Welcome to the Sip and Soul Podcast. My name's Angie Leitnaker - transformational coach, self development junkie, network marketing advocate. For over a decade I've been obsessed with the power of human potential and realize that the recipe is the same whether you're 4 or 104. In this show you'll learn the recipe for living your best life through positive vibes and a soulful tribe. So grab a cup, let's fill yours up.
Hi guys. I hope you all are having an amazing day today. One of my friends married that she is a yoga instructor. Actually our paths had merged Several times. She came to one of my retreats the years ago, she started her own yoga journey. She has been married to her husband, Larry Tipton, 25 years between the two of them. They have four children, seven grandchildren. Now, one more on the way in June, she owns her own business. It's called yoga living. You can look her up. She does a lot of online courses and classes, and she's a certified yoga teacher with an additional 300 hours and back TCL. If you're not familiar with that, I'll tell you guys I've been on this journey for a minute. And it was one of the most profound classes. I had taken a class a few months ago and it's called the 40 day personal revolution. Correct. And it was really one of those things. We talk about this a lot in our community that there's like this time where we learn things we take in all the knowledge, then it's a whole different ball game to learn to embody it and to be it and to become into really, truly live it.
(01:33): And so that was one of the things I've. I know I've talked to a lot of my friends about this. I'm like, have you heard about this program? So I'd love to welcome Mary back and just ask her a few questions. What made you go into this journey in the first place? I first started practicing yoga because I was wanting a physical workout and right away it was a lot harder than what I thought it would be. And downs along was a bad word. And now it's a resting pose in my classes, but yeah, I started it for the physical workout. And then I started to realize there was a lot of other things happening when I was showing up on my mat fully and present, and it really became a work in. And so that's how I started practicing, but then I've decided to be a teacher five years ago, we lost our son.
(02:24): And after I got back on my yoga mat, yoga really helped me deal with my grief. And it wasn't easy to even just get out of the house and go to the grocery store. So showing up for a physical exercise was a big challenge, but the time that I had on my mat really just brought me a lot closer to myself and really brought me a lot of strength. And it brought me a lot of healing. And I started taking, I was learning from that experience of I'm at home and helping my husband through his grief. And there was something to it and I was like, okay, that's it. I need to go get certified to teach yoga. I've got to share this with everybody. It's amazing. And so, yeah, I've been, I've been teaching now for just four years and I absolutely love it. I can tell you that in those four years I've grown so much. I am so much more connected. I am so much less attached. I'm more peaceful, I'm happier. And I just, I found that there is strength in something so simple as my breath, just my breath. And yeah, I, I have a huge passion for yoga and that passion just then became my purpose.
(03:45): Oh, good. So that actually just answered. My second question is like, what do you feel are your strengths or your personal zone of genius? What allows you to connect?
(03:56): There's no, there's no, there's no genius in any sentences with my name in it. I, you know, my strengths are well, apparently I have been told that I have a lot of enthusiasm and that my enthusiasm is contagious. I come very positive energy and I, but I do also allow myself to feel what I feel. I allow myself to feel it, to feel my feelings. I don't always have to react or respond to everything. I feel that I'm a very emotional feeling person. And obviously I think, I think I'm a pretty good yoga teacher and I can definitely lead people to meditation and through meditation and help them conquer their resistance to meditation. So I can definitely help with that. And then, you know, I think I'm a pretty good cheerleader and encourager my other strengths. I'm pretty honest. I'm kinda say what I feel. Kind of say things how they are. And I really speak from my truth.
(05:00): Those are all very good ones. Much of those are integrated in your, your program too. A lot of those like seeking the truth. Well, if you seek the truth and you can speak the truth and just a lot of those big, deep parts of personal development. And I think a lot of the things that you named as your strengths are actually, those are parts of the journey, right? We have to feel it to heal it and then it's then when you can give it away. So I love how you really touched on that. I think sometimes as humans, we want to spiritually bypass the key word for most humans is I'm fine. I'm fine. Some, one of our friends gave us an acronym for fine, which is not. I mean like I'm losing my ever loving mind
(05:46): When you were talking about like the feelings. I think that oftentimes we have an emotion and then right away, our critical minds want to go into solving it or labeling it or criticizing it, judging it or fixing it. And we don't, we don't just pause and feel it because sometimes feelings just need to be felt, period. That's it. They don't need label. Judge criticized, fix solved or reacted to sometimes you just need to feel them. That's what makes you human. It's a gift if you want to have the ability to feel. And, and so, yeah, it's a, it's okay. You know,
(06:31): That's so huge. Cause that is, I mean, we're programmed to push down those feelings, those emotions that like, Oh my gosh, now I have to be fine. And if we go out into the world, we just are armored up versions of ourselves that are trying to not feel something. I read something a while ago. You might like this, but they said our feelings are here to tell us something. So it's kind of like, all the emotions are sitting around the dinner table. And the fear is like the drunk cousin, like, hear me, hear me. And then it's like, you let him hear what, say what he has to say. And then he likes, sits down and shuts up. It's like, okay, you've been heard, buddy. Here you go. But it's really, it's coming to tell you something like, it has something to say, you don't have to hate it. Or just like you said, you can just like say, Oh, that's what you're here to say. Okay. You can sit back. Yeah.
(07:18): And it's not, and it's not always convenient when it shows up.
(07:25): Yeah, you're right. And it doesn't have to run the show either. So it can be a part of you in terms of messages to tell, but it doesn't have to own you. I think so much the thing I love about yoga, it lets us know that we are not our thoughts. We have our thoughts. But when you get present, you realize that it's not who you are. You know, you're a spiritual being, having a human experience. And so you can just be human beings, not human doings, yoga lets you do the human being part. I feel
(07:53): Right. So yoga, there are so many benefits to yoga. I mean, of course there's all the obvious physical benefits, right? You have the, the strengthening of your muscle and the flexibility and you're gaining balance and agility. And then you have the physiological benefits, you know, where you're improving circulation and you're lowering blood pressure and you're calming the central nervous system. And then you have all of the psychological benefits from yoga. You know, you, you're, you're number one, you're building more self confidence. You're, you're working on your mindfulness and your presence and you start to learn acceptance and you start to learn to be okay with your discomfort and to sit in your discomfort sometimes and being okay with everything not being okay. And oftentimes in my classes, I'm creating a lot of chaos on your mat and in what you're learning about yourself on your mat is how you're responding to that chaos.
(08:53): And because how you are, how you show up on your mat, oftentimes mirrors how you show up in your life. So this is how you're getting, how you're acting on your yoga mat. If you're showing up with frustration, well then most of the time in your life, you're getting frustrated about every little thing. And so your mat acts like a mirror. So there's so much time that that hour that you spend in a yoga practice, you learned so much about yourself. And then you can take that off of your mat and apply it into your life. So one of the things I tell my students is that, you know, I'm teaching you yoga on your mat. I meant I'm moving your body and putting in suggesting all these shapes to put your body in it and you're doing the work and you're moving and free then.
(09:32): And then, and then I kind of give you this little bit of inspiration, these little nuggets, these little hints of seeds I plant in you that you can now take and go off of your mat and apply them in your life. And this is how you live your yoga practice. And that's when the real deal go happens. That's the hard part. That's the real work I love. And like, you know, you're strengthening on your yoga mat, you're strengthening the muscle of your mind. I'm taking you to your ed. I'm taking you to this place of comfortable discomfort. And so you're strengthening that muscle of the mind because you have to have an opportunity to choose. Do I, do I do I do I quit? But I come out of the post at [inaudible] tells us that the post is the beginning. So you want to come out of it.
(10:17): That's when it begins. And so, you know, do you quit or do you stay? And then like you asked yourself, like, you know, you have a choice. And so how does it feel when you quit? When you, when you just back off and you quit, he is so disempowering. And then when you stay in, in your legs are shaking and you get on the other side of that, you're like, I'm a bad ass. And then your confidence grows. And so like you have the opportunity every single time. You step on your mat and you have that opportunity again and again, strengthen the muscle of your mind. And the stronger to get on your mat is stronger to get off of your yoga mat. And you're getting a full body exercise. You're working from head to toe. So you're getting a full body workout, but you're getting this incredible mental work in at the same time. It's, it's absolutely amazing. I don't do anything else. I don't lift weights. I just lift my own byway on my mat. I don't run unless I'm being chased. That's a role. And I just do yoga and meditate and drink wine and it works. It works.
(11:30): If this podcast is awakening something inside you, if you are feeling lost unfulfilled or uninspired and want to gain clarity, if you're ready to shine from within and create your most soulful life, then join us in our seven day affirmation challenge series, where we'll program your mind into believing that you can create the most fulfilled, go to
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(12:01): The number one thing, and maybe you've already answered this, but the number one thing you most find yourself saying, Oh, this is, this is a really, really hard one. I think the number one thing I probably say the most is what you practice. You get good at. And if you think about it, if you, if you, for instance, if you practice complaining, you will get so good at complaining. You will find fault with everything. We all know those people, right? But so when you practice, you get good at, and so you've got, you have a choice. You choose your way of being, you choose what you practice because that's what you're going to get good at. And so, you know, sometimes I'll just gently remind somebody what they're practicing love so much. That's so much. Well, I always say you have to be with that when she went to see, so people will sometimes say like, I want to be, I want people to be more grateful. They're not grateful. And it's like, well, how much are you practicing gratitude in your life? So it works in every facet. It's, that's just it, you choose your way of being. And I have people like, you know, they're like, you know, like if you want more joy in your home, well, then be joyful, joyful in it. Like if you want more than you want, if you want to think of abundance, the root of all abundance is gratitude. It starts with gratitude.
(13:50): But you know, I think that, I really think I was, I was thinking about our meeting today and, and where do I get the best perspective by the water? But I took a walk out to the beach I'm currently covered in sand. I really, there might be little pieces of shell on me, but I was thinking about our talk today. And I was just sitting there looking out at the water and I thought, you know, at, at some point we, all of us at some point, think that life was supposed to be a, why do we think that? Who told us that? But people think that they think that my yoga classes are meant to be easy. I've never told anyone easy, not one time ever, but they think that it's not easy. Life is not easy, but people think it's supposed to be why it's not, no one's life is easy.
(14:44): And the more you spend time thinking that things should be other than what they are, then you're only robbing yourself of your joy. And, you know, I was thinking about like, you were talking about your way of being, you know, and, and you can choose your way of being. And so it's, it's all a matter of perspective. If you have all these expectations of what you think things should be, then you're robbing yourself of your joy. If you know, if you're spending your time, you know, thinking of how something should be, other than what it is, then, then it is what it is. This is what it is. You're there, you can't change it. And so you have to have that shift of your vision and you have to radically accept your reality for what it is. And then from there, you choose your way of being, you know, if you want to be more peaceful to set an intention, to be more peaceful, if the BMR peaceful is your intention, then cultivate peace and be peaceful. If you want to be Pete,
(15:51): Do you want more peace in your life? Right.
(15:53): Peaceful. And then you cultivate that intention and then you make an execution plan, right? You write it down, you make an execution plan. You know, how can I bring more peace on my life? And then you live with that attention.
(16:06): Yeah. There are so many facets to what you just said, the puzzle piece of life. So like Eckert, totally. One of the great spiritual teachers. And he says, most human suffering is wanting things to be different than they are. So if we have this perception of how life should be, and one thing outside of our circle of influence changes that then we put our happiness outside of ourselves where this circumstance, it makes me not be happy, but here's the really cool part of life. Like you were just saying, if you set an intention, can you choose that your inside world is all that matters. Right? First and foremost, it's I choose happiness regardless of what's going on in outside of my life, I choose peace or I choose joy or I choose presence or I choose feeling like I just choose to feel this shit storm right now.
(16:56): Like, that's just where I am. And so you choose that and then you worked through it. Your outside world actually does mirror it. So it's like, you've chosen more peace. You've you didn't ask the outside circumstance to give you happiness or outside circumstance that give you peace. You chose those internally. And the outside world reflects more of that. It doesn't mean that things don't happen outside of our circle of influence. There are things that they exactly, like you said, like there are still elements of life, things come in that we just have to deal with we're humans, but the generation of joy and presence and happiness it's here.
(17:34): Exactly. And, you know, taking that back to yoga and my yoga classes, I'm teaching you to be in the experience of that post, you know, when you've got to be present and you gotta be the experience of that's that pose, and you have to look for possible, not where you're going next. Right. You have to be in the experience of, of right here right now, and then look for what's possible. And it's on the other side of it after we're all said and done, it's like, that's where you've brought. So you're, you're you get on your mat, you're challenged and you get stronger. You know, that's what I guess it's, if you're, if it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you. Right? So like our growth comes from our challenges and our adversities. And you have to look at these things all as opportunities. If you're not being in the experience of it, then you're not seeing the opportunity.
(18:26): Right. And that's where you have to connect the dots, the opportunity, all of your experiences have value. Yes. All of your experiences have value. And I remember when I was a kid, I would come home and I would tell my mom about something that happened to me and she would tell me, Oh, that's life, get over it. And I hated that. I hated to hear that. I'm like, that's like, I know what a horrible outlook on life. Right. But wouldn't have been nice. Has she sat me down? And she would have said, what did you learn from this? What's the lesson? What could you have learned? Right. And it took me years to be able to look at things from an accountability perspective. Oh, well the lesson in back,
(19:11): I could have done a nicer
(19:16): It's all the time. And when you train yourself, just like you said, when you practice, you get good. So if you learn to practice every time that there's an obstacle, I'll say, okay, what's the message. I'm excited to learn, like how I can grow or how we can change things or how my paradigm can shift. It's like, Oh, what's the message. Look at it so much. Like, Oh, there's growth and healing and opportunity on the other side of this, whatever it looks like. So what do you practice? You get that. That's a great way to just say, literally look at life through that lens.
(19:59): Is there an applicable tool or something that you'd like to share that maybe somebody could utilize right now? And any final thoughts that you have? You know, the applicable tools there are there. I have a whole tool chest of tools. I, I'm not going to give you one tool, the applicable tool that I'm going to offer up, I guess this would do. Angios that show up on your yoga mat, get on your yoga mat and never underestimate somebody who has a yoga mat in their arms. That's great. Get on your yoga mat and also be on your meditation cushion or take your seat, you know, spend some time in stillness and in solitude and get to know yourself, right? And so yoga meditation, and, and pick up your pen and pick up a journal and start writing stuff down, start putting it on paper, self inquiry, self discovery, gratitude, write it down. And that those are the tools. I have a whole tool chest of developing patience and acceptance and perseverance. And that would be your four hours, but it all comes down to so much of that stuff happens by getting on your yoga mat, sitting in your seat and meditation and doing the work of self discovery and self three.
(21:26): We've actually done that a couple of times, we've talked for a couple hours. I'm like looking at the phone and it's like, where's in 21 minutes. Everyone finds you if they're wanting to delve deeper. So my website is yoga, living, llc.com. That's my website. And my Facebook is also yoga living. So I have a yoga living Facebook page. My personal page is Mary Beth sets in and I am teaching virtually through my yoga living. And so right now I am teaching virtually once we are back in a studio environment, I teach in Lancaster every Monday evening at five 30. And I also teach up at Lewis center Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12. I also have a YouTube channel. It is called yoga living. So there's a YouTube channel as well.
(22:29): And you also make jewelry. Oh, I do. I make bracelets. These are my blue bracelets. And they could find those on your website as well. I have some pictures of my bracelets. I think on my website, I do not sell them from the website. And so all my bracelet sales are basically word of mouth. I do not have them on Etsy or anywhere. I get lots of phone calls of people calling and telling me, you know, I custom make a lot. They tell them what they need and then I design it and make it and send it to them. They're all over the world. And several different countries, very affordable. I most expensive bracelets, not over 30, some dollars also on Instagram. My Instagram is at Marybeth on. Thanks, Angie. Have a wonderful day.
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