As the new school year begins, I roll out a stretch of five yoga classes per week, hosted by me, promoted by me, taught by me, yes, just me. As a new-ish teacher, it is a daunting prospect to go out on your own. You try your hand at advertising (even though you don't know what you're doing, really), then you publish your class times and show up. You show up and wait for someone, anyone to arrive. You so desperately want the experience of teaching others this most wonderfully transformative practice of yoga, yet, no one comes. And you begin to question why. Why does no one want to practice yoga with me? Am I not good enough? Here. This is where you must stop that internal critic dead in its tracks and assert yourself, the real you. The you that know better than that. The you that is ready for the challenge. And you grow stronger. You realize that you showed up in service to whomever wished to practice yoga, and that is remarkable. You realize that people actually attending class is almost irrelevant to you and your feelings about it. Your yoga, the yoga of believing in yourself, of loving yourself , of knowing that you are enough, even in the face of imagined rejection, that is yoga. Your practice becomes stronger, the expanse of your heart radiates further into the reaches of your soul, and you realize you are alright. You faced your fear of not being good enough, of not meeting expectations, of failing, and you are alright. You are stronger. Om Swaha! You threw it all into the fire and what remains in the magnificence that is you. You showed up to give, to share, to serve; and in doing so, confidence was able to lay a foundation in your heart. The seed has been planted. Now it is time to cultivate it.