Everyone needs to start somewhere.

I can be highly competitive, which is ultimately why I chose yoga as a career. I thought it would drain the competitive drive out of me and allow me to be present and content. The yoga world has become highly competitive since then and it used to drive me crazy until I realized there's work for everyone.

There is a “yoga body” aesthetic, which is long and sinewy. I am curvy. I get praised on a regular basis, with people telling me, “Wow, you're so brave,” simply for showing my curvy body. Being brave is going to war; being curvy is not brave. We need to be careful with how we use our words.

Don't look for shortcuts, because they'll only hurt you in the long run.

Anytime I feel my feathers ruffle off of someone else's success, I have to check myself. It's normally fear based or ego related and it's my daily work to let it go and focus on me, because that's the only person I can control and make grow.

I used to be in my 20s, be single, and work way less. This was conducive to way more hours on the mat and a super fit physique. I'm now 31, engaged, and travel every single week, which puts a major damper on any sort of routine.

So acknowledge here to yourself, ‘I am unique, and while there may be someone who is better than me at this or that, it doesn’t matter because they’re not me. So no matter what, they’ll never do it like me because that’s impossible.’ So embrace the quirks, embrace your individuality, embrace where you are in life. No one else is like you, and that is special, and that is unique.