Yoga With Charmaine

Finding Balance within the Chaos of Life

Dear Reader,

Balancing a full-time day job with teaching yoga, managing yoga admin, and trying to maintain my own practice is…a lot.

My day job is office-based; structured, demanding, and emotionally charged. I’m expected to be tuned in all the time, holding space for others, navigating different energies and emotions. It can be rewarding, yes, but also deeply draining. By the end of some days, I feel like I’ve given so much of myself that there’s barely any left to show up for me; I bumble home, dump myself on the couch and every movement from this point on feels like a war against my mind and body.

Then comes the part of me that loves yoga; teaching, planning, advertising, checking messages, arranging spaces, building connections. These are all parts of the practice too, just not the parts most people see. And, while I’m grateful for each opportunity to share yoga, I’ve noticed that when I’m stretched thin, my own practice is often the first to slip away.

It’s strange, isn’t it? The thing that grounds me most becomes the thing I sacrifice first.

When I start to feel that imbalance, I try to slow down and to release the pressure to be perfect. I strip back the noise and find simplicity in the everyday. Sometimes that means sitting quietly with a cup of tea before bed, or choosing to rest instead of pushing through another task. Sometimes it means laying on the floor just to breathe, without expectation of achieving anything at all.

Most importantly, I remind myself of my purpose and why I do this in the first place.

My purpose in teaching yoga is to offer some sort of positive experience to those who attend my class — whatever that might look like for them. Maybe it’s a smile, a moment of calm, a spark of confidence, or a small sense of release. My purpose in my own practice is to nurture my balance, my commitment, and my energy to keep returning home to myself.

Some weeks that balance feels impossible. Other weeks it feels effortless. I’m learning that it’s not about getting it right, but about staying aware. Noticing when things tilt too far in one direction, and gently guiding myself back without judgement or expectations.

There’s no perfect formula for this kind of balance, only a quiet awareness that shifts and grows with time.

And maybe that’s the real practice.

With reflection and gentleness,
Charmaine