Making space for what matters

Release your grip and allow even more to come in...

When I set out to start my own business, it was with the intention that I’d have more time freedom and the ability to harness my creativity in a new and exciting way.

I didn’t realize that I would quickly be swept up by endless admin work, the urgency that comes with cranking out content, and the headache of figuring out my own schedule to actually make space for creativity.

Up until this past summer, I was operating at the same pace (if not faster) as my 18 years of teaching. When chronic back pain literally stopped me in my tracks, I had no other choice but to slow down.

And that set me up for a new rhythm of life that I didn’t know I needed.

I worshipped the grind that had me going from sun up to sundown only to be left with no time for my own yoga practice, time for true stillness, or anything else I imagined that I’d be able to do with my newfound “freedom”.

And now almost 5 months post-back surgery, I feel like I’ve finally adjusted to a slower pace. I’m intentionally making time for the things I love. I started to write more long form, make art, and explore what I want this next stage of my life and business to look like.

I know that slowing down sounds counterintuitive to everything we’ve been told about growing and scaling a brand, but I’m choosing to do it differently.

And if that makes me radical, then I’m here for it. Because I’m fully convinced that when we honor our own pace and follow our intuition, everything unfolds exactly how it is meant to. It took me almost 40 years to get here, but better late than never, right?

You know what finally shifted something in me? The nervous system work.

I needed to do a deeper level of nervous system healing to finally feel safe to slow down. Based on my upbringing and losing my dad as teen, I always felt like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I never felt safe to let go and allow myself to truly accept that great things could happen for me if I didn’t try to control everything.

And until I found Yoga, I never slowed down enough to be fully present. I was operating mostly in fight or flight. And although a Yoga and breath practice definitely helps to calm the mind and the body, there’s so much more to uncover about ourselves that may be keeping us stuck in old patterns and actually blocking good things from happening to us.

This is why I started offering workshops and retreats- longer containers where you can go deeper into your healing and feel fully supported and held in your journey.

These offerings have evolved into expansive experiences that allow participants to step into their creativity and authenticity- something that has always been at the heart of Living Lotus.

It’s important to me to show people that there’s another way to exist and bring more joy into your life. You don’t always have to suffer and your suffering doesn’t define you. You are worthy of more.

Where have you been pushing through or forcing instead of allowing and receiving?

What if you could tap into your creativity as a modality for healing? I encourage you to explore the part of you that’s been wanting to create something. Not for the sake of building or monetizing, but truly for your enjoyment and pleasure. That’s how this substack started. When nothing else felt good, I turned to my first love, writing, and I have been writing almost every single day for 5 months. It has been the creative outlet I pushed to the side and I’m so happy I listened to the nudge to reconnect with it.

Take a moment now for a few deep breaths and ask yourself : What truly matters to me and where can I make more time and space to be present for it?

It doesn’t have to be perfect. Nothing is. But if we always stop ourselves from doing anything because it won’t be perfect, we may never know how beautiful it can actually be.

To your creativity!

xoxo, Ashley