"My mission is to empower others to lead healthier, happier lives from the inside out."
Alysha Findley
about alysha
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I began my intense curiosity of mindfulness shortly after I had my first child in November of 2007, which was probably no coincidence. Like many new parents' experience, there can be a lot of soul searching as you take on the responsibility of another human being’s life. As I cradled this new baby in my arms, I remember feeling so overcome by emotion. I struggled to understand how I could simultaneously feel so much joy and gratitude for this beautiful, healthy baby while also feeling a deep inner struggle as dormant stories of my own childhood began to surface. These thoughts, coupled with not returning to my traditional "work" as an elementary school teacher, which I adored, overwhelmed me on the inside. To an outsider, things probably could not have looked more perfect. I had a beautiful new baby that I got to stay home with, my mom lived across the street and my husband had a great job as a family practice doctor. That was the view on the outside, but on the inside, I felt completely lost.
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Alysha, her husband John, and their awesome kids...
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After six months of this struggle, I decided it was time for a shift. I began practicing yoga every single day and it was during that hour, that I would start to feel whole again. Up to that point, yoga had been a part of my life a day or two a week for the previous five years, but in the summer of 2008 after my mom had undergone major open heart surgery, I leaned into my practice more than I ever had before. It had such an impact on my life that I made the commitment to begin my first yoga teacher training. Over the next five years I went through over 500 hours of training, thousands of hours of personal practice and a whole lot of personal growth. There was a fire that was lit within me that summer.
That fire had me digging deeply into some profound questions like, “Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing?” “What is my life’s purpose?” and “How can I contribute to something greater than myself?” For several years I have wanted to create something that synthesized together my passions and my calling. I just really struggled with what that was and the idea of even beginning to craft something felt so overwhelming that it paralyzed me from even beginning. As we all know though, if we do nothing, nothing changes and in the wise words of Lao-Tzu he once said, "The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step." I knew in my heart I had a gift of helping and connecting with others and so I began to take one small step at a time. Each day I consciously focused more of my energy and attention on what I could do that day and less on the fears of how it would all unfold. I began to let go of what felt heavy and I leaned in to what felt light. I even started appreciating the struggle of where I was at and in releasing the desire to always control my circumstances, my life began to open up in unexpected ways. As this internal shift began to take place, the idea of "Be...mind.body.shift" was born. The idea behind the name is that it isn't just about the mind, the body, or the heart. It is the trifecta of finding our own inner alignment with all three aspects recognizing that happiness begins from within. That is what "Be" is all about...our own personal growth. It is the unveiling of our own inner happiness. It is about being who we are and being comfortable in our own skin. It is about loving, acknowledging and appreciating where we are at in our life while also striving to be the best version of ourself. It is about spending more of our day "being" awake and present and learning how to recognize and release what brings us down. "Be" is about having more insight and awareness into our unconscious habits, feelings and beliefs and learning to take the time to prioritize ourself and our own personal growth. For things to change, we have to change. Committing to changing our self and not the "stuff" in our life, is what will decide a new future. It is my intention to help others recognize this truth that real transformation begins when we make the shift from looking outside to looking within. This is where true happiness lies and it is from this place that we can live our best life possible. |