Thoughts from a Social Media Skeptic

This week marks the one-year anniversary of my web site launch www.Audreysyoga.com. Looking back, the year was full of tremendous learning opportunities on the creation, editing, and posting of videos on my website, as well as figuring out how best to promote myself as a yoga instructor. It was also a year of frustration, I  struggled on how to optimize my social media presence and stay true to who I am and what I believe in.

I am very grateful to each and every one of you for your support and that you are still reading what I post. I have to admit, I struggled with blog writing because I was initially a blogging skeptic. Every time I thought about writing a blog three thoughts would go round and round in my head. Who would really care about what I think? What makes what I am writing so much better than others? Who would take the time to read what I have to say?  So, in order to get some sleep, I took a break from writing blogs and focused my energy on creating quality videos. I also started doing more research into finding a social media platform that allowed me to express my love of yoga in an authentic way.

My first goal was to enter the world of Instagram. I started by reading posts from people I respected and admired as well as posts from people ‘outside my box’.  Almost immediately I started to gain a better understanding of what was being talked about on social media; the types of photos that are shared, and what makes them popular or relevant.  I still continued to worry about what people would think of my writing and struggled with the fact that 95% of the posts seemed to focus on how wonderful life was or that the perfect picture of the perfect yoga pose was easily attainable. I finally figured out that neither always posting or showing the perfect pose or sequence wasn't who I was and that is where I found the inspiration I needed.  

I wanted to show my yoga journey; the good, the bad, the not-so-perfect poses, and the mental struggles that go along with trying to achieve our goals. I started with Instagram challenges. I posted photos of me using modifications to find the best variation of the pose to overcome the struggles I was having. This was the start of a new beginning for me. I began writing short posts to share my experience with others and to make connections with people on similar journeys which often lead to us joining up to conquer our challenges together. I was getting more confident in what I was posting, and as my experience grew I became more focused on expression rather than trying to explain the finer aspects of yoga. I was finally able to start putting myself out to the world without the expectation of always being perfect, I just did it to help out people like myself.

It is year two of my website and I am ready to continue on my online yoga journey. One new goal I have is to write a blog a month with a central theme and an invitation for anyone to join me.  I want to make connections with other people overcoming challenges on their mat, in their career, in their personal life, or in relationships. I hope to build on those connections and grow stronger together. Again, thank you ever so much for your support and encouragement. Here’s to the new year and the yoga adventures we may share!