January 3, 2026 • 23 mins
I’ve been practicing something recently that I want to share with you.
It’s pulling me out of survival mode and into pure presence.
It’s asking me to drop the ego I barely knew I was carrying.
It’s helping me get more honest about who I am and what I really need.
It’s not flashy or impressive (quite the opposite). It’s grounding and simple.
And in case you might want to practice this too, I’m sharing it with you today.
Maybe you don’t need to do more, be more, try harder. Maybe you (like me) need to listen more deeply.
If you’re ready to begin writing your story, please take advantage of my BIG December gift to writers: more than 75% off my signature course A Book in Six Months. Use code GRATITUDE at checkout to get this $999 product for only $222.
Host: Ally Fallon // @allyfallon // allisonfallon.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Pick up the pieces of your life, put them back
together with the words you write, all the beauty and
peace and the magic that you'll start too fun when
you write your story. You got the words and said,
don't you think it's down to let them out and
write them down on cold It's all about and write
(00:24):
your story. Write, write your story. Hi, and welcome back
to the Write Your Story Podcast. I'm Ali Fallon. I'm
your host, And on this week's episode, I want to
pick up by talking about a topic that I started
talking about last week, and I feel like I just
have more to say. There were so many things that
I said last week that were kind of like ethereal
(00:46):
and you know, just sort of like out there, not
as practical, And what I want to do this week
is talk about the more practical elements of the topic
that I opened last week. So what I talked about
last week is this concept of where the writing process
is actually begins. That we think the writing process begins
when we put our fingers to the keys. We think
the creative process begins when the opportunity lands in our lap,
(01:07):
like we take the positive pregnancy test or you know,
something physical, tangible happens when actually the writing process begins
much earlier, when the ideas kind of start to whisper
to us, And where it really begins is when we
engage with that whisper by saying yes, by taking the
first step into the unknown without knowing how things are
(01:28):
going to turn out, without knowing what the outcome is
going to be. And it's tricky for us to say
that yes, because we want to know what the outcome
is going to be. We want to be guaranteed that
if we make this investment, that we're going to get
a return on our investment. And yet I believe what's
being asked of us in the creative process is to
say yes without knowing how things are going to turn out,
(01:49):
to say yes and trust and believe that however things
turn out, that it is for our good, it is
for the best. And so we are we become willing
to take a step into the unknown, trusting that really magical, mysterious, mystical,
amazing things happen in the unknown, and we become the
kind of person who we want to be when we
(02:11):
lean into that unknown. And yet, in order to do that,
I think that we really have to become better at
deep inner listening and that's really what I want to
talk about in today's episode, is like how do we
become good at that deep inner listening? Because it's tricky
to be good at deep inner listening for a lot
of different reasons, and I'll unpack some of the reasons today,
(02:34):
but I think one of the reasons that it's tricky
to be good at that deep inner listening is just
because of the world that we live in. I mean,
this is kind of a tired topic, but I will
bring this up. The world that we live in is
extremely loud, and there's so much going on, and especially
if you're on social media. I notice a distinct difference
by the way when I'm not on social media, Like
if I'm taking a break from social media versus when
(02:54):
I'm tuned into social media, the world feels really different
to me. Like the way the world feels when I'm
just with my family and my friends and my yoga
studio and my little community here in East Nashville feels
like a whole different vibration than when I'm tuned into
social media and I'm watching what's happening with the news,
and I'm watching what's happening in politics and I'm watching
what's happening around the world, and I'm not saying that
(03:16):
the most responsible thing is for us to completely tune
out from what's happening in the world. I don't have
the answers on that front. I'm just acknowledging that the
world feels different when you're tuned in to those events
and those vibrations and those attitudes and those people and
the toxicity of it and all of it. Like you know,
(03:37):
when you're logged into that, your brain and body are
in a different space than when you're just peaceful and
at home and with your kids and settled and grounded.
So I don't know if you have that same experience,
but maybe it's a different thing for you. Maybe for
you it's like when you're plugged in with these people
or these friends, or I'm not in a space in
my life anymore where being becoming a parent is tricky
(04:00):
and challenging on so many levels. But one of the
things that it really does is it really like shaves
down your priorities to the absolute bare minimum, which for
me has meant that the only people who I keep
in my life are people who really feed me and
fill me up, and so that's been a positive, kind
of accidental side effect of becoming a mom is it's
just like I don't have toxic people in my life anymore.
But I definitely understand how tricky it is to be
(04:23):
that selective about people who are in your life, especially
if you have more free time on your hands. I guess,
so maybe for you, it's not really about Instagram, but
it's more like a group of people who you hang
out with that are always gossiping or you know, maybe
for you it isn't even the people, it's just the
way you feel with those people that you feel like
you can't even fully show up as yourself or yeah,
(04:44):
that you're always putting on a performance for them or something.
And so you go be with these people and you
feel one way, and then you come home and you're
by yourself and your journaling or you're listening to podcasts
or you're learning things, and you feel a totally different
kind of way. So just notice, pay attention to that,
to how noisy certain environments can be, or noisy certain
spaces can be noisy, certain activities or times of year
(05:08):
can be I notice for myself again since becoming a mom,
and maybe also part of this is getting older, and
some of it is like the post pandemic world that
we live in. But I notice how much more sensitive
I am now to different environments and how much more
inclined I am to say no to invitations to things
like big parties or birthdays or you know, places where
(05:29):
there's going to be a lot of people or a
lot of activity or a lot of kind of frenetic energy.
It just takes more of a toll on me than
it used to, And so I find myself wanting to
say no to those things more often. And also, you know,
very human nature, but I also find myself feeling the
pull to like also want to be included and want
to be you know, part of a community, and want
(05:49):
to belong and want to go and want to show
up places, and also just like want to see people
who I really like and enjoy and maybe I only
get the opportunity to see those folks in that setting.
And so you're always kind of calibrating how much energy
do I have to be in that space and place,
versus do I have that energy to give right now?
(06:09):
What do I have to sacrifice in order for me
to show up to that event? And I think this
time of year. I don't know if you're listening to
this in real time or if you're listening to it later,
but if you're listening to this kind of in the
week between Christmas and New Year's, this time of year
really has a lot of opportunities to make those types
of decisions. It can either feel like this really grounded, settled, connected, special,
(06:32):
magical time of year, or it can feel like a
crazy frenetic There's so much going on. There's so many parties,
there so many things, so much sugar. You know, there's alcohol,
there's drinking, there's all kinds of food that maybe changes
the way that you feel in your own body. Maybe
you're not in your same routine, so you're not moving
your body in the same type of way, so it
hit has the potential to go kind of either way.
(06:55):
You may feel this week like you're really out of
your routine, you really are having a hard time feeling
grounded or hearing that inner voice or listening closely to yourself.
Or you might feel the opposite. You might feel like, well,
everything's shut down for the week, and I don't have
to go to work and work I didn't even get
into work but work. A job can be a whole
other element, a whole other Instagram, or toxic group of friends.
(07:18):
A job can be a place that you go where
you really don't feel like yourself, You really feel out
of alignment. And those spaces and places, this is the
point I'm trying to make, Those spaces and places where
you don't feel connected to yourself can make it really
tricky and really challenging for you to hear that deep
inner wisdom. And so notice, just start to pay attention
(07:38):
to the spaces where you go where you find it
hard to really hear yourself think, where you find it
hard to really know who you are, to really be
connected to yourself, to really understand what's being asked of you,
to really understand to see what's next. What's the next
step for me, am I, what's being asked of me today?
(07:59):
What's calling to my highest attention right now in this moment.
So it may be that with your family is a
hard time to hear yourself think. It may be that
with a certain group of friends, it may be a job.
It may be like big parties or environments that are
loud or chaotic. Where is it for you that you
feel like you lose access to yourself, that you lose
(08:21):
access to that part of you that is the deepest,
truest you, where you go oh oh oh, that is
what I'm supposed to do next with utter certainty and assurance.
This is something I've been teaching in my yoga classes too.
I shared a poem by Nikita Gill a couple weeks
ago on the podcast that I don't think the poem
(08:43):
has a title, but I've been calling it enough because
that's really what the poem is about. It's about realizing
that you are enough. She says something to the effect
of not every day is an opportunity to improve yourself.
I think that's the first line of the poem, and
this concept of like some days are just there for
you to breathe and to look at the sky and
(09:05):
to be who you are. And I was really struck
and moved by this poem, this concept of just knowing
like I'm enough. I come if I can come from
this place of knowing that I'm enough, I don't have
to strive for my worthiness. I don't have to prove
myself to anyone. There are some spaces and places in
life where it's just easier to feel that and to
(09:26):
know that that is true. And so I've been really
playing with this concept of enough in my yoga classes
and talking about a deep inner listening, listening to yourself
in a yoga practice, because for me, the yoga room,
the yoga practice is a place where I feel like
I always come into contact with myself or almost always
come into contact with myself in a way that's very truthful.
It's like, oh, there she is. Now I can hear
(09:48):
myself think, now I know what's going on with me.
And I have this drive to get to the yoga
studio and to get in class and to be in
my practice because when I'm really deeply in my practice,
I do hear myself clearly and I don't need a
question what the next step is. So where are those
places and spaces for you where you go that you
always or almost always can really come into contact with
(10:11):
yourself and hear that inner voice. But one of the
things that I've been saying to my classes as I
teach is that we have to get really super honest
with ourselves even in our yoga practice, even at the
yoga studio. And this Nikkia Guil poem gets at this.
(10:36):
This Nikia guil Poem gets at this. We have to
get honest with ourselves that we're not looking to our
neighbor and comparing our practice to them and doing what
our neighbor is doing, but that we're actually doing that
deep listening to our own bodies and checking in with
ourselves in that moment, because from moment to moment and
from day to day, your body will tell you something different.
(10:57):
Maybe one day your body is saying, yes, more, give
me more power, more cardio, more movement, more, you know, challenge,
and you're wanting to try for the more complicated arm
balances or handstands or headstands or whatever, and maybe even
ten minutes later, your body's going enough, I've had enough,
I need a rest. I need to back off. You know,
(11:20):
your breath will tell you when you need to back off.
When your breath becomes labored, that's a good sign that
you need to back off. So we have these cues
that our body gives us that we can tune into
that if we're honest with ourselves and if we can
really do that deep listening, all of the answers are
right there in front of us. Like we know exactly
what next step to take, if we can really listen,
and if we can be honest with ourselves. And yet,
(11:42):
even in the yoga studio, which is a place for
me where I always hear myself pretty clearly, it can
still be tricky and we can still find ways to
get off track. We can still get hooked, I guess
by our competitive nature, by our ego, by you know,
comparing our practice to those around us looking at someone
(12:03):
else and being like, Ooh, I kind of want to
be how they're being, or do what they're doing, or
try what they're trying, which isn't in itself necessarily bad.
But if we're constantly comparing ourselves to the people around us,
we're not really doing that deep listening. Like, I know,
one thing that happens for me, especially now that I'm
a teacher at the studio, is I feel a bit
of a pressure to set a good example. And so
(12:25):
it's like, in the middle of a practice, if I
need to rest, I have to check myself that I'm like,
do I really do need to rest? Actually I need
to come down to my mat and take a rest
and to not feel that feeling of oh, because I'm
a teacher, I have to show everyone else you know
how strong I am or whatever, like it's ridiculous, no
one cares. But we have to check ourselves in those
(12:45):
Even in the spaces and places where we feel really
grounded and we feel really like ourselves, we still do
have to check in and make sure that we're truly
listening to what the moment is calling for, to what
is needed in that particular moment. So ask yourself this question.
First of all, the first question I have for you
is what are the spaces and places where you feel
most like yourself, where you don't have to put on
(13:08):
any kind of performance, where you can hear that deep
inner voice that you know is you that's telling you
what next step to take. That you don't feel like
you question yourself, but you're like, yes, I know exactly
what's being asked of me, and I feel confident that
I can put my foot at least on that next step.
(13:29):
What are the spaces and places? Who are the people
that you're around that make you feel that way? And
maybe like, how could you arrange your year this year
in a way that would put you in the way
of your truest self? In other words, how could I
put myself in the places where I feel most like
myself so that I could have the most likelihood, the
(13:50):
highest likelihood of encountering my truest self. This was at
the beginning of twenty twenty five. I started my teacher
training and one of the things that was required of
us as part of the teacher training is we had
to be at the studio six days a week. So
we had to take six classes a week, which was
a massive stretch for me because of childcare, mostly so
just arranging the complicated network of childcare to get to
(14:13):
the studio six days a week. But when I tell
you about the payoff that happened for me because I
just put myself in a space where I know that
I could hear myself six days a week. And then
several weekends in January and February, I think it was
like every other weekend in January and February, we were
at the studio all day learning you know, anatomy and
(14:33):
learning yoga, philosophy and all these different aspects sequencing all
the different aspects that we needed to learn in order
to be certified. And so I was at the yoga studio,
you know, hundreds of hours in twenty twenty five. And
because of that, I was able to put myself in
a space where I heard more of my own inner
voice in twenty twenty five than I did in twenty
(14:55):
twenty four. And so I was just able to feel
much more grounded and much more like me, and much
more confident in who I am and in my path
and in what's being asked of me. And so my
question for you would be, like, what would be the
equivalent for you? How could you put yourself in the
way of yourself where maybe you don't even start thinking
(15:15):
yet about removing yourself from environments where you lose yourself,
because that can also be tricky for so many reasons.
But like, instead, how could you put yourself in an
environment where you know that you know that you know
that you'll encounter yourself. Another thing for me, and I've
talked about this before, is meditation. So meditation for me
has always been a way where I know that I
can drop in and really hear that deep inner voice
that's guiding me. And of course this is of no
(15:38):
shock to anyone, but writing is an absolutely spectacular practice
to bring you into contact with yourself. In fact, I
think it's one of the quickest and easiest ways to
hear your own inner voice. I don't know if you've
had this experience, but sometimes people will talk to me.
I've had this experience so many times too, where people
will tell me that they came across something that they
(15:58):
had written. They almost can't believe that they even wrote it.
It's like the words that you put on the page
are almost in a different voice than the voice that
you use on a day to day basis. I don't
know if you've had this experience, but I've definitely had it.
And there is just something about this that when you
are just kind of talking or moving about your day
(16:19):
to day life, you sound one way, or you talk
one way, or you even say one thing, and then
you pick up the pen to write something down and
you catch yourself saying something different. There's something about putting
the pen to paper or putting your fingers to the
keys that will help you to access a different part
of your brain and a different part of your psyche,
(16:41):
a different part of your wisdom body that you don't
always have access to. And so writing is an extremely
powerful way to connect you back to that deep inner voice.
So in last week's episode, I talked about how when
you feel that tugging at your shirt sleeves or that
inexplicable urge to do something, to write a book, or
(17:01):
to have a baby, or to start a business or whatever,
that when you take the first step, you're entering into
this long conversation with the truest version of yourself. And
one of the things that I like to do is
to use my writing practice to my advantage to begin
that conversation. So I've talked about this writing prompt before,
but the most often writing prompt that I use is
(17:22):
just starting at the top of the page with a
question like what do you want to show me today?
Or what do you want to teach me today? Or
what do you have to say to me today? Or
what am I not what are you trying to tell
me that I'm not getting, or what's the main thing
you want me to focus on today. I will ask
a question at the top of the page in big
bold letters, and I will just sit until something comes
(17:42):
to me, and I will write my own responses to
the question. And it sounds insane because it's just like, well,
it's both it's you writing both the question and the answer.
But when I tell you that the part of me
that writes the answer is different than the part of
me that asks the question, it's wild every single time
I come up with a piece of wisdom that I
didn't know was there, and it's like it puts you
(18:06):
in contact with that deeper, truer part of yourself, the
part of yourself that sees the whole picture, the part
of you, yourself that really trusts where you're headed, the
part of yourself that knows, beyond a shadow of it
out about what you're supposed to do next. And so
you have this part of you that's wondering, that's questioning,
that's maybe insecure, that feels like I'm not enough, I
(18:28):
don't know what I'm supposed to do, I don't know
that I have what it takes to achieve this thing.
And then you have this other part of you that
is much more grounded and certain and sure. So entering
into a conversation with this part of yourself through a
writing practice is one really powerful way to make sure
that you never lose contact with the deepest, truest part
(18:49):
of you. And I guess when it comes to deep
in our listening, one of the most challenging parts of
this is not even necessarily hearing the wisdom that your
body has to offer, but it's also trusting the wisdom
and leaning into it, because if you're like me, you
probably have experiences where you're really in touch with that
(19:11):
wisdom where you hear it loud and clear where and
this has happened to me with our journey to grow
our family, where like, I have these moments that I'm
just so convinced that I'm on this journey for a reason,
that there's a baby out there for us, or whatever
however it comes through. It's just like, yes, I'm supposed
to be doing the things that I'm doing and taking
these steps that I'm taking, And then I move about
(19:31):
my life and it's really easy to get lost in
the mud again of wondering like, gosh, is this all
a waste of time? Am I delusional for thinking that
you know, this could still happen for us? Like shouldn't
we just give up already? Haven't we already invested enough?
There's you know, So you move in and out of
feeling like you're deeply in contact with that deeper part
(19:52):
of yourself, and then you're not in contact with that
part of yourself. So coming back to the writing practice,
coming back to the yoga practice, coming back to the
meditation practice, coming back to journaling, whatever it is for
you that helps you feel grounded in that truth. We
have to really get very honest with ourselves and do
that deep in our listening over and over and over
(20:14):
and over again. Otherwise it's very easy to get pulled
off of your path. So as you move through this
week between Christmas and New Year's I feel like it's
almost impossible not to think about, you know, what is
my intention that I want to set for twenty twenty six,
Even if you've kind of moved past the resolutions phase
of your life, if that's not something you do anymore.
I think for a while I was like coming up
(20:36):
with a word of the year, and then I even
kind of got bored of that. But still, even though
I don't really think of the new year as a
time to like set a big goal that I'm going
to chase down, it's still impossible for me not to
think about at this time of year, not to reflect
on what last year was like and maybe how I
want next year to be different and for me this year,
(20:59):
let me just offer this to you as an intention
in case it feels good for you in your body,
and please do your deep inner listening and listen to
what feels good for you and reject anything that doesn't
feel good for you. But for me in twenty twenty six,
one thing that I want to pay more attention to
is really staying in contact with myself, is doing this
deep in our listening. Is showing up places where I
(21:20):
know that I can really hear myself, not showing up
to relationships where I feel like my voice and my
truth gets overshadowed or gets snuffed out, Not showing up
to environments where that happens, you know, putting myself in
the way of myself so that I can always hear
what that deep in our wisdom is telling me and
(21:41):
so that I can stay the course that my wisdom
is asking me to stay on. So for me, that means,
you know it, actually what it means is listening deeply
every day to what that means for today. Because I
also feel like you can get in this mode where
you're like, oh that for me that means yoga, and
it's like, so I'm going to go to yoga every
single day. Well, sometimes, and our listening means listening and
(22:02):
being honest with yourself that your body is saying no,
no to practice today, No to go into the studio today,
Yes to staying at home with my family, Yes to
you know, going for a nice long walk something like that.
So how can we tune in moment to moment, listen
to what our body is asking of us, listening to
what our wisdom is telling us to do, and deeply, deeply,
(22:23):
deeply trusting that next step, no matter what the outcome is,
no matter how much falls apart, no matter how you
know the voices in our head raged us that you
know so and so is not going to like this,
or this is going to mean X, Y and z,
or you're never going to get anywhere if you do
it this way, or whatever, like, How deeply can I
trust my own wisdom? How can I can I even
(22:45):
go deeper into that wisdom and trust even more that
it's guiding me someplace really important? Can I deeply listen
to myself every day, every moment, in every phase, in
every way and follow the path that it's leading me
on and trust that it does for my good? That
is my intention going into twenty twenty six. Feel free
(23:07):
to borrow it or use it, or adjust it or
change it or delete it, you know, like throw it
out altogether if it doesn't seem to fit for you.
But I hope there's something in this episode that does
fit for you. I hope the writing exercise or some
other little tidbit that I offered that you find helpful
and useful as you move into twenty twenty six. I'm
wishing for you nothing but blessings and grace and new
(23:32):
opportunities and new energies and so much love, Just heaps
and heaps of love in your life. And I'm sending
you a big hug from a distance. I will hopefully
see you back next week on the Write Your Story
podcast
Pick up the pieces of your life, put them back
together with the words you write, all the beauty and
peace and the magic that you'll start too fun when
you write your story. You got the words and said,
don't you think it's down to let them out and
write them down on cold It's all about and write
(00:24):
your story. Write, write your story. Hi, and welcome back
to the Write Your Story Podcast. I'm Ali Fallon. I'm
your host, And on this week's episode, I want to
pick up by talking about a topic that I started
talking about last week, and I feel like I just
have more to say. There were so many things that
I said last week that were kind of like ethereal
(00:46):
and you know, just sort of like out there, not
as practical, And what I want to do this week
is talk about the more practical elements of the topic
that I opened last week. So what I talked about
last week is this concept of where the writing process
is actually begins. That we think the writing process begins
when we put our fingers to the keys. We think
the creative process begins when the opportunity lands in our lap,
(01:07):
like we take the positive pregnancy test or you know,
something physical, tangible happens when actually the writing process begins
much earlier, when the ideas kind of start to whisper
to us, And where it really begins is when we
engage with that whisper by saying yes, by taking the
first step into the unknown without knowing how things are
(01:28):
going to turn out, without knowing what the outcome is
going to be. And it's tricky for us to say
that yes, because we want to know what the outcome
is going to be. We want to be guaranteed that
if we make this investment, that we're going to get
a return on our investment. And yet I believe what's
being asked of us in the creative process is to
say yes without knowing how things are going to turn out,
(01:49):
to say yes and trust and believe that however things
turn out, that it is for our good, it is
for the best. And so we are we become willing
to take a step into the unknown, trusting that really magical, mysterious, mystical,
amazing things happen in the unknown, and we become the
kind of person who we want to be when we
(02:11):
lean into that unknown. And yet, in order to do that,
I think that we really have to become better at
deep inner listening and that's really what I want to
talk about in today's episode, is like how do we
become good at that deep inner listening? Because it's tricky
to be good at deep inner listening for a lot
of different reasons, and I'll unpack some of the reasons today,
(02:34):
but I think one of the reasons that it's tricky
to be good at that deep inner listening is just
because of the world that we live in. I mean,
this is kind of a tired topic, but I will
bring this up. The world that we live in is
extremely loud, and there's so much going on, and especially
if you're on social media. I notice a distinct difference
by the way when I'm not on social media, Like
if I'm taking a break from social media versus when
(02:54):
I'm tuned into social media, the world feels really different
to me. Like the way the world feels when I'm
just with my family and my friends and my yoga
studio and my little community here in East Nashville feels
like a whole different vibration than when I'm tuned into
social media and I'm watching what's happening with the news,
and I'm watching what's happening in politics and I'm watching
what's happening around the world, and I'm not saying that
(03:16):
the most responsible thing is for us to completely tune
out from what's happening in the world. I don't have
the answers on that front. I'm just acknowledging that the
world feels different when you're tuned in to those events
and those vibrations and those attitudes and those people and
the toxicity of it and all of it. Like you know,
(03:37):
when you're logged into that, your brain and body are
in a different space than when you're just peaceful and
at home and with your kids and settled and grounded.
So I don't know if you have that same experience,
but maybe it's a different thing for you. Maybe for
you it's like when you're plugged in with these people
or these friends, or I'm not in a space in
my life anymore where being becoming a parent is tricky
(04:00):
and challenging on so many levels. But one of the
things that it really does is it really like shaves
down your priorities to the absolute bare minimum, which for
me has meant that the only people who I keep
in my life are people who really feed me and
fill me up, and so that's been a positive, kind
of accidental side effect of becoming a mom is it's
just like I don't have toxic people in my life anymore.
But I definitely understand how tricky it is to be
(04:23):
that selective about people who are in your life, especially
if you have more free time on your hands. I guess,
so maybe for you, it's not really about Instagram, but
it's more like a group of people who you hang
out with that are always gossiping or you know, maybe
for you it isn't even the people, it's just the
way you feel with those people that you feel like
you can't even fully show up as yourself or yeah,
(04:44):
that you're always putting on a performance for them or something.
And so you go be with these people and you
feel one way, and then you come home and you're
by yourself and your journaling or you're listening to podcasts
or you're learning things, and you feel a totally different
kind of way. So just notice, pay attention to that,
to how noisy certain environments can be, or noisy certain
spaces can be noisy, certain activities or times of year
(05:08):
can be I notice for myself again since becoming a mom,
and maybe also part of this is getting older, and
some of it is like the post pandemic world that
we live in. But I notice how much more sensitive
I am now to different environments and how much more
inclined I am to say no to invitations to things
like big parties or birthdays or you know, places where
(05:29):
there's going to be a lot of people or a
lot of activity or a lot of kind of frenetic energy.
It just takes more of a toll on me than
it used to, And so I find myself wanting to
say no to those things more often. And also, you know,
very human nature, but I also find myself feeling the
pull to like also want to be included and want
to be you know, part of a community, and want
(05:49):
to belong and want to go and want to show
up places, and also just like want to see people
who I really like and enjoy and maybe I only
get the opportunity to see those folks in that setting.
And so you're always kind of calibrating how much energy
do I have to be in that space and place,
versus do I have that energy to give right now?
(06:09):
What do I have to sacrifice in order for me
to show up to that event? And I think this
time of year. I don't know if you're listening to
this in real time or if you're listening to it later,
but if you're listening to this kind of in the
week between Christmas and New Year's, this time of year
really has a lot of opportunities to make those types
of decisions. It can either feel like this really grounded, settled, connected, special,
(06:32):
magical time of year, or it can feel like a
crazy frenetic There's so much going on. There's so many parties,
there so many things, so much sugar. You know, there's alcohol,
there's drinking, there's all kinds of food that maybe changes
the way that you feel in your own body. Maybe
you're not in your same routine, so you're not moving
your body in the same type of way, so it
hit has the potential to go kind of either way.
(06:55):
You may feel this week like you're really out of
your routine, you really are having a hard time feeling
grounded or hearing that inner voice or listening closely to yourself.
Or you might feel the opposite. You might feel like, well,
everything's shut down for the week, and I don't have
to go to work and work I didn't even get
into work but work. A job can be a whole
other element, a whole other Instagram, or toxic group of friends.
(07:18):
A job can be a place that you go where
you really don't feel like yourself, You really feel out
of alignment. And those spaces and places, this is the
point I'm trying to make, Those spaces and places where
you don't feel connected to yourself can make it really
tricky and really challenging for you to hear that deep
inner wisdom. And so notice, just start to pay attention
(07:38):
to the spaces where you go where you find it
hard to really hear yourself think, where you find it
hard to really know who you are, to really be
connected to yourself, to really understand what's being asked of you,
to really understand to see what's next. What's the next
step for me, am I, what's being asked of me today?
(07:59):
What's calling to my highest attention right now in this moment.
So it may be that with your family is a
hard time to hear yourself think. It may be that
with a certain group of friends, it may be a job.
It may be like big parties or environments that are
loud or chaotic. Where is it for you that you
feel like you lose access to yourself, that you lose
(08:21):
access to that part of you that is the deepest,
truest you, where you go oh oh oh, that is
what I'm supposed to do next with utter certainty and assurance.
This is something I've been teaching in my yoga classes too.
I shared a poem by Nikita Gill a couple weeks
ago on the podcast that I don't think the poem
(08:43):
has a title, but I've been calling it enough because
that's really what the poem is about. It's about realizing
that you are enough. She says something to the effect
of not every day is an opportunity to improve yourself.
I think that's the first line of the poem, and
this concept of like some days are just there for
you to breathe and to look at the sky and
(09:05):
to be who you are. And I was really struck
and moved by this poem, this concept of just knowing
like I'm enough. I come if I can come from
this place of knowing that I'm enough, I don't have
to strive for my worthiness. I don't have to prove
myself to anyone. There are some spaces and places in
life where it's just easier to feel that and to
(09:26):
know that that is true. And so I've been really
playing with this concept of enough in my yoga classes
and talking about a deep inner listening, listening to yourself
in a yoga practice, because for me, the yoga room,
the yoga practice is a place where I feel like
I always come into contact with myself or almost always
come into contact with myself in a way that's very truthful.
It's like, oh, there she is. Now I can hear
(09:48):
myself think, now I know what's going on with me.
And I have this drive to get to the yoga
studio and to get in class and to be in
my practice because when I'm really deeply in my practice,
I do hear myself clearly and I don't need a
question what the next step is. So where are those
places and spaces for you where you go that you
always or almost always can really come into contact with
(10:11):
yourself and hear that inner voice. But one of the
things that I've been saying to my classes as I
teach is that we have to get really super honest
with ourselves even in our yoga practice, even at the
yoga studio. And this Nikkia Guil poem gets at this.
(10:36):
This Nikia guil Poem gets at this. We have to
get honest with ourselves that we're not looking to our
neighbor and comparing our practice to them and doing what
our neighbor is doing, but that we're actually doing that
deep listening to our own bodies and checking in with
ourselves in that moment, because from moment to moment and
from day to day, your body will tell you something different.
(10:57):
Maybe one day your body is saying, yes, more, give
me more power, more cardio, more movement, more, you know, challenge,
and you're wanting to try for the more complicated arm
balances or handstands or headstands or whatever, and maybe even
ten minutes later, your body's going enough, I've had enough,
I need a rest. I need to back off. You know,
(11:20):
your breath will tell you when you need to back off.
When your breath becomes labored, that's a good sign that
you need to back off. So we have these cues
that our body gives us that we can tune into
that if we're honest with ourselves and if we can
really do that deep listening, all of the answers are
right there in front of us. Like we know exactly
what next step to take, if we can really listen,
and if we can be honest with ourselves. And yet,
(11:42):
even in the yoga studio, which is a place for
me where I always hear myself pretty clearly, it can
still be tricky and we can still find ways to
get off track. We can still get hooked, I guess
by our competitive nature, by our ego, by you know,
comparing our practice to those around us looking at someone
(12:03):
else and being like, Ooh, I kind of want to
be how they're being, or do what they're doing, or
try what they're trying, which isn't in itself necessarily bad.
But if we're constantly comparing ourselves to the people around us,
we're not really doing that deep listening. Like, I know,
one thing that happens for me, especially now that I'm
a teacher at the studio, is I feel a bit
of a pressure to set a good example. And so
(12:25):
it's like, in the middle of a practice, if I
need to rest, I have to check myself that I'm like,
do I really do need to rest? Actually I need
to come down to my mat and take a rest
and to not feel that feeling of oh, because I'm
a teacher, I have to show everyone else you know
how strong I am or whatever, like it's ridiculous, no
one cares. But we have to check ourselves in those
(12:45):
Even in the spaces and places where we feel really
grounded and we feel really like ourselves, we still do
have to check in and make sure that we're truly
listening to what the moment is calling for, to what
is needed in that particular moment. So ask yourself this question.
First of all, the first question I have for you
is what are the spaces and places where you feel
most like yourself, where you don't have to put on
(13:08):
any kind of performance, where you can hear that deep
inner voice that you know is you that's telling you
what next step to take. That you don't feel like
you question yourself, but you're like, yes, I know exactly
what's being asked of me, and I feel confident that
I can put my foot at least on that next step.
(13:29):
What are the spaces and places? Who are the people
that you're around that make you feel that way? And
maybe like, how could you arrange your year this year
in a way that would put you in the way
of your truest self? In other words, how could I
put myself in the places where I feel most like
myself so that I could have the most likelihood, the
(13:50):
highest likelihood of encountering my truest self. This was at
the beginning of twenty twenty five. I started my teacher
training and one of the things that was required of
us as part of the teacher training is we had
to be at the studio six days a week. So
we had to take six classes a week, which was
a massive stretch for me because of childcare, mostly so
just arranging the complicated network of childcare to get to
(14:13):
the studio six days a week. But when I tell
you about the payoff that happened for me because I
just put myself in a space where I know that
I could hear myself six days a week. And then
several weekends in January and February, I think it was
like every other weekend in January and February, we were
at the studio all day learning you know, anatomy and
(14:33):
learning yoga, philosophy and all these different aspects sequencing all
the different aspects that we needed to learn in order
to be certified. And so I was at the yoga studio,
you know, hundreds of hours in twenty twenty five. And
because of that, I was able to put myself in
a space where I heard more of my own inner
voice in twenty twenty five than I did in twenty
(14:55):
twenty four. And so I was just able to feel
much more grounded and much more like me, and much
more confident in who I am and in my path
and in what's being asked of me. And so my
question for you would be, like, what would be the
equivalent for you? How could you put yourself in the
way of yourself where maybe you don't even start thinking
(15:15):
yet about removing yourself from environments where you lose yourself,
because that can also be tricky for so many reasons.
But like, instead, how could you put yourself in an
environment where you know that you know that you know
that you'll encounter yourself. Another thing for me, and I've
talked about this before, is meditation. So meditation for me
has always been a way where I know that I
can drop in and really hear that deep inner voice
that's guiding me. And of course this is of no
(15:38):
shock to anyone, but writing is an absolutely spectacular practice
to bring you into contact with yourself. In fact, I
think it's one of the quickest and easiest ways to
hear your own inner voice. I don't know if you've
had this experience, but sometimes people will talk to me.
I've had this experience so many times too, where people
will tell me that they came across something that they
(15:58):
had written. They almost can't believe that they even wrote it.
It's like the words that you put on the page
are almost in a different voice than the voice that
you use on a day to day basis. I don't
know if you've had this experience, but I've definitely had it.
And there is just something about this that when you
are just kind of talking or moving about your day
(16:19):
to day life, you sound one way, or you talk
one way, or you even say one thing, and then
you pick up the pen to write something down and
you catch yourself saying something different. There's something about putting
the pen to paper or putting your fingers to the
keys that will help you to access a different part
of your brain and a different part of your psyche,
(16:41):
a different part of your wisdom body that you don't
always have access to. And so writing is an extremely
powerful way to connect you back to that deep inner voice.
So in last week's episode, I talked about how when
you feel that tugging at your shirt sleeves or that
inexplicable urge to do something, to write a book, or
(17:01):
to have a baby, or to start a business or whatever,
that when you take the first step, you're entering into
this long conversation with the truest version of yourself. And
one of the things that I like to do is
to use my writing practice to my advantage to begin
that conversation. So I've talked about this writing prompt before,
but the most often writing prompt that I use is
(17:22):
just starting at the top of the page with a
question like what do you want to show me today?
Or what do you want to teach me today? Or
what do you have to say to me today? Or
what am I not what are you trying to tell
me that I'm not getting, or what's the main thing
you want me to focus on today. I will ask
a question at the top of the page in big
bold letters, and I will just sit until something comes
(17:42):
to me, and I will write my own responses to
the question. And it sounds insane because it's just like, well,
it's both it's you writing both the question and the answer.
But when I tell you that the part of me
that writes the answer is different than the part of
me that asks the question, it's wild every single time
I come up with a piece of wisdom that I
didn't know was there, and it's like it puts you
(18:06):
in contact with that deeper, truer part of yourself, the
part of yourself that sees the whole picture, the part
of you, yourself that really trusts where you're headed, the
part of yourself that knows, beyond a shadow of it
out about what you're supposed to do next. And so
you have this part of you that's wondering, that's questioning,
that's maybe insecure, that feels like I'm not enough, I
(18:28):
don't know what I'm supposed to do, I don't know
that I have what it takes to achieve this thing.
And then you have this other part of you that
is much more grounded and certain and sure. So entering
into a conversation with this part of yourself through a
writing practice is one really powerful way to make sure
that you never lose contact with the deepest, truest part
(18:49):
of you. And I guess when it comes to deep
in our listening, one of the most challenging parts of
this is not even necessarily hearing the wisdom that your
body has to offer, but it's also trusting the wisdom
and leaning into it, because if you're like me, you
probably have experiences where you're really in touch with that
(19:11):
wisdom where you hear it loud and clear where and
this has happened to me with our journey to grow
our family, where like, I have these moments that I'm
just so convinced that I'm on this journey for a reason,
that there's a baby out there for us, or whatever
however it comes through. It's just like, yes, I'm supposed
to be doing the things that I'm doing and taking
these steps that I'm taking, And then I move about
(19:31):
my life and it's really easy to get lost in
the mud again of wondering like, gosh, is this all
a waste of time? Am I delusional for thinking that
you know, this could still happen for us? Like shouldn't
we just give up already? Haven't we already invested enough?
There's you know, So you move in and out of
feeling like you're deeply in contact with that deeper part
(19:52):
of yourself, and then you're not in contact with that
part of yourself. So coming back to the writing practice,
coming back to the yoga practice, coming back to the
meditation practice, coming back to journaling, whatever it is for
you that helps you feel grounded in that truth. We
have to really get very honest with ourselves and do
that deep in our listening over and over and over
(20:14):
and over again. Otherwise it's very easy to get pulled
off of your path. So as you move through this
week between Christmas and New Year's I feel like it's
almost impossible not to think about, you know, what is
my intention that I want to set for twenty twenty six,
Even if you've kind of moved past the resolutions phase
of your life, if that's not something you do anymore.
I think for a while I was like coming up
(20:36):
with a word of the year, and then I even
kind of got bored of that. But still, even though
I don't really think of the new year as a
time to like set a big goal that I'm going
to chase down, it's still impossible for me not to
think about at this time of year, not to reflect
on what last year was like and maybe how I
want next year to be different and for me this year,
(20:59):
let me just offer this to you as an intention
in case it feels good for you in your body,
and please do your deep inner listening and listen to
what feels good for you and reject anything that doesn't
feel good for you. But for me in twenty twenty six,
one thing that I want to pay more attention to
is really staying in contact with myself, is doing this
deep in our listening. Is showing up places where I
(21:20):
know that I can really hear myself, not showing up
to relationships where I feel like my voice and my
truth gets overshadowed or gets snuffed out, Not showing up
to environments where that happens, you know, putting myself in
the way of myself so that I can always hear
what that deep in our wisdom is telling me and
(21:41):
so that I can stay the course that my wisdom
is asking me to stay on. So for me, that means,
you know it, actually what it means is listening deeply
every day to what that means for today. Because I
also feel like you can get in this mode where
you're like, oh that for me that means yoga, and
it's like, so I'm going to go to yoga every
single day. Well, sometimes, and our listening means listening and
(22:02):
being honest with yourself that your body is saying no,
no to practice today, No to go into the studio today,
Yes to staying at home with my family, Yes to
you know, going for a nice long walk something like that.
So how can we tune in moment to moment, listen
to what our body is asking of us, listening to
what our wisdom is telling us to do, and deeply, deeply,
(22:23):
deeply trusting that next step, no matter what the outcome is,
no matter how much falls apart, no matter how you
know the voices in our head raged us that you
know so and so is not going to like this,
or this is going to mean X, Y and z,
or you're never going to get anywhere if you do
it this way, or whatever, like, How deeply can I
trust my own wisdom? How can I can I even
(22:45):
go deeper into that wisdom and trust even more that
it's guiding me someplace really important? Can I deeply listen
to myself every day, every moment, in every phase, in
every way and follow the path that it's leading me
on and trust that it does for my good? That
is my intention going into twenty twenty six. Feel free
(23:07):
to borrow it or use it, or adjust it or
change it or delete it, you know, like throw it
out altogether if it doesn't seem to fit for you.
But I hope there's something in this episode that does
fit for you. I hope the writing exercise or some
other little tidbit that I offered that you find helpful
and useful as you move into twenty twenty six. I'm
wishing for you nothing but blessings and grace and new
(23:32):
opportunities and new energies and so much love, Just heaps
and heaps of love in your life. And I'm sending
you a big hug from a distance. I will hopefully
see you back next week on the Write Your Story
podcast
Feeling Things with Amy & Kat News
Host
Amy Brown
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Bobby Bones Show
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.