Reignite that Spark for Your Passion

Burnout happens to everyone, but not all recognize the symptoms; lack of enthusiasm, mental fatigue, making excuses to skip or opt out, or half-hearted attempts to keep going. The lucky self-aware people can recognize these symptoms and start to change things in order to become inspired again. Burnout can happen in all areas of your life; work, exercise, relationships, and even passions like travel, reading, writing, cooking, or for me... occasionally practicing yoga!

Yes, I said it, yoga burnout has happened to me and I absolutely love yoga. Ever since I have started yoga, I have fallen in love with the way it makes me feel inside and out, mentally and physically. I love to take every class, workshop, and retreat I could so that I could learn as much as possible about this passion of mine. This all changed a couple of years ago when I was teaching Physical Education full time, teaching 6 classes of yoga a week, plus organizing monthly workshops for the community. I began to feel really run down and struggled to make it to my own personal practice each week. Luckily I was able to recognize that I was becoming burnt out on yoga and could do something about it before my passion faded.

 When making it onto my mat becomes an “I have to” instead of an “I get to”, I look for ways to mix things up to find my passion again. In the past, because of my super active daily life, I found mixing things up physically like going to the gym or walking instead of stepping on my mat, have worked. Other times, actually getting out and taking a class at an actual studio for a week or two helps me want to get back to my practice in order to continue my journey. Living in Saudi Arabia and not having classes readily available to join has been a challenge. The most important part of banishing burnout is noticing the early warning signs. I try to remind myself that too much of a good thing, even yoga, could cause burnout. There are at least 2 times a year that I consciously choose to not teach for a couple of weeks and go to classes in order to keep the feeling of burn out away. Also, I have redefined my practice to also include studying yoga. I learn about different styles of asana sequencing, read and practice more meditation techniques, as well as study for understanding the philosophy of yoga. I have found that by doing so, it has sparked a new interest for me to make it to my mat each day.

Did an area of your life pop into your thoughts while reading this? How were you able to rekindle your passion or work past the burnout? I’d love to hear and learn from you about your journey. Namaste’