True north

Navigating life is a journey of ups and down, hazy days and clear skies, illusions and enlightenment. So how do we continue to move forward when we feel lost? For me, it’s been a lot of seeing, feeling and experiencing all of the above and the shifts and changes within my own heart, mind and being. Life hands us opportunities everyday to make choices that can change the direction of our lives, so recognizing that the good, the bad and the ugly are not sentences but rather open-ended circumstances left for us to decide on the outcome that’ll launch us into that next step. Of all the work I do, what it really boils down to is intuition. Processing from a place of intuition, gut instinct, I’ve found an indisputable certainty that whatever it is feels right for me is up to me, and who can argue that? In this way, we retain our authenticity and live our truth. This is what true north means to me. Living life from a place that unique in all of us, that sets us apart from one another which no one can change or replicate. It took me some time to understand/make sense of this because although we are born with instincts, it takes experiences to develop our intuition and build trust in the process. 

I’ve thought about this often throughout the development of my profession and career goals. I’m often asked why and how I ended up where I am today. I, too, ask this question to others because I really enjoy learning about everyone’s stories and watching them unfold. My story started way back in my teens when magazine subscriptions were a thing. I grew attraction to health and wellness articles for vanity… I mean I’ll be honest I was just a teen! Fast forward to college, my loving parents advised me to “follow my passion”. For me that meant either studying dance or nutrition. I wound up choosing the university that “felt right to me”, Cal Poly SLO (Go Mustangs!) where I was accepted as a nutrition major. It wasn’t until I started taking upper division nutrition courses that knew that was the career for me. I delve further into my studies and discovered I was a total science nerd — biochemistry and metabolism, human anatomy, physiological pathways and mechanisms, disease prevention and medical nutrition therapy— loved it all. I was fascinated by the intricacies of the human body, nutritional value of food and the impact on our health, so I set out to pursue the path to becoming a registered dietitian. I completed a year-long dietetic internship, passed the RD exam, then earned a masters degree in nutrition and exercise physiology. All that said in one sentence, but it didn’t actually play out that cut and dry. 

(Enter yoga). I’ll admit I had doubts and uncertainty of the direction I was going in. I’m assuming the large majority can relate in their own way. Practicing yoga went from my preferred form of exercise to straight up therapy. The practice has changed my life in so many way for the better, and I believe a lot of it for me has centered around strengthening my intuition and trust in the process that has been my guiding light. I fell so in love with learning yoga, I studied and became certified to teach it. My practice has challenged me in many different ways and constantly asking me to take a good hard look at myself, accept myself and all circumstances as they are and redirect my attention back to my true north… helping others towards greater health and happiness, and building a community that helps each other thrive in this journey called life and minimizing preventable suffering. Whether I’m working with individuals on their nutrition, teaching yoga or any other business I wind up in, as long as I’m doing this, I’m confident I’m heading in the right direction. 

Shout out to my family, friends, teachers and mentors (VIPs!) who’ve kept me grounded and collected throughout this journey. Namaste.