purpose.

I want you to take a moment to bring into your mind’s eye something you’ve been
hesitant to commit to. What if going all in on that goal isn’t just about achieving
something, it’s about honoring yourself. It’s a reminder that you are worthy of living in
alignment with your values, with the confidence and focus to keep going.

No matter what, this kind of commitment has the power to change how you see yourself,
how you face challenges, and how fully you show up in every part of your life. If fear is
blocking you, remember that fear can be a sign of growth. Growth isn’t comfortable.

Growth is constantly learning, adapting, retrying, evolving, starting over, asking for help.
It’s not easy. But research tells us that when we face discomfort, it actually rewires our
brain to build resilience.

So the next time fear shows up, what if instead of avoiding it, you leaned into it? What if
that fear is pointing to something worth pursuing? One practice I love for facing fear is
mindfulness. It’s easy to overcomplicate things, but simple grounding exercises like
mindfulness or deep breathing can bring us back to the present. And when we’re
present, that fear can loosen its grip as we sit with it.

And that fear can transform from a barrier into a signal to keep moving forward. The
next time fear shows up for you, try grounding yourself with deep breaths. Notice if that
fear has something to tell you.

It might just be pointing you toward a choice that’s waiting to take you to the next level.
I would be doing you a great disservice if I didn’t share a practice with you right now. So
let’s slow down together for a moment.

If you’re in a safe place, go ahead and close down your eyes. Begin to notice your
breath. No need to change it.

Let’s all just take a moment to witness the breath. We can practice witnessing the breath
so that we learn how to also witness our thoughts.

There’s no judgment.
There’s no expectation. Just allow the breath to flow.

Now I invite you to take a deep,
steady breath in, letting it fill you up completely and gently release.

Take another deep breath in, feeling the air expand within you. And as you exhale, you
might even allow an audible exhale to flow from your mouth as you feel a sense of calm
wash over your body, settling you into this moment. Begin to shift your awareness to
your third eye center.

This is a space right between your eyebrows, and it is your center of seeing inner and
outer seeing. It’s your sixth chakra, otherwise known as Ajna. In this space, picture a
bold choice you’ve been drawn to, but haven’t yet committed to.

See yourself fully embracing this decision. Imagine the confidence, the freedom, the
relief of finally going all in on this choice. Visualize each step and feel yourself moving
closer to it with ease.

Notice how it feels. Notice how you feel. Sit in that knowing, allowing that knowing to fill
every cell of your being.

And when you are complete, you can open your eyes and rejoin us. There has been
research done on confidence, and it shows us that visualization practices like this one
that I just shared, not only strengthen our beliefs, but also increase our readiness to act.

By participating in that visualization, you’ve just taken a powerful step towards making
that vision real.

Top tier athletes, Olympic athletes, and some of the most powerful entrepreneurs use
this same technique to achieve their goals and create new neural pathways that bring
these goals to fruition. Bold choices become easier when we break them down. This
week, I encourage you to take one small tangible action towards your goal.

Maybe say no to something misaligned or reach out to a friend who can support your
journey. And for those ready to map out this commitment, I have a downloadable
worksheet for you linked in the show notes. You can also find it linked at
autumnadamsyoga.com slash bold hyphen action, or at ambujayoga.com slash bold
hyphen action.

The worksheet is designed to help you clarify your goals, address your fears, and outline
actionable steps. I encourage you to share the bold action. Write it down.

Not only do you deserve it, it’s your birthright, and the universe wants you to say yes to
living boldly and being all in on your dream. I know this isn’t easy work, but remember,
bold choices are what create the life we truly want. So I challenge each of you to take
one step toward your bold choice this week, and I’d love for you to share it.

Use the hashtags alignedyogibold and ambujayoga and let’s inspire one another. There’s
so much strength in community, and we are all in this together. If you want to dive
deeper into this, deeper into taking bold inspired action, don’t forget to download the
worksheet I mentioned, but you can also join us on retreat.

I offer multiple retreats a year, and this is the type of work and action I love seeing the
women who come on my retreats take. If you are on Instagram, follow me at
ambujayoga and keep an eye out for an Instagram live that’s coming soon where I’ll be
sharing more on making bold choices. Thank you again for being here, for showing up,
and for daring to go all in.

I’ll see you in the next episode. Bye for now.

Welcome to the Align Yogi podcast, where the ancient teachings of yoga meet the modern principles of mindset, manifestation, and business growth. I’m your host, Autumn Adams, yoga teacher, retreat leader, and business mentor with over a decade of experience leading retreats and helping yogis transform their lives. Each episode brings you powerful insights, practical tools, and stories from industry experts to help you create a thriving heart-centered life alongside a yoga career that feels authentic and deeply aligned with your purpose.

Welcome back to the podcast, friends. Today, we’re diving deep into something that affects all of us at some point, our limiting beliefs, those sneaky little thoughts that whisper, I’m not good enough, or it’s too late for me to start. They can be quiet, but they can also be incredibly powerful, shaping the way we live, the opportunities we take, and the joy we experience.

Here’s the thing. Those beliefs, they’re not true. Today, we’re going to talk about how to release them so you can step into the life you truly deserve.

Limiting beliefs aren’t just random thoughts. They’re deeply rooted stories, many of which we didn’t even choose for ourselves. These are those little thoughts that seem to pop up out of nowhere.

Again, they often sound like, I’m not smart enough. I need more training before I can do X, Y, Z. I don’t deserve happiness or wealth, or it’s hard to make money, or if I try, I’ll probably fail. Here’s the tricky part.

They don’t always show up as obvious doubts. Sometimes they’re more subtle, like the hesitation you feel before speaking up in a meeting, or they’re that nagging discomfort when someone compliments you. They’re made up of experiences and things we’ve heard or were taught and societal expectations that we accepted as facts along the way.

They’re stories from our lineage, our parents, and their parents, and their parents. They’re beliefs we accepted as truths before we were able to know any better, before we had the tools to look deeper. And they’re sneaky because they’re familiar, and they often run so quietly in the background that we barely even notice them, but they’re powerful.

And they shape the way we show up in life, how we love, how we pursue dreams, and even how we see ourselves. When you become aware of these subconscious patterns in your life and you commit to awareness, you can’t unsee them. And you’ll notice the same belief influencing different behaviors across different areas of your life.

This is where the transformation begins. Psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck, an author of the

book Mindset, shares that we have the power to shift these patterns. Her research on growth mindset proves that our abilities, our self-worth, and our potential are not fixed.

They are just as malleable as our beliefs. But we first have to see those beliefs for what they are. Illusions.

Illusions that we’ve accepted as reality. For me, one of the biggest limiting beliefs I used to carry around was I’m not good enough or qualified enough to share my message. I always felt like I needed to have one more training.

If I did this training, I would be a better teacher. Even in the creation of this podcast, every time I thought about starting this podcast, I’d freeze. I’d worry, what if people think I’m not good enough? What if they think I’m a fraud? What if they don’t like my voice? What if I make a mistake? And you know what happened? I avoided it for years.

I let fear and self-doubt take the wheel. And that doubt was like an invisible wall, keeping me playing small. But then I realized that voice, it wasn’t my own.

It was a recording, a story on repeat that I could change. And this is not uncommon. It’s not a story that’s unique to me.

According to research published in a journal of personality and social psychology, when we don’t believe in ourselves, we unconsciously create obstacles. Psychologists call this self-handicapping, where we make excuses or avoid situations to maintain a sense of self-control and a sense of self-worth. We do it to protect our self-esteem.

Self-handicapping often involves behaviors or thought patterns that may seem counterintuitive, but feel safer because they keep us from risking our self-worth. But in reality, it’s our limiting beliefs that are the real obstacles. I feel like I could do an entire episode on self-handicapping.

It blew my mind when I started digging into the research. If you are a millennial, you’ll definitely recognize this author’s name from the story I’m going to share with you. This story is about J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, because her fortitude and commitment to showing up and not allowing life or excuses to get in the way is inspiring and empowering.

You may not know this, but Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, her first book, was rejected by 12 publishers before the 13th finally said yes. 12 publishers. She was a struggling single mom just trying to make ends meet.

She wrote that book in what she refers to as her rock bottom, her dark night of the soul. But she chose to persist, rewriting her story with each rejection. Today, she’s one of the most successful authors of all time.

Despite facing multiple rejections, Rowling continued submitting Harry Potter to publishers again and again. Rather than stopping or downplaying her efforts, her persistence paid off. She demonstrated how sticking to our goals and releasing self- limiting beliefs about talent or value can lead to success.

So what happens when we let these stories run unchecked? They shape everything. Our choices, our relationships, our happiness. They create self-sabotage.

They keep us in cycles that don’t serve us and lead us to put our dreams on the back burner. These beliefs can manifest as us not speaking up, avoiding opportunities, or settling for less in relationships and careers because deep down we don’t believe we deserve more. It’s like being in a cage we didn’t even realize we walked ourselves into.

And this isn’t just theory or yoga woo. Dr. Carol Dweck’s research on neuroplasticity and mindset shows that when we shift from a fixed mindset where we believe our abilities are static, unchangeable, to a growth mindset, we open to new possibilities. Our brains are wired to change, but we have to start with challenging those old stories.

We can’t allow them to run the show. Think about how often you’ve stopped yourself from going after what you really want because of fear, self-doubt, or that nagging voice whispering that you’re not enough. Maybe it’s that project you’ve wanted to start, that business you’ve wanted to launch, that dream career you’re putting off, or even is just taking time for yourself to heal, recharge, and reset.

There was research published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience that shows that when we hold on to beliefs that tell us we’re not enough, it activates the same areas of the brain as physical pain. So these beliefs don’t just affect our thoughts, they affect your entire being. I remember one of my retreat participants who has actually been on retreat with me now a handful of times, but every time she came to the retreat she carried this quiet anxiety.

She questioned whether she deserved to be there, whether she was worthy of this time and space for herself. She was a busy mom leaving her kids at home to take this time away. But the more she challenged those thoughts, the more she realized that her fears were just illusions.

I love that she shared that by the end she saw that she didn’t need anyone’s permission to take up space. She left feeling lighter, empowered, and ready to show up for herself and her daughters in ways she’d never thought possible. And that’s the thing.

These stories we tell ourselves, they’re just stories, and we get to write new ones. All right, so let’s talk about shifting those beliefs. This process isn’t magic, but it is deeply transformational and it’s within your reach.

So if you are ready, go ahead and grab a journal or just take a deep breath and follow

along. I use a three-step process to work with releasing and overcoming limiting beliefs. The first step being to identify the The second step is to challenge its validity.

And the third is to replace it with a new empowering belief. I love combining this type of work with yoga nidra because yoga nidra really gives us that access point to the subconscious mind where we can kind of implant those new empowering beliefs. But let’s go ahead and dig into those three steps.

The first step is identifying the belief. This is the practice of inquiry. What’s one story you tell yourself that keeps you from moving forward? Maybe it’s like me.

Maybe your belief is, I don’t have enough experience. Or people won’t take me seriously. My opinion doesn’t matter.

Name it. Because awareness is the first step to change. And if there’s more than one that comes up, go ahead and write them all down.

Step two is to challenge its validity. So I want you to ask yourself, is this belief absolutely true? What evidence do I have to support it? And more importantly, what evidence do I have that contradicts it? For example, if you think I am not good enough, ask yourself, is that really true? What about the times you’ve shown up and done great things? Where did this belief come from? Get really clear about where this belief came from. Is it based on one moment of doubt? A comment someone made? Or maybe just a story you picked up along the way? Studies show that our minds are wired to seek evidence for whatever we believe, whether it’s true or not.

So when you start questioning these beliefs, you’ll often realize that they’re based on old stories, not reality. Tony Robbins once said, beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. When we challenge these beliefs, we shift our reality.

It’s all about seeing the bigger picture and realizing that we can shape our experiences by changing our internal dialogue. This is why manifestation works, because we begin to shift our reality by shifting our thoughts. So step three is replacing it, replacing that thought, that belief with a new empowering belief.

You’ll replace that old story with something new, something that feels true to who you’re becoming. For example, instead of saying I’m not enough, try I am enough and I’m ready for what’s next or something along those lines. There has even been scientific study on the power of affirmations, and they found that affirmations and positive self-talk actually activate the reward centers in our brain.

This shows that when we start speaking to ourselves differently, we’re not just changing thoughts, we’re rewiring our brain and shifting the way we experience our lives. We become more resilient and open to positive changes. You have the power to change your story.

You are not defined by your past, your mistakes, or what you’ve been told. You are not defined by your roles, by your You are so much more than that, and this is your chance to reclaim your truth, to stand in your power, and to open the door to what’s waiting for you. Before we wrap up, I want to challenge you.

Identify one limiting belief you are ready to let go of. Write it down, and use the steps we talked about today to challenge and replace it. Remember awareness and intention are the keys to creating change, and if you want more support, I’ve created a free resource for you.

It’s a PDF guide with prompts for releasing limiting beliefs and some affirmations to help you reinforce your new empowered mindset. You can download it for free in the show notes. I’m also going to include a link to a yoga nidra practice.

Yoga nidra is yogic sleep. It’s a guided deep relaxation where you actually access the subconscious mind, and it’s in that space of the subconscious mind where you can insert your new beliefs so you can begin to rewire your mind. It’s an incredibly powerful practice to have.

If you’ve never done it before, I encourage you to give it a try. All you have to do is receive. Both of these resources are available to you for free in the show notes.

If this episode resonated with you, screenshot it, share it on social media, tag me. Let’s build this community of growth together. Remember you have the power to shape your reality, and it all starts in your mind.

I’ll see you next time for another powerful episode on living in alignment with who you truly are. Bye for now.

Welcome to the Aligned Yogi Podcast, the podcast where we explore how to create a life that feels deeply aligned, vibrant, and true to your soul’s purpose. I’m your host, Autumn Adams, and today we’re diving into the concept of alignment, what it means, why it matters, and how you can start bringing more of it into your life. First of all, thank you so much for joining me on this very first episode of the Aligned Yogi Podcast.

This podcast had been on my heart for years. I decided to create the Aligned Yogi Podcast because I work with women who are maybe feeling a little out of alignment, right? They’re disconnected from their truth. They’re disconnected from their joy.
They focus all of their energy on others, their family, their work, their partners, and they tend to put themselves last. And it’s time that they and each of you reclaim your power, reclaim your worth, and live in a way that feels like it feeds your soul. So I wanna kick us off with a personal story from a time when I felt completely out of alignment.

I had been living in Bali, focusing on my own yoga practice, filling my cups, so to speak, and my time abroad was coming to an end and I was heading home. I needed to pick up some classes. I was coming back to a pretty full schedule, fortunately, but I still needed a few more so I could pay my bills and yada, yada, you know the drill.

So I was reaching out to my friends in the yoga community, trying to figure out which studios we’re hiring, and one of my dear friends, who I’m sure you’ll meet on this podcast, was teaching at a studio and they had a couple spots available and I was like, great, I’ll take that. I went, met the studio owner, and she was one of the most beautiful humans I’ve probably ever met. Kind, gentle, inviting.

And she had created this beautiful studio, which was really much more than a studio. It was a temple. And in my naivety at that time, I had no idea what it meant to teach at a temple.

The studio was for spiritual seekers and at that time, I wasn’t necessarily concerned with the spiritual path, what that would mean, what that could mean for my life or my students’ lives, but I needed a class. She ended up inviting me to teach at the studio a few days a week and of course, I said yes. I had bills to pay and I started teaching, but I had said yes when in my body, I knew and felt that it was a no or at least there was some hesitancy that I needed to do a little reflection on, but I said yes anyway.

I started teaching, but my classes, they weren’t taking off. They were small. I would get two or three people in my classes and that was it.

I was floundering, but I’m a problem solver. If you are familiar with human design, I’m a 5/1 projector and I like to solve problems. So what I do, I dove in deeper. I dove in harder. I was like, I can solve this. I started offering workshops at the studio. I started posting on social media all the time. I was doing everything I could think of to fill those classes and they still weren’t filling. It didn’t mean that I was a bad yoga teacher.

I was just in a place where my teaching wasn’t resonating with the students at that time, in that place, in that space. It really did me in because I was so used to having full classes. My confidence started wavering.

Self-doubt crept in and imposter syndrome took hold. Eventually, that yoga studio ended up closing and I was released and I got my time back and it was really beautiful. I had that few extra hours a week where I could focus on what I wanted to do next, what I wanted to create next, and what that was at that time was create a yoga teacher training.

So with that very same friend that got me the teaching job at that studio, we decided that we were going to launch a yoga teacher training together and we did and it was successful and it was beautiful. I felt like it was just the thing I needed to bring me back into a place of alignment. Looking back at that season of life when I was teaching at that yoga studio, I wish that I would have honored myself and the studio sooner and let those classes go.

I wish I had had that heart-to-heart conversation with the studio owner to really ultimately reclaim my power and reclaim my time because that commitment, that commitment of me teaching at that yoga studio was keeping me from living out what I was supposed to be doing. And I know this will resonate with you because we’ve all had jobs that haven’t served us and sometimes even when it’s a beautiful job, something about it just isn’t aligned as it could be. I know that we can all relate to this.

So whether you’ve been in a similar position and you haven’t wanted to rock the boat or give up the money or have that difficult conversation, know that you’re totally normal. Your mind simply wants to keep you safe and what is familiar is what is safe. Hindsight is always 20-20.

And I see so many gifts and lessons from when I was teaching at that studio. I grew so much in ways I never expected to grow. I learned about what it means to be a trauma- informed teacher.

I got certified in Reiki. But most importantly, I learned how to recognize the signs of being out of alignment and to trust that inner wisdom. But today, I’m here to tell you that living in alignment is exactly what you need to live a more vibrant, authentic life.
So what does alignment mean? I’m going to give you one of the definitions from the Oxford Dictionary. Alignment means a position of agreement or alliance. So when you think about alignment, what is the alliance that you are creating? Who is your alliance with? Is it with you, your job, your partner? Are you in alliance with some cultural ideal that doesn’t serve you? Are you in alliance with someone or something that serves you or doesn’t serve you? Who and what are you aligning with? Are you aligning with your truth? So what does living in alignment really mean? What does that translate to? As yogis, when we think of alignment, we think of it in our physical postures, right? Which is great.

When we’re aligning in a pose, we’re setting up our pose in a way that will serve our body best. But alignment in your life is about much more than the physical body. The great thing about our yoga practice is that we can practice coming into alignment again and again and again.

It gets easier and easier every time. And eventually, we’re able to transfer that ability and that knowledge off of the mat. Alignment off the mat is about creating congruency in all areas of your life.

It’s when your actions, your thoughts, and your feelings all line up with your core values and the life you wanna create. It is living in integrity. Think of it as living in harmony with yourself, your truest self, not the self that somebody else has put on you, not the masks that you wear, not how society has told you to live your life.

On the mat, alignment is about positioning your body with intention. But off the mat, it’s about intentionally making decisions that feel authentic and aligned with who you really are. It’s about cultivating satya, or truthfulness, and honoring your higher self.

Living in alignment, it’s not just a nice idea, a nice to have. It is essential for living a fulfilling life. Alignment impacts everything.

Your decisions, your relationships, your health, and ultimately, it affects your happiness. So the truth is, when you’re aligned, you naturally make choices that support your growth and wellbeing. But when you’re out of alignment, it shows up as feeling constantly exhausted, overwhelmed, or even unmotivated.

Maybe for you, it feels like you’re stuck or you’re living someone else’s dream. I feel awful just saying that, right? Stuck living someone else’s dream. Are you stuck living someone else’s dream or are you living your dream? Maybe it shows up as needing to do more, do more, do more, do more to solve the problem, like what happened for me.

When you’re out of alignment, you might start to feel like you’re just going through the motions instead of living with purpose. For me personally, sometimes when I am out of alignment, it shows up as me becoming paralyzed and incapable of making decisions.

Like when I was teaching at that yoga studio, I was paralyzed.

I felt like I couldn’t leave the studio because I had that obligation, right? I had the obligation to my friend and to the studio itself. I was incapable of making a decision that would move me forward, that would move me toward growth. And ultimately, I did end up growing from that experience.

But it was after much reflection. So when I am in that place of being paralyzed, when I am in stuck in fear or indecision, oftentimes it’s like every cell in my body is saying no, it’s saying no, pay attention. Have you ever experienced this? And do you ignore it? Do you listen? Because I am completely guilty of both.

So if this resonates, it’s a sign that something in your life is misaligned. And it’s probably time to take a closer look. Our brains are actually wired to keep us safe by sticking to familiar patterns.

I’m sure if you’re here, you’ve also probably heard of Joe Dispenza, Dr. Joe Dispenza, and maybe even read his books. He has a book called Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself. And in that book, he shares that our brain’s default mode is to stay within what’s predictable, even if it’s not good for us, because it’s trying to protect us from perceived threats.

And our brain perceives things that aren’t actually a threat and that can actually move us closer into alignment as risks. So whether we are responding to a student’s email, switching class times, investing in a mentor, choosing a different restaurant, joining a new mom’s group, trying out a new yoga studio, it perceives these as threats. It perceives them as if we’re actually being chased by the dang tiger.

The amygdala is often called the brain’s fear center. And it kicks in when we consider making changes that challenge our comfort zone. Anytime we want to make a change, our brain sees them as risks rather than opportunities.
And this is how we end up staying stuck in misaligned routines, habits, jobs, or environments simply because they feel familiar and safe. The good thing is, is it is possible to train your brain. And we have to retrain the brain to open to possibility and not be afraid of possibility.

We have to get comfortable with the uncomfortable so we can discover what is on the other side of that door. So here’s the thing. These familiar patterns may feel really safe right now, but they’re not always serving us in the long run.
I’m sure you’ve all probably heard of Brene Brown. If you haven’t, look her up. Her work is amazing.

She shows us that living authentically and embracing our vulnerability are both essential
components of living in alignment. It requires us to step out of our comfort zone and change these old patterns. If we don’t, we end up disconnected from our true selves and the life we’re meant to live. We lose sight of who we are at our core and we start masking to fit in.

There was another study, the Harvard-Grant study. It was a 75-year study, I think it was 75 years, and probably the longest, if not one of the longest running studies on human happiness.

And they found that having a sense of purpose and living in alignment with that purpose is a key predictor of long-term fulfillment. So in other words, when you live in alignment with who you truly are, everything shifts. You not only feel more connected to your work, your relationships, and yourself, but you also experience a deeper level of joy, clarity, energy, and happiness.

There’s no time to wait. You don’t wait until you’re ready. You don’t wait until the time is right because misalignment will creep into every corner of your life if you don’t address it.

If you’ve been feeling disconnected, overwhelmed, or stuck, it’s a sign that your body, your mind, and your spirit are all calling for realignment. The longer we ignore these signals, the more disconnected we become from our true selves and the life we’re meant to live. So if you’re feeling that nudge from the universe, don’t wait.

Start asking yourself, where am I out of alignment? What small steps can I take to make the shifts? This is the moment to choose yourself and the life you want because waiting for the perfect time only delays your happiness. And I want you to be happy. And I know you want to be happy as well.

So now you might be asking, how do I begin the process of realigning without blowing up my frickin’ life, right? Sometimes it feels that way. My advice, start small. It doesn’t have to be complicated.

In fact, it’s often the simplest practices that create the biggest shifts. Some of them you might already be doing. You just need to redirect them.

So I’m going to share a few easy ways that you can get started. First of all, set a daily intention. Each morning, ask yourself, what do I want to feel today? What do I want to align with? Maybe even ask yourself, what alliance am I creating? This sets the tone for your day and keeps you focused on what’s important.

It’s the same practice you do in a yoga class, right? In a yoga class, your teacher will often offer an intention for the practice or they’ll ask you to set an intention for your own practice. Often they’ll use a prompt like what brought you to your mat today? Or what do you want to cultivate? It’s the same idea. Set an intention for your day right at the beginning and write it down.

Write it down somewhere that you will see it again and again. Put it on Post-it notes, put it on the bathroom mirror, your desk, your water bottle. You are way more likely to achieve your goals, your intention in this case, if you write it down.

And you’re even more so likely to achieve your goals or your intentions if you share it with somebody. So maybe you find an accountability buddy that also wants to work on realigning and reconnecting with their truth. Share it.

Share your intention. Share your intention with anybody that will listen. Share it with the coffee shop barista if you want.

Share it with your yoga students or your yoga teacher. Share it with your coworkers. Inspire them to do the same.

Second, get out your journal. Dust that thing off because journaling is a powerful tool for checking in with yourself. It’s a tool for self-inquiry, self-study.

We call it svadhyaya in Sanskrit in yoga. Each night before you go to bed, try writing out where you feel most aligned in your life and in your day. Note where you felt most disconnected.

Prompts like, where do I feel tension in my body? Or what’s one thing I’m saying yes to that I don’t actually want to be saying yes to? Journaling can open you up to receive a lot of insights and help you access your intuition. If you aren’t into journaling, I totally get it. I encourage you to go for a tech-free walk

So no phones, no headphones, none of that. Just go for a walk and use that as an opportunity to reflect. You can ask yourself the same questions, the same types of questions.

Where do I feel tension in my body today? Did I notice where this tension crept in? Was it during a phone call, a tough conversation with my boss or a coworker or spouse? Was it picking up my kids from school? What did I say yes to when I meant to say no? Use it as an opportunity to check in and meet yourself with compassion and grace. Know that you are doing the best you can with the tools you have, and it’s only going to get better from here as you become more tooled, more resourced. And finally, take time to breathe each and every day.

Find a quiet spot, or maybe it’s a not-so-quiet spot because sometimes life isn’t quiet. I have a three-year-old at home. Finding quiet is not always possible, but I can model sitting in silence and breathing mindfully for my three-year-old.

He is fully capable of sitting and breathing for a minute at least. And so I am sure you can do that too. So just take a moment each and every day, close your eyes, take a deep breath in, and ask yourself, how do I feel about my work, my relationships, my health?

And let your breath be your guide as you explore these areas.

Notice any tightness or discomfort in your physical body because these are clues that may point to misalignment. And I want you to use your exhale to cultivate more awareness, to explore, to get really curious. And from that place of awareness and that place of self-compassion, I want you to soften and give yourself grace as you release a little of that discomfort, a little of that belief, a little of that physical tightness, wherever that misalignment is residing in your being.

And finally, I want you to celebrate where you are in alignment because I know there are parts of your life where you are in alignment and you’re like, eff yes, I’ve got this. Those are the parts of your life that feel so freaking good. And I want you to do more of that.

Do more of what feels right. Do more of what nourishes your soul. All right, yogis.

Before we wrap up, let’s do a quick alignment check-in together. Sit tall. Close your eyes if it’s safe to do so.

Obviously, if you’re driving, don’t do that. And take a deep breath. And ask yourself, where in my life do I feel out of alignment?

Be open.
Be the witness. Simply ask, where in my life do I feel out of alignment? Notice what comes up. Maybe it’s work.

Maybe it’s a relationship. Maybe it’s how you’re taking care of your body or your mental health. Whatever it is, acknowledge it without judgment.

Awareness is the first step toward realigning. Keeping those eyes closed another moment longer. Check in once more.

Notice where you are in alignment. What parts of your life feed your soul, bring you the most joy? Where you know with every cell in your being that you are in integrity, that you are in your gifts. Acknowledge it.

It’s easy to get stuck in thoughts of negativity like not being aligned enough, being too disconnected. I really want you to be in celebration. Because being in celebration is what’s going to raise your vibration and lift you up out of that place.

If you haven’t done so already, go ahead and open your eyes. Before we wrap up this podcast, I want you to choose just one of these practices. Before we wrap up, I want you to choose one of these practices I’ve shared with you to practice each day this week.

Don’t overwhelm yourself. Remember, start small. And we’ll start reframing your mind, your thoughts, and your beliefs.

So whether you are journaling or setting a daily intention or taking a moment to breathe mindfully, experiment and see what shifts for you. And if you are ready to dive deeper, I’ve created a free alignment worksheet for you. It’s a simple guide to help you assess different areas of your life and start taking action one step at a time.

You can download it at ambujayoga.com slash alignment hyphen worksheet. I’ll spell that out for you. Ambujayoga is A-M-B-U-J-A-Y-O-G-A dot com slash alignment hyphen worksheet.

And if you love this episode, be sure to subscribe so you never miss a chance to create the life you were meant to live. Thank you so much for tuning in and I can’t wait to connect with you again next week. Bye for now.