We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christy Cole a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Christy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’re complete cheeseballs and so we love asking folks to share the most heartwarming moment from their career – do you have a touching moment you can share with us?
Yoga is growth. Yoga is love. Love for ourselves, love for one another.
Yoga isn’t about making every situation light, bright, or carefree— but rather, bringing the light of our perception, and the fortitude of our spirit, into the dark places. It is about acknowledging our strength, and encouraging the beauty of our grace.
Yoga is observing, accepting, and embracing the struggle— the highs, the lows, the scars, the scratches, the chaos, the stillness; the poetic vignettes of our cosmic fairytale…
Yoga is recognizing that your spark of magic is worthwhile. That your glowing ember deserves to be loved, supported, and nourished— By you. Your tribe. Your community.
Yoga is surrounding yourself with those who fan your flame— encouraging you to grow, to reach, to stretch.
Yoga is love.
Love is why I yoga.
There was a time not too many moons ago that I would have looked at the aforementioned vignette and scoffed— “well that all sounds nice, but it’s JUST stretching”.
Contextually, at that point in time I had tried a few yoga classes, and felt like they were a “waste” of my time when I could be doing a “real” workout… You know— running, CrossFit, conquering 14’ers…
As you may have guessed, I tend to be a “Type A” personality by nature— Often finding myself over-committing, and attempting to tackle an ever-elongating checklist of things to accomplish. While I feel very proud of all that I achieve in any given day, there is validity to the statement that there can be “too much of a good thing”, and I would be lying if I didn’t acknowledge the fact that pretending to be “Superwoman” didn’t result in excess stress.
As I am sure many caregivers can relate to, we do an excellent job looking after others— but don’t always excel at taking care of ourselves. Although I frequently encourage others to relax, to take time for themselves— I often struggle with applying my own advice in this arena. Personally, I have found that I am able to meet the “checkbox criteria” of health (I eat well, I exercise, I go to the doctor, I clean with natural products), but I don’t always take the time to focus on my emotional needs— to breathe, to meditate, to center…
I have SLOWLY come to realize that health is an all-encompassing harmonious balance between spirit, mind, and body. IT IS NOT A CHECKLIST. It is an ever-evolving entity that touches every aspect of our lives. It is our relationships, our jobs, our friendships, our workout routines, our diet, our body composition, our genes, our religion, our physical habitats, our hobbies, our sleep habits, our stress levels, our relaxation techniques, our experiences, our attitudes, and ultimately our outlook on life.
So a few years later, steadied with a new mindset, fantastic yoga instructors, and the support of the “peanut butter to my apples” (my amazing husband), I have been catapulted into the “yogi” lifestyle— a life that is free of the “guilt” or “shame” associated with self-care, or self-love.
It is pretty incredible how a few deep breaths can center your thoughts, calm your body, and bring focus to your entire life.
It has transformed me into the woman I am today.
And who am I?
I am a woman of passion. I like to get my hands dirty. I wear my heart on my sleeve. Love is my anthem.
I believe that there is nothing more beautiful than someone following their “spark”, their heart, their “true north”. So I seek to inspire, to empower.
I work with my hands. I put pen to paper. I create sculptures. I handcraft cards. I give away little pieces of my heart.
I smile at strangers. I compliment what I like. I refer to people in terms of endearment. I say “thank you” and genuinely mean it.
I believe that what you put out into the world comes back to you. Kindness is magic, and grace is contagious. In order to positively impact in someone’s life, you don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t need fame, fortune or followers— you just have to care.
I believe that it costs nothing to dream, and everything not to. I am not afraid of doing the work— leaning into the uneasiness, opening myself up for potential “failure”. Rather, I am afraid of not trying— of looking back and thinking “what if”.
I am not a victim of circumstance, I choose the life that I lead. I may not be able to choose the cards that I am dealt, but I can choose to make the most of them. I will not allow autoimmune disorders, heartbreakers, liars, cheaters, or thieves steal my joy. I will not let the world make me hard. I am the author of my story, the CEO of my life, the artist of my canvas— and I am going to create an effing masterpiece. The only person that I am destined to become is the person I decide to be.
So…
I eat slowly, sing loudly, hug tightly, and breathe deeply.
I rock messy buns, hats, scarves, layers, and the quasi-frequent F-bomb.
I celebrate the “wins” — big ones, small ones, and everything in-between.
I embrace my old soul, waking before the sun peeks its head out, and often going to bed soon after it sets.
I am a work in progress. I am an optimist. I am soft. I am vulnerable. My heart is easily broken. But there is strength in my fragility.
Christy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
While I am a nurse by trade, I feel called to “give back” to my/our beautiful community, and “spread a little glitter in my wake”.
I believe that what you put out into the world comes back to you. Kindness is magic, and grace is contagious. **In order to positively impact in someone’s life, you don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t need fame, fortune or followers— you just have to care.
Over the years, “caring” has showed up in many forms— teaching bi-weekly yoga classes at the hospital for healthcare workers/the community at large, yoga-pop-ups in the park, teaching for the Olympic and Paralympic Committee, posting daily vignettes on Instagram on @Urban.Veggie ***sharing the wisdom of those much wiser than me— good, bad, funny, or otherwise— because it helped me in some way/shape/form—and maybe it will do the same for others!
Most recently, I started hosting 3-4 “major” fundraising events/year to connect community, and garner support for a “worthy” cause. ***crafting an evening of yoga, music, movement, and giveaways from some PHENOMENAL local businesses! ***Speaking of which— I have a 3 day yoga/hiking/art retreat Love, Lotus, & Leaves raising money for Trails and Open Space Coalition coming up on October 6th-8th in Colorado Springs!
And all future projects/collaborations are/will be posted here.
All of this to say… If you hang out with me for long enough— I am to “brainwashing” you into believing that you can do anything that you set your mind to!
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
I think that being a perpetual student— “showing up” on my mat, and *doing* the practice has helped me stay “present” in the practice/be able to build a class/community that makes yoga more inviting/accessible/breaks down barriers.
In western society yoga often gets categorized with circ-du-solei, or 1970’s hippie vans—and it certainly CAN be that. But also—it doesn’t have to be ,
“Your practice doesn’t expect you to show up happy. It asks that you be present. It doesn’t mind if you are put together, or if you are a mess. You can arrive with a jumbled mind and a heavy heart. Your practice could care less if you can touch your toes or meditate for hours. It asks simply, that you show up.” – Unknown
Yoga can be in anything. Anytime you are interacting with a person, place, or situation you can choose to enter/respond with pause/breath/emotional intelligence/a mind that seeks to learn/understand, versus be understood.
Yoga isn’t about making every situation light, bright, or carefree— but rather, bringing the light of our perception, and the fortitude of our spirit, into the dark places. It is about acknowledging our strength, and encouraging the beauty of our grace.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I would like to think that building genuine, authentic, heartfelt connections with humans has organically built my reputation in this market.
This year I have focused on the word “illuminate” as my “north star”
“Illuminate— make (something) visible or bright by shining light on it; to light up.”
This year— I wish to embody this word. **I aim to seek out light— joy, laughter, bright-spots, sparkle, shimmer, shine, elation, sunshine, & new lessons/information/perspectives ***anything that makes my heart pitter-patter, or my mind/consciousness expand. * *
Simultaneously— I aim to radiate light— to be the floodlight, overhead-light, headlamp, candle… that brings even-the-*slightest* amount of hope to another being— I aim to “leave people better than I found them” & sprinkle a little bit of glitter in my wake.
Words are magic. Words are power— If you implement the proper ones, in the proper order, you can nudge the world a little. **As a former teacher of mine once said, “they call it spelling for a reason”… our words, our verbal declarations, our written articulations are like spells— casting our wishes out into the world. **Uplevel your language— change your words, and your world will change.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.urbanveggie.weebly.com
- Instagram: @urban,veggie
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/UrbanVeggie719/
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCnnVskHrSOl_eWue2bjfI_Q/videos?
- Other: email: [email protected]
Image Credits
Shayla Marin Photography, Grace Gatto Photography, & my hubby– Alex Cole