3Q Interview @PiYogaPants
DTO 3 Question Interview @PiYogaPants
1. Tell me about your personal journey with yoga. What is it important to you?
My journey with yoga began when I was a sophomore in college, 6 years ago. I grew up playing many sports growing up. I played varsity basketball and volleyball for three years in high school so sports and fitness have always played an important part of my growing process. I always remember I was the one who would always make sure we stretched before practice and games. It was Coach Mello in high school who really got me addicted to deep stretching before volleyball. Before practice every day we would do 30 minutes of stretching, core strengthening, and warm ups to get up physically and mentally prepared. Volleyball was the first season, and basketball was the second season, and by the third season we were back playing outdoor club volleyball. It was amazing! The sports high and being in tune with your body with coordination, flexibility, and confidence was amazing, but when college came and I wasn’t playing sports anymore it was much harder to maintain. To be honest I got a little depressed for a while. I missed the full body and mind involvement. I tried forming a volleyball team in college but with all the studying and partying I couldn’t find a consistent team like what I had in high school. People had other things on their agenda and I realized that not many women played sports! It was fun to play with the guys, but there’s nothing like playing with your group of girls. I ended up just going to the gym and lifting weights, when one day my friend asked me if I wanted to go with her to yoga after the gym. I went to SDSU so I would work out at the ARC gym and there was a fitness classroom area in the gym. It was convenient so I agreed, even though I had never tried it before! I figured, how hard can it be? “It’s just stretching” I thought. We went into the class and joined the back row so no one could watch us.
Everything was going fine and dandy until we got to side plank. It was then that my arm started shaking and wobbling, I couldn’t control it! I was determined from that moment on to get the strength I would need to hold side plank. I hardly ever turn down a challenge and the fact that there were some things in class that I couldn’t do, made me want to practice until I could do them flawlessly. Also, during that yoga class I really was surprised by the idea of shavasana. I really knew nothing about yoga and was confused when we were told to just lay there, to let our thoughts come in, recognize them as thoughts and nothing more, and then to let them pass by. I realized at this point I never really stopped. I was always go-go-go growing up. Running around, making friends, playing sports. It was only in my journal that I really took me time, but this new idea of shavasana introduced stillness to my life. It was a weird things to comprehend. You would think that after alive for 20 years you would take a break to meditate. You don’t know until you try, and since then my world started to change. My yoga practice picked up from there. I finally got a yoga mat and slowly transitioned my work out clothes to yoga clothes. I found that I was meeting the same group of girls that I so longed for, and missed from playing sports, to be the girls who showed up on their mat. Yoga started to fill the hole in my heart that was missing since high school. Since then, I feel like I have used my company, Pi Yoga Pants, to leverage this friendship, and give me more excuses to attend yogi social events and to meet more and more like minded people in the community. Whereas before, I would feel somewhat intimidated, I started to feel more and more included, and to be honest like I was the one bringing friends together! I love everything that yoga has brought into my life. The physical strength, the courage to try my first handstand (yes- at age 25!), the mental clarity that I knowingly longed for, the friendship of motivated women, and the community embodying love, acceptance, and personal freedom to be the best version of you.
2. When did you first begin teaching yoga? What made you transition into a leadership position?
I made my transition into a leadership very young. I am the oldest child and always took leadership with my brother and made sure to protect him from anyone that even thought about giving him a hard time. While in high school, I loved being the person on the team to encourage everyone on the court and to take the situation into my own hands. When I turned 19 I started managing my own promotional team of 10 people for SD Social Presents. This was the first real opportunity I had where someone financially entrusted in me to be a leader which gave me confidence that I was on the right path. I loved creating a team, making sure everyone was happy, and getting the job done. When I turned 22 I started managing marketing events for two major nationwide companies, BARetc and GMR Marketing. I was managing up to 5,000 employees nationwide and executed over 3,000 events in less than a year. The leadership role came naturally with empathy and ability to quickly make executive decisions calmly with the most efficient form of action. By the time I turned 25, I began to feel overwhelmed with the corporate world. I thought I could do it all, but in the meantime my personal life and health were quickly getting pushed to the perimeter. I decided to take a breather and departed December of 2015 to travel the world for a year.
After 4 months into my journey my mind was finally still. Bubbles of creativity began to fill the hole that was once was occupied by my corporate life style. I grew this deep desire to finally put my efforts towards something for the greater good and I really wanted to create something that would creative a positive and healthy lifestyle for myself to the point where, when asked what I would do when I retire, I would say, “I’m already doing it”. Similarly, I wanted to bring my friends and family along with me on this journey. I wanted to prove to them that they too, could break free of this corporate world to the point where they wouldn’t dread waking up on Monday, but rather wake up every day excited to put their ideas into action. I wanted them to know that if they have an idea it may actually be a good idea! I wanted to encourage them to put their ideas into action, because believe it or not an idea they, or even you, may have can be successful! A lot of people that I have worked with face this impending fear that if they are the ones to make the decision, it will not be a good outcome. The first decisions in business are the hardest, not because you don’t know which direction to go, but because you are afraid that no matter which direction you go, you are afraid you will fail. I’ve seen it over and over again, and I give these friends patience and encouragement to break this ceiling they have created for themselves. Everyone has ideas and the odds are that if you objectively evaluate your ideas and check the competition you can narrow it down to one idea that really has potential! Trust your instinct! I dare you to try it.
After all that I have learned and experienced, I am humbled to have acquired leadership qualities and am grateful that I can lead by example. I am so proud of all my friends who have started pursuing or better developing their business ideas since I started Pi Yoga Pants. The best part about collaborating and being a team player is helping each other succeed. When we help each other along the way we can ultimately help the community flourish into a better and more successful place for everyone.
I decided to incorporate this very crucial phenomenon into the mission of Pi Yoga Pants. Like the mathematical symbol pi, that continues forever, the mission of Pi Yoga Pants is to “Continue infinitely in the direction of your dreams”. At the end of the day, the faster we fail, and learn, the quicker we grow and succeed. Take action and motivate others along the way. You will never be disappointed.
3. Tell me more about your next event and where we can follow you online.
Every Tuesday I have events at EVE Encinitas for Inner Temple Tuesday from 10am-6pm. It is a free community event with vendors and wellness practitioners alike to add a little something extra to your Tuesday afternoon vegan lunch.
However, the next BIG event for Pi Yoga Pants is at the San Diego Yoga Festival coming up Friday, January 27 to Monday, January 30, 2017. We will be there all 4 days, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday on the grassy lawn in Ocean Beach right out front of Wonderland and the Ocean Beach Hotel facing the ocean. Even if you do not have a ticket to the San Diego Yoga Festival you can still stop by our booth! This area is FREE and open to the public!
https://www.piyogapants.com/
https://www.facebook.com/events/701395186701674/
http://www.bit.ly/fund_piyogapants
Pi Yoga Pants Kickstarter Launch Party is THIS TUESDAY!!
We will have an epic launch party and I would love for you all to attend!!!!!!!! ♥
Day:
This Tuesday
Date:
March 14, a.k.a 3.14 a.k.a. National Pi Day
When:
6:30pm-9:30pm
Where:
Elka Wellness (in Point Loma)
4166 Voltaire St,
San Diego, CA 92107
What:
We will have lots of fun activites!
What to bring: A smile and your yoga mat
