The Best Of 2012: Memories, Articles, and Lessons

Looking back on 2012

2012 was a pretty amazing year full of learning, discovery, and trying out new things. Looking back on 2012 made me realize how big of a transformation occurred in the last 12 months: my work, my life outlook, my goals, and my relationships.

It feels rewarding to look back and mentally celebrate all small and big successes, brave steps, and overcoming laziness, fears, and the comfort of status quo.

Analyzing the most rewarding moments of 2012 also made me realize that something important and transformational doesn’t mean that it has to be long or difficult. The things that we remember most often happen in the spur of the moment. You get inspired, you do it! Pre-action thought process can take awhile, especially if you are doing something new and/or scary but the actual doing part is not that bad.

So here are my favorite transformational moments of 2012:

I took my 2nd group to India. I planned the whole thing, organized it, marketed it, and even got to play a role of a tour agent. It was a lot of work but the trip was worth it! During a 3 week adventure we got to visit Delhi, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Varannassi, Agra with its Taj Mahal, and Jaipur. We spent a week at the ashram, meditated a lot, dived into deep discussions, and challenged our Western goal-oriented outlook. It was dramatic, transformational, and in a way it helped me to get in touch with myself a lot more. I also got to marry 2 of my friends who met on the first trip to India. We celebrated their wedding with dancing to Indian songs and having fun with a magician:)

One of the things that I learned while planning this trip is that I can do it all but it is not always the best use of my time and energy. We often feel like we need to do everything ourselves but in reality of there is someone who can do it better than you and you can afford it, get help! It allows to focus on things that you are good at and love doing.

Over the year I slowly went from teaching 15 yoga group classes every week to none. Instead I chose to focus on Wellness Coaching, private consulting, group programs, and online seminars.

Lesson learned: pursuing what calls your name takes commitment, time, and energy. It often means that you need to stay focused and let go of other things. Change is not easy but it is rewarding! You don’t have to do it all at once but you have to do it if you are not happy where you are right now.

Photography by Katya Gubina

I had 4 wonderful wellness workshops at Lifethyme. They included amazing food, great conversation, and a lot of planning. I also did a few online classes and calls on ayurvedic daily routine, compassion to our body and healthy holidays secrets.

While both in-person and online workshops were very fulfilling, I am leaning towards online learning and will use it more in 2013. It was good to try both mediums to understand what feels best and what serves people.

I took Marie Forleo’s B-school which was great! Marie is a great inspiration and shared a lot of actionable tips and ideas. The community of women was a great bonus! It is easy to fall into saving/cutting on learning and business development as an entrepreneur but in reality investment in new skills, great connections, and idea generation is well-worth it!

What I learned is that a good teacher or a good program is half the battle. Knowledge is one thing but implementation is another. While struggling to keep up with the program and implement everything (which I still didn’t), i understood that giving the most info during my workshops and one-on-one work does not guarantee success. I as a teacher am responsible to creating an environment that helps to implement change and turn knowledge into daily practices. It is never a one-sided work though. Just as Marie is not going to update websites and create business plans for every student, the same way I cannot cook meals and do daily relaxation for my clients. I can only do my best to share the knowledge and support the change.

I participated in TED talent search and was chosen as one of the finalists. This is a big one! I got to practice public speaking with the TED organizer, Chris Anderson! It was amazing to get feedback from him and to be at TED’s NYC office. It was even more fun to present in front of a group of seasoned TED speakers at TEDSalon NYC. I met super talented, very interesting people from different fields that are changing the world with their ideas.

Lesson learned: overcome fears and you will be rewarded!

2012 marked the second 40 days to bliss wellness program with 10 amazing women. We met once a week in person in NYC and spoke about creating a manageable wellness routine based on individual needs, family situation, time constraints, and body type.

Women make each other stronger when they are working together. They inspire each other, support, and help. It was amazing to see women becoming friends while changing their own habits and perceptions. Finding a group that shares your interests, goals, and can support you is a big step towards success!

I started a weekly newsletter which grew in less than 6 month to 1600 subscribers. I am so grateful for you attention, time, and the occasional emails back:)
I created a very engaged and fun Spinach and Yoga community on facebook which continues to grow very quickly. It is full of inspiration, fun pictures, recipes, and mindfulness tips. Check it out!
While working on all of the above, I understood and accepted that feeling in a rush and overwhelmed are the worst enemies or feeling inspired and creative. To stay present, connect to you, and in-tune you need to create slow time every single day.

2013 Desires and Intentions:

In 2013 I want to keep studying ayurveda, mind-body connection, the effects of thoughts and feeling on our health, and to share my insights with people around. I will be bringing more programs online and hopefully live retreats. The first 2 programs are happening in January. If you are in NYC, I invite you to join a FREE lecture on Post Holiday Detox January 8, 2013 from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. You can register here. All participants will get healthy tea, treats, and special discounts for Shobha services.

If you can’t make it to the lecture join me for a LIVE ONLINE Get Clean, Feel Light: Mind/Body Detox class on Wed, Jan 9th at 8pm ET. Register here.

Back to goals and intentions, I want to keep learning from people who inspire me and who’s message resonates with me. Danielle LaPorte is at the top of the list! She is amazing and she inspires me.

Personally, I want to focus on doing more things that help me create a feeling of being LIGHT and BRIGHT away from feeling burdened, exhausted, rushed, or pressed. I want to make time for people, events, trips, and conversations that inspire me, encourage me to be more in-tune, connected, and energized.

I want to feel GRACEFUL going through my life. Graceful literally in movement, and also graceful in work, eating, and relationships. Feeling RESTED and RELAXED are equally important to feeling ACCOMPLISHED. And the last but still very important is feeling FREE. Free of negative thoughts, fatigue, food addictions, fear, worry.

These feelings will serve as my guide for every day life, for projects, and decisions.

I wish you clarity and courage to identify your desired feelings in 2013 and to do things that bring on those feeling every day.