Everyone has a different approach to the New Year. For some, it’s all about the New Year’s Eve party: celebrating the past and moving into the future with some fun! For others, January 1st, 2019 rolls around and it’s just another day. Here at Soul Strong Yoga, we’ve got our eyes set on manifesting our dreams for 2019! While talk of New Year’s resolutions may be rampant and overwhelming this time of year, we’re ready to redefine the flaky resolution. By diving deep into what it means to set meaningful intentions and realistic goals in the interview below, we learn how to move towards the future we want to see. I interviewed Todd Cline, resident yoga instructor and personal trainer. Todd has taught at Soul Strong since day one when we opened up here in Round Rock. I’d like to think he’s an expert in manifesting his own reality. A little over one year ago he graduated from his yoga teacher training, and is now a full time yoga instructor! Talk about setting a goal and going after it! With years of experience as a personal trainer, Todd is also well-versed in helping others articulate, set & achieve their own goals. Check out our interview below to learn about creating a more intentional, passion-filled 2019!
What role does manifestation & goal setting play in your life? In other words, what are some of your core beliefs around making your dream your reality & how do you put those beliefs into action?
Todd: For me, manifestation and goal setting are tantamount to leading a full and fulfilling life. It’s the difference between surviving and thriving. I have a habit of writing my goals down on paper and then writing actions I can take to start realizing my goals. Then, I start scheduling those actions into my daily routine. It’s also my belief that discipline is the biggest determining factor in whether or not you reach your goals. For example, you might have a goal of exercising more but some days, the motivation just isn’t there. Motivation waxes and wanes but discipline will carry you through those hard times. Like lifting weights and building muscle in the gym, taking consistent goal-oriented actions will help to build up your discipline.
Do you have any visualization practices? Lots of people say to “visualize the future you want” but what does that visualization process look like to you?
Todd: A technique that I really like to employ is visualizing and imagining myself as already having met my goal. The more detailed and sensate the visualization, the better. This process helps to really align myself with what I’m trying to achieve and makes my actions towards a goal more automatic. Not to get too woowoo but when I employ this practice, it feels as if the universe starts to present clear signs and opportunities and conspires to move me closer to my goals.
What advice do you have for those going into the New Year hoping to stick to a resolution?
Todd: My advice is to start small and cultivate discipline. Too often, people get excited about big and lofty goals. They might even have lots of motivation in the beginning to get them going. But when they don’t see immediate results, their motivation wanes, they become discouraged and those goals end up gathering dust in the corner. So, set easy and achievable goals for yourself. When you bank several small goals, you increase your confidence in yourself and will build a stronger foundation of discipline for reaching your larger goals. It’s vital that this process take place so you can build a wave of momentum that propels you towards your bigger, loftier goals. For example, if your goal is to run a marathon and you have little to no experience in running, start with walking. Make it your goal to get outside or on a treadmill for 30 minutes everyday, and do this for a week. This may seem easy to do but that’s the point. You’re cultivating a new discipline for yourself and after some time (2 weeks to a month) it’ll become a habit that you do automatically. As time goes on and you’re feeling more confident, start interspersing short jog times into your walk. Then, start making those jogging times longer. Soon, you’ll be jogging more than you’re walking in that 30 minutes. There’s a myriad of ways you can start upping the difficulty and challenge yourself more but it’s important to start small. Goals are marathons, not sprints (pun intended).
As you embark on the marathon towards your 2019 goals, check out the following links for continued inspiration:
https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smarterliving/resolution-ideas
https://medium.com/thrive-global/9-principles-of-conscious-manifestation-3d2df7a4a87
https://chopra.com/articles/5-new-year%E2%80%99s-resolutions-to-expand-your-yoga-practice
Ready to deepen your practice? It might be time for Yoga Teacher Training! Take a look at Soul Strong Yoga’s online and self-paced Yoga Alliance Yoga Teacher Training at www.teachyogaforall.com. You’ll become a 200 hour certified yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance with a specialization in vinyasa yoga for all people.
Teachyogaforall.com is a self-paced 200 Hour Online Yoga Teacher Training with a 5-Star Yoga Alliance rating. We certify yoga teachers in vinyasa flow yoga. Our teachers are highly skilled at teaching yoga for all people. We are one of the only online yoga teacher training programs to offer Unlimited One-On-One Trainer Support and Weekly Small Group Zoom Calls. Our yoga teacher trainees work directly with the lead trainer, who is a 500 E-RYT Yoga Teacher Training with Yoga Alliance. Our certification program specializes in yoga asana, cueing, sequencing, philosophy, anatomy, physiology, meditation, adaptive yoga, prenatal yoga and more!
