Who are you?
I am Angie, a 23 year old yogi and full-time yoga instructor / marketer at The Yoga Collective, Singapore's first home-concept yoga studio.
What do you do? Tell us about your typical day.
I start my day either going for a yoga class or practicing on my own at home. I believe that self-practice is really important for a yoga instructor to continue growing and honing his/her craft in teaching and yoga! After that, I head to The Yoga Co to work - a typical work day at The Yoga Co includes teaching classes, planning marketing timelines and designing collaterals for the studio. Many people may think that it is a really relaxing job being a yoga instructor but it is quite the contrary! It can get pretty hectic and stressful. It's all about how you manage the stress, deadlines, and expectations.
How did it all start? How did you get into this industry?
I started practicing yoga 2.5 years ago and initially I thought becoming a yoga instructor was something that was not achievable for me. However, as life would have it, I found myself deepening my practice not just physically but also mentally - and it was then that I started entertaining the thought of becoming a yoga teacher. I signed up for a part time course early this year, juggling both teacher training and final year in college. After graduation, I immediately joined The Yoga Co as a marketing executive as well as a full time instructor. It has been around 6 months since I've joined. The learning curve has been steep but it has been infinitely rewarding so far.
What does “Living Your Passion” mean to you?
To me, it means being able to wake up in the morning being grateful for what you do at work - no matter whether it is on a good day or on a bad. It is easy to be positive and optimistic when life seems good, but the real work comes in when we have to maintain that upbeat attitude even when the going gets tough. I am really thankful that I was able to bring my love and passion for yoga into my day to day job, and that passion itself has helped me immensely during stressful periods and periods of self-doubt.
Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration from every single person around me. Especially with the robust yoga community on Instagram, sometimes it is really easy to get caught up with comparing your practice with another person halfway around the globe through that Instagram photo. However, I truly believe that we can also find inspiration from every single person around us as well. From the close knit team at The Yoga Co, to my fiancé, to my friends and family outside of my yoga circle, I am constantly able to draw inspiration of positivity, love, passion, empathy from each and every one of them. These values then translate into my practice on the yoga mat, as well as my relationship with my students.
Passion or Perseverance? Which is more important in achieving success?
Perseverance is definitely, in my opinion, more important in achieving success. Passion is something that ignites the spark but it is also something that can be tenuous, fleeting, and it comes and goes with the ups and downs of life. That is when perseverance comes in. I think grit is something that is often not highlighted, but yet it is such an important ingredient to achieving success in life - no matter what your definition of success may be.
What keeps you grounded?
My yoga practice keeps me grounded. I am often humbled by the fact that my practice varies from day to day. Some days I am able to do a certain asana and some days I find my mind even struggling to remain focused on the mat. Understanding the impermanence of life and how both the good and the bad will eventually pass helps me seize the day and remain focused and grounded.
Whats the most important piece of advice you can give for someone looking to "take the plunge” and live their passion?
There will be many, many, many instances where you doubt yourself and your choice - no matter whether it is the circumstances, the people, or the things that you encounter in life. There will be many occasions where you want to give up and walk away from it all. But there are also many instances where you are reminded that whatever you do, it will all be worth it. Sometimes we just get too caught up in the negatives to look for the positives that reside in many corners of our lives all along. So, keep the faith, you got this.
Anything exciting coming up in your agenda?
I will be leading a couple of training programmes at The Yoga Co come 2016 to help individuals explore the mental and physical boundaries of their practice. We did a pilot programme in October this year and the response have been overwhelming positive, and we are ready to take this to a new level. Leading a training programme is very much different from teaching a 60 minute class, and I am very excited to see how this will also transform my own teaching style and career.