Ep 21: Teaching Yoga and How It Affects Family Dynamics

When my daughter, Olivia, was born, I was an elementary school teacher and I decided to put my career on pause and stay at home with her. We spent at least 2 years of her life together all the time… and we both loved it! I decided to go back to work but in a different capacity as an Educational Consultant (where I could decide how much or how little I wanted to work) which was perfect. I was working in schools coaching teachers so my work schedule naturally allowed me to be at home with her in the evenings, 2-3 days during the week, and of course weekends. 

In 2012, I started teaching yoga…. And that’s when my schedule changed. So naturally as a new yoga teacher I took all the classes I could get… 

This is the subject of this episode…. family dynamics, changes in schedules, and the effects it has on everyone involved. 

Listen as we discuss:

• How my schedule change affected her & how it made her feel 
• Ways she adjusted when I had to teach yoga classes during weekends or evenings
• How we found time to spend together despite my busy teaching schedule
• Positive or negative changes in my mood or energy levels when I began to prioritize my own yoga practice, and what effect that had on her
• Changes in the atmosphere or routines at home as a result of the influence of my yoga practice
• Taking Liv to Restorative classes with me - I wanted to help her learn ways to relax and calm her mind. How she felt about going to those classes 
• Times when my yoga teaching schedule clashed with a family event or commitment, and how she handled it? 
• Balancing my role as a yoga teacher with my responsibilities as a parent
• Advice for other children of yoga teachers who may be struggling with shifting schedules and family dynamics

We had such a great conversation! I hope you enjoy it!

Transcript

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I think at first I was not a fan of the idea of going to classes. One, because I was like a teenager, like that's just like teenage angst. That's just like how teenagers are. And then also I was going through some personal stuff where I was just, I was angry at the world. I was angry at everyone. So I just wanted to be left alone by myself completely, but I went anyway. And I think. I don't, I don't remember much of the actual classes. I feel like being at those classes, it was kind of a way to like bond without having to talk to you in a weird way. You know, I was very resistant to the idea of sitting down, let's have a deep conversation, but this was a way to make our relationship closer without having to do any of that hard work that I didn't really. Want to do so I'm actually very grateful for that. So I think even though I'd like hated it I'm not hated it. Even though I was moody about it at the time. I think it was very beneficial Welcome to the essential conversations for yoga teachers podcast with me I'm Monica bright and I've been teaching yoga and running my yoga business for over a decade This is the podcast for you. If you're a yoga teacher, you're looking for support You You love to be in conversation, and you're a lifelong student. In this podcast, I'll share with you my life as a yoga teacher, the lessons I've learned, all the stuff that wasn't taught in teacher training, my process for building my business and helpful ideas, tools, and strategies and systems I use and you can use so that your business thrives. We'll cover a diverse range of topics that will help you whether you're just starting out or you've got years under your belt and you want to dive deep and set yourself up for success. I'm so glad you're here. Listen, I don't take myself too seriously, so expect to hear some laughs along the way. Now let's do this together. Welcome back to the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers podcast. Today I have a special guest on the podcast. oldest daughter, Olivia. I'm so excited to have her on today because well, number one, she's brilliant. Number two, she loves to be in conversation. I mean, she'll spark up a conversation with just about anyone. And three, she has an interesting perspective because she's the child of a yoga teacher. So we talk a lot about our schedules and work life balance, and I know that you think about the effect your career choice has on your family. And so I thought it was important to bring her on and get her perspective directly from her mouth. So welcome, Olivia. Hi. Hi. Hi. My mom, I, all right. I'll start with a little background information here. When Olivia was born, I was an elementary school teacher and I decided to put my career on pause and stay home with her. So we spent at least two years of her life together all the time. And. I loved it. I decided to go back to work, but in a different capacity as an educational consultant where I could decide how much or how little I wanted to work, which was perfect. So I was working in schools, coaching teachers. And my work schedule naturally allowed me to be at home with her in the evenings, two to three days during the week. And of course on weekends, but in 2012, I started teaching yoga and that's when my schedule changed. So naturally as a new yoga teacher, I took all the classes I could get except for the 6am class. Which the studio I worked for often gave to new teachers, but I had a hard, non negotiable that I would and I could never teach this class because of my children's schedules. But this is what this episode is about. It's about family dynamics, changes in schedules. And the effects that it has on everyone involved. So Olivia was about nine ish, 10 ish years old when I started teaching yoga. And the questions that I'm going to ask her as just like off the cuff, I kind of just want to see how she was feeling as she was going through the process of me beginning this new journey. career of mine. So I know that you were kind of young, Liv, when this happened. But do you feel like my schedule changed unexpectedly? And if you did, how did that make you feel? Well, it was kind of gradual. Like you were going to classes first, like you would go with your friends. And I would be like, Oh, that's fun. You know, good for you. And then you started teaching and I feel like that also, I think I wasn't super aware of the like schedule changes. It was mainly like the stuff you started doing at home. Like when you were spending like a lot of time sequencing and I was like, Oh, this is for real, this is going to become a big thing for you. Like you're really, really into this. I think I was, I was just kind of not indifferent, but I wasn't upset. About it. I was glad you had something that you were really, really passionate about. Cause even though I was nine, I could tell you were super into this, you know? Yeah. I mean, even if we took it back to before I started teaching and when I was taking classes a lot and when I was in teacher training, so teacher training had me in lectures all day, Saturday and all day Sunday, which that was a drastic change. Uh, to our. Schedules because I used to be home on Saturdays and Sundays all day and now I was gone and it's okay if it made you feel some kind of way, I just want you to be honest and if you feel like you were too young to really have some feelings around it, you know, that's fine too, but I realized even during teacher training that Saturdays and Sundays, I wasn't there. And even sometimes when I would go to classes in the evenings, I wasn't there when you all were doing homework. Alright, so let me ask you this. Can you recall any ways that you felt like you had to adjust? When I was not at home on the weekends, like adjust in your schedules when I wasn't there. Well, there's, there's kind of an adjustment in the way that me and Charlotte had to come with you sometimes to your classes. We had to either, we had to go to your classes and just like sit in like the waiting room or we had to go and like meet up with our grandma and sit in the car. For like an hour, and to be honest, this is the part where I get a bit, not hateful, but I really did not like going to the classes and having to sit in the studio, cause there was like nothing to do, like I didn't have a, a phone or anything, there's only so many books you can bring to the yoga studio, and then I had to somehow keep Charlotte entertained as well. When that was happening, I think that was one of the points where I was like, upset. I was like, why does this like, have to be happening? But it wasn't, I don't think it was super common. I think it was just in the mornings most days, which made me really upset because I don't like getting up early. Yeah, I can imagine that being a little bit frustrating because not only would you have to keep yourself occupied, but you'd also have to try to stay quiet. Yeah, yeah. And with Charlotte, cause Charlotte was like, how old was she? If I was nine, she was like, like five or six. And I was like, what am I supposed to do with this small child to keep her entertained? I guess somehow it worked because you didn't get kicked out of any studios for like, noise complaint. No, I didn't like that, even though I understand like it was kind of necessary. I understand why you did it, so I'm not like, Oh, I don't like it and I'm upset at you. I just didn't like it. And you know, that's fine. It's fine for people to not like things. That doesn't mean they have to be angry at people because of it. Alright, so let's shift gears a little bit. I wonder if you noticed Any positive changes in my mood or my energy levels when you saw me practicing yoga at home or going to classes, maybe meditating more or becoming a little bit more spiritual over time? Did you notice any changes? in me or maybe how I was handling situations at home, anything like that. You definitely became more spiritual because I remember a big debacle in the house was like you had sage and you would like burn it all throughout the house. And I would pitch a fit because Sage gave me headaches, but you were definitely like, Very spiritual. You had the singing bowl. Yeah. And I feel like the house kind of, even though you're becoming more spiritual, it's not like the house became toned down and muted. It just became more lively because you had all this yoga and spirituality related stuff all throughout the house. And it was nice seeing like your passions be all around your house. Obviously, it wasn't just a nice looking house. It felt like a very homey house, especially after that. Yeah. I, you know, um, that, that's interesting because I think the time that we're talking about now is pre COVID. And that's when I worked outside of the house. So to be clear to the listeners, she's away in college. Right now. So I'm talking to her all the way over in the UK. The wonders of like tech and technology these days is awesome. I feel as though during COVID, especially at the start, I wanted to make our home space like more homey, right? Because we were here all the time. And so if we're going to be here all the time, then I wanted to feel like we're Like just a place where we can relax and just be, as opposed to a pit stop place, right? Like you go to school and then you pit stop at home to, to eat dinner and sleep and then you go back to school or to your activities and everything. But to make this a place where we could settle and just be, but I think I was a little bit more intentional about, well, if I'm bringing yogic practices into the house. Full time for work, then maybe that might also change the atmosphere a little bit around the house. What do you think about that? I think definitely the, the atmosphere even affected me. I think I was working pretty hard in the stuff I did. I was taking multiple AP classes, doing all this work. And then I was used to just going home and then going to my room and then waking up and then going back to school around that time, like near COVID and during COVID, I was just able to relax. I would hang out, hang around, around different areas of the house, which I used to never do, all the areas, specifically the areas you decorated, like our living room, of course, and some areas in the kitchen. It kind of, like, expanded my safe space a bit. I guess that was the intention, yeah, but it was like everything became, like, a lot more welcoming, you know? Yeah. Okay, do you remember, and we'll go back now, this was Before COVID, but do you remember that I was teaching a restorative class and I thought that you coming to take that restorative class would be good for you? You were a high schooler at this, at this, I think you were a high schooler or I was in middle school, middle school. Okay. So early teenage years, which can be difficult to navigate. For young adults, but I thought that you coming to take a restorative class might help you feel a little less anxious and maybe give you some tips to help relax you and calm you and I want to ask you, like, how you felt about going to those classes, because, like, as your mother, it's like, I'm doing this for your good, to give you some tools and some strategies for navigating life and everything. And of course, I'm a big proponent of yoga and the practices of yoga, like deep breathing. Right and meditation and learning to be still but I know that as a yoga teacher, right? And I'm a full grown adult, but as a child How'd you feel about that and you can be honest? I think at first I was not a fan of the idea of going to Classes one because I was like a teenager like that's just like teenage angst. That's just like how teenagers are And then also I was going through some personal stuff where I was just, I was angry at the world, I was angry at everyone. So I just wanted to be left alone by myself completely, but I went anyway. And I think, I don't, I don't remember much of the actual classes. I think I fell asleep during one of them and all of your students were laughing at it. But I mean, not in a mean way. They were just like, huh, like she fell asleep. But I feel like that kind of helped me because, I Obviously, at this point, I wasn't, like, looking to be friendly and sociable with a lot of people and were just very angry at being at those classes. It was kind of a way to, like, bond without having to talk to you in a weird way, you know? I was very resistant to the idea of, like, sitting down, let's have a deep conversation. But this was kind of a way to, like, make our relationship closer without having to do any of that hard work that I didn't really want to do. So I'm actually very grateful for that. So I think even though I like hated it, I'm not hated it. Even though I was moody about it at the time, I think it was very beneficial. I like the way you described it and said you were moody about it at the time. Do you remember me being moody about it at the time? Yeah, I remember you being moody about it, but I think my thought process was, but this is going to be so good for you. And even though you're resistant to it, I kind of expected that because you're a teenager, you know, teenagers are resistant to a lot. But my thinking was, it's okay. You just need to experience it. Okay. And once you experience it and maybe learn something from going through the experience. Then years down the road, if you look back at it, then you might have a different take on it. Right. Or you might think, Oh, that thing that I did in that class, I remember that made me feel a kind of way. And it's not like you have to, like you kind of mentioned before, it's not like you have to come to me and be like, Oh yeah, this, this, and this worked. But it's more internal. It's like, I remember that that made me feel. A way that I like and so I'll try some of those strategies and I don't necessarily have to tell my mom about it, you know, yeah, yeah. And even I think I got the purpose of the class while I was going there, even if I didn't discover my passion for yoga or anything like that. I got the restorative moment where I was just able to like, how do I, how do I say this? It was just a very mindful moment. And I don't, I don't really have many of these. I don't think it's. In my nature, sadly, but it was, it was like, really, that's like exactly what I needed at the time. So a couple of things. Number one, the students loved that you were there in class that made them smile. So I just want you to know that. And as a teacher, like, obviously, like I watch my students while I'm teaching. So I would watch you while I was teaching those classes. Thank you so much. And especially in a restorative yoga class, so restorative teachers, yoga teachers can tell the moment when student begin to relax, right? And we can see when there's a bit of a transition from feeling anxious or kind of like on to a more relaxed state. And Honestly, that was part of why I wanted to bring you to those classes was to help you experience that transition, right? But I could see you when class started, like I could see your finger, like tapping the mat and tapping, tapping, tapping over and over. And then eventually, and I would let it go. I wouldn't do anything. I taught you just like I taught everybody else in the class. And then I would watch you and eventually over, I think that class was like, Did 75 minutes, I think it was. And so I would watch you over the span of the class and I'd watch you relax and your finger would stop tapping. And yeah, there were some times that you fell asleep in the class, but I would not be honest if I didn't say in a way I wanted you to fall asleep, I wanted you to downregulate and then fall asleep. And to have that experience of calm and relaxation. Yeah. Cause like, lowkey at this time, I was like a, like a live wire. I don't think I was ever relaxed, even though it looked like sometimes I was just lounging around the house. There was just so much going on in my head. I wasn't relaxed at like bedtime. I would just be up reading all night until I really passed out. I just wasn't ever fully calm and with myself and I kind of needed that, that period where I was doing those restoratives classes or else I would have lost my mind. I just needed a bit of time where I could calm down, you know? Yeah, I get it. And obviously if you're used to being not stressed out, but just occupied all day, you're going to resist someone telling you, okay, let's slow it down. Which is probably why I was like, no, I don't want to go to the restorative class. I don't want to. I feel like that might be one of the main reasons behind why I was so against it. It helped. Yeah. Okay. So do you feel comfortable? And again, you can be super honest here. I won't take offense to, you know, any of your answers or your reflections, because I think that there's so much growth that can come out of going through this experience. And once you're on the other side of the experience, you're almost grown now, right? And we've gone through that, but it can help me look back and maybe think about how I do things differently or, you know, with, with Charlotte. Well, I mean, you know, things are different now because. I work out of the house, so I'm not away from Charlotte, which is Liv's younger sister. I'm not away from her like I would have been if I was teaching out in studios anymore. But can you recall a time when my schedule clashed with a family event or some kind of commitment that we had as a family? Maybe I couldn't go. And how did you feel about that? How'd you handle that? Oh, baby. Well, well, I can't, I can't actually think of any, like, family events, like, anything where me and you and Charlotte were supposed to go out, but I can definitely think of times where I made plans with my friends, like, months before, and we were finally going to do this thing, and I was like, Mom, can I please have a ride? And you were like, I have yoga. And I was like, Oh, especially because it was really hard with your schedule. I don't think I ever memorized. Okay, this is when you have this class, this class, this class. So it's like every time I would just be blindsided by it. So that was, oh my God, that was very annoying, especially cause I couldn't take the bus or walk at that time. Or get an Uber. But, especially after going to college, I feel like I'm just like, more used to people having weird schedules. It's like, it's kind of like you're a college student permanently. That's a bad analogy. But it's like, your schedule, it's just like all, it's not like the typical 9 to 5, you know? So I'm more used to asking people, Oh, can we do this? And they're like, no, sorry, I'm busy. And I'm like, Oh, I didn't know that, but that's fine. You know? So I think after coming home after college and you being like, Oh, I'm busy at that time, I can't, I can't do this. I'd be like, Oh yeah, that's fine. You know? But it was, it was definitely like, Oh my gosh, it was, it was so tragic at first. That's, that's great that you bring that up. And I appreciate that because. My recollection is that my schedule pretty much stayed the same. I didn't switch out classes too much, but of course, yes, I was working a lot evenings and a lot on weekends. But when we have this conversation and I can look back on it, it's like, What I remember is that my schedule didn't change a lot. And what you remember is something different, right? You didn't know what was going on. And so I say this all the time. I don't like dwelling in the problem all the time, but what is the solution to this, right? So if you look back, having a family calendar, right? On Wednesday nights, this is where mom is going to be. You know, this is her regular class and even if schedules change, okay. But I put it on this, this visual calendar so that everybody knows what's going on. Because again, like I said, in my mind, you know, like what, where I am, what I'm doing, you know, Yeah, I think, I think it wasn't that your schedule was changing all the time. It was just that I would just forget every single day. Like, does mom have classes today? Well, I really don't remember. I'm gonna agree to go to the movies with friends. And I think that's why it's improved with, with college now because before, before I went to college I didn't know anyone who had that kind of schedule where they weren't just busy 9 to 5 or 8 to 3. Um, But yeah, after college I'm used to, oh, this person has so and so schedule, you know. It's not gonna always be like that. What you expect, you know? Yeah. I mean, you know, because for the first, like I said, mentioned before, 19 years of your life, my schedule was on the same track as your schedule with schools, cause I worked in schools. So I was home in the evenings. I was home on the weekends. If I switched schools or my schedule changed, it didn't really affect you because it was while you were in school, just simply having. a calendar or something so that you could see even if my schedule is the same all the time. So you wouldn't have to rely on, Oh my gosh, I totally forgot. Or I wasn't thinking Wednesday is early. I can't do Wednesday night, but I could do Thursday or Friday. Yeah. Yeah, I think, I don't know why I didn't say like, let's put a calendar up. I mean, maybe for Charlotte, but yeah, that's a good idea for sure. Well, Charlotte seems like she has your schedule more memorized than I do. Well, I mean, it's different now because I work from home, right? So on the times that I do, because I partner with studios and do workshops and trainings with them, So I do need to communicate that with her this Saturday afternoon. I'm going to be busy because I have to go out and work at this studio. So I still from time to time do need to go out, but mostly, mostly I'm at home. And she kind of knows too, when I'm coaching calls, she knows that I'll be occupied, but I'm still at home. Yeah. Now that we're older, you're still our mom, but we don't rely on you for everything. I bet if Charlotte wanted to go to the mall, she could just call one of her friends and be like, drive me to the mall. I think now it's a lot easier to get around. It's a lot easier to get around now. Okay. So let me, let me ask you this. Do you feel comfortable talking to me about how my schedule affected you? Uh, yeah. Yeah. It didn't, it didn't bother me that much. I think there were a few things maybe I would have at school or something that you were like, sorry, I can't make this because I'm busy. Honestly, probably weren't that important. Cause I don't remember the names of any of them. But I think it would just be a few minutes or an hour of flight annoyance, like, Ugh, she can't drive me to the mall. And then I would be fine. I think it also inspired me to be more independent. Now I love taking public transit and walking everywhere because it's freedom to do the stuff. I don't think I would have discovered that if you were just like, Okay, I'll drive you around and quit my job and be your personal chauffeur. But do you think that that's more a byproduct of you being over in the UK and that's the culture over there, which is public transportation is awesome there and people don't really drive? Yeah. Yeah. Well, that, that definitely increased it to the point where now it's annoying and I just talk to everyone I meet about public transportation, but I think I was taking the bus with my friends before I went to university. I was just less confident with it. But now I feel like. Pretty much anywhere I want to go, I could get there by myself. I'm not saying it would be fun, because the public transportation in Chicago is not the greatest. I would have been very dependent. I would have lost my mind moving here if I was used to being driven around all the time. And I come here, and not a lot of people drive. Let me ask you this, because I do have a memory of my schedule changing drastically. And then having to talk to you and Charlotte about finding the thing that you love in life and doing that thing and not allowing people or situations, whatever it is, to not let you go after your dreams. And you should be. Wanting to pursue your dreams, whether you have a partner, whether you have a family, you still are an independent person who has their own life, right? And should be able to pursue dreams, even being a mother. Yes. Yes. Yeah. So I remember having those conversations. I know it's different, but this is what I want for you all too. I want you to pursue your dreams. I want you to go out there and say, even though so and so is saying no to me, it's what I want to do. And it's the thing I love doing. And so I'm not going to let that get in the way of my life. Yeah. I think I was very down with that. I don't exactly remember my exact emotions, but I think I was very down with that sentiment. Because I think, I've always been like, I'll latch on to something and be very passionate about it. Whether it be something useful, like volcanoes when I was younger, or something useless, like certain music groups when I was younger. So that's definitely influenced like a lot of my friendships and relationships. I've broken it off with someone because they had no passions and I was like, okay, well, what do you plan on doing exactly? Because I don't want to be feeling like the weird one for being passionate about something here. And I think my current passion now or what I want to do with my I think it's very, it's not off the beaten path, I would say. I didn't, I didn't fall for the, you should major in computer science because you'll make lots of money. I was like, why would I do something that I'm not passionate about just for the money, you know? So I'm sticking to my guns, even if the path to it is sometimes scary, or sometimes I have to diverge from what other people think I should be doing. And so what would you do if you were friends or in a relationship with someone who was like, no, you shouldn't be doing that. Yeah, I've had that from certain family members. They'll send me like, Oh, you should do this job. You should really do this job. Even though I've said, No, this is what I want to do. I've got the whole path lined up. And what I do is I just look at it and I'll be like, That's interesting. I'm not going to argue with them because it's not my job to prove to them that what I want to do is worth doing. You know, if they think this thing is interesting, I should do it. I'd be like, Well, that's an interesting career, you know, eventually I think people will understand as I move forward with my goals, that they're what I'm going to do. I'm not going to bend to what someone wants me to do just because they're close to me or something. I'm not entertaining them saying you should be doing this. All right. I think that there were definite times where I struggled to balance my role as parent. My career goals, coupled with responsibilities around the house and everything, but how do you view how I balanced all of that? And again, you can be honest. Honesty is what's going to help people connect and know that if they're struggling with it, they're not alone. Yeah. I wasn't super upset about you stopping or slowing down on some things so that you can focus on others. I'd say you don't really, you know, cook much. Even though I would get sad about that sometimes because you make really good pasta. Like, really good. So that would be so sad. But if you were just in your room sequencing, you don't really sequence much anymore because you're so good at it. It's just common sense now. I would just go in your room, sit on the floor, and be on my phone. And that was enough bonding for me. That's actually how I prefer to hang out with people. I don't know. Just us chilling, doing our own things. I don't think, the stuff that you dropped, it wasn't dropping being emotionally supportive. You weren't making me and Charlotte walk home from school every day in zero degree weather. So, the stuff that you did drop, I think you had a very good balance of what's needed to maintain the happy home life. But, yeah, I feel like, I feel like you had a very good balance. Um, what was important to keep and what was okay to drop without really hurting me and Charlotte much in order to focus on your work, your passions. Yeah. I mean, I'll, I'll be honest on my end, I experienced a certain amount of guilt for being. Yeah. away, especially in the beginning, because when I started teaching, I could not demand classes or class times, right? So I had to take a break. What was available or take what they were offering to me. And honestly, evening classes and weekend classes are coveted classes, right? Those are the ones that get full. And those are the ones that you can get more students in. So you can reach a wider student base or grow a wider student base. And for me, it was like trying to find this delicate balance of, well, I don't want to be just teaching 9am classes because the nature of classes during the middle of the day is those are classes for people who are either in school or stay at home workers. Or stay at home moms, right? But people who don't have a normal five work schedule, but then also trying to balance teaching evening classes and weekend classes so that I could teach more people. Yeah. All right. Finally, the last thing I want to ask you is your opinion. What advice would you give to other children of yoga teachers who might be Struggling with schedules that are shifting or any other family dynamics. Let me think on this for a second. I think I have a good perspective on this cause I guess it'll be easier for children whose parents are yoga teachers. If they've got a passion for yoga as well, like they go to one class and they unlock, Oh my gosh, I want to go to all my parents classes, but. You, you're a very good teacher, but I think I just ended up with different passions. I think you can take a page out of the principles of what yoga is supposed to teach you, and just go with the flow, really. Be open to opportunities that come from it, because that might give you a chance to bond with your parent more, maybe understand their passion for yoga, especially if you're younger. I think it's also good to talk to your parent about their passion for yoga, and be more interested in learning yoga. What they're doing, how they would be interested in what you do as a passion. I think the main gist is just be open, be ready, and wanting to learn about yoga, even if it doesn't particularly interest you. Be open to having a flexible schedule. Be open. I think that one of the things that we can remember as parents, we can teach our children Number one, we're all just doing the best that we can, right? Nobody has a manual on how to be the perfect human or how to be the perfect parent. And we're all really just doing our very best, hopefully. And we learn from situations and if we can navigate those situations with as much grace and understanding. As possible, right? So I don't expect for you to just. Be on board with my career changes all the time, but willing to have conversations with you about it. I'm willing to listen to your side and how you feel and what you think about it. And maybe what objections you might have. About my career changes all in all, I'm trying to understand you, you're trying to understand me and we're trying to make this all work together without any kind of instructions on how to do it best or how to do it in the most healthy way. And sometimes the most healthy. Ways, which include lots of communication and back and forth and everything can be exhausting at times, right? So, even though it's exhausting, just knowing we have to put energy into this. This is important for the health of our relationship and then hopefully for the health of our family. My child, as they are growing up. Yes. Yes. I agree with that. Yeah. I mean, it's not easy. We're just trudging along, trying to do our best, trying to do our best. There are things we can learn as we go through our life experience. Is there anything else that you want to say? Let me think. I think it was nice to just discuss, because some of the stuff, I don't think we, we talked about how the restorative affected. Me, you know all that so I'm glad we got to talk about that after I think it's been eight years I went to your restorative classes So it's nice that we can be open to discussions because it's been very enlightening. I feel like we understand each other better Yeah, yeah, and I mean, I think that in this conversation we understand each other a little bit more and I think that We have more conversations and we understand each other even more after those conversations. Yeah. Plus, you make it easy to have a conversations to yourself or anything like that. Well, I want to thank you so much, honestly, for agreeing to have this conversation with me and to be my first guest on the podcast. I hope that you know how much I value your opinion and when you express your opinions with me. It helps me to grow and to elevate and to become more conscious and intentional about my decisions. And to my teachers who are listening, it's so important for us to have these conversations. And if you have children, for you to have these conversations with them, you know that my goal is for you to love the yoga teaching life. and allow it to be fulfilling and rewarding. And the effects on your family plays a huge role in the success of your teaching career. And as always, it takes some work to get there. If you love this episode, let me know. Subscribe to the podcast so you're always in the know when a new episode drops and share it with another yoga teacher who you think would love to be in on these conversations. I'm excited to bring you more episodes on a wide range of subjects. Thank you for helping to spread the word about this podcast. And finally, don't forget to join my newsletter that's just for yoga teachers. I'll link it in the show notes below and I would love for you to join it so we can always stay. All right. That's it for now. Bye. Bye.