by Alana Ortiz, Club Greenwood Yoga Instructor
I am learning how to slow down.
To revisit the parts of myself I’ve forgotten about.
To pause and take in the beauty of life.
No matter what challenges come my way, I get to choose what I’m saying yes to.
It’s easy forget we have a choice when life is chaotic. Practicing holding firm boundaries is something that really helps me. An exercise I enjoy doing when I’m feeling drained or uninspired is to ask myself these following questions:
What is going well right now?
Who/what inspires me?
Are the people I’m spending time with inspiring me or draining me?
Are the things I’m doing helping me get closer to my vision?
What am I willing to let go of/change to bring in more peace and stability?
Am I saying yes to things that light me up?
When I say yes when I mean no, how do I feel?
Am I making space to play and create?
I’ve found that the clearer I get on what I’m allowing into my world (energetically, mentally, who I’m spending time with) the more opportunities appear. Take it from a recovering people pleaser, saying no used to be one of my biggest fears. The shame I felt when I said no was sometimes crippling. Setting healthy boundaries isn’t always saying no, for you it could be practicing saying yes. Regardless, introspection of our choices is important when we are feeling stuck or unsure.
We can always choose to begin again.
Alana Ortiz
Alana received a BA in dance from Mills College then moved to New York City to further her dance education at the Alvin Ailey American Dance School. Alana was a professional dancer for three years. During her time in New York, Alana found her love for yoga. She completed her 200 hour teacher training before moving to Colorado. In December 2019, Alana will be 500 hour EYT certified in yoga. Along with being a devoted student and teacher of yoga, Alana enjoys traveling, hiking, surfing and connecting with friends and family.