On Habits (and why they're so hard to create)

I’ll never forget the moment I considered giving up eggs, meat and dairy.

(Emphasis on considered.)

Allow me to set the stage: I’m originally from Central Wisconsin. I lived there my entire life, until I met my (now) husband, Sean, who told me he could never live without mountains. So I happily moved west, and it was the first time I ever lived outside of the land of:

1. Milk — from the real happy cows.
2. Sausage — summer, smoked, or ground, with gravy over biscuits, in stuffing on Thanksgiving...  you get the idea.
3. Cheese — in all forms: blocks, fresh squeaky curds, fried curds, shredded, aged, and even those brilliant wedges of yellow foam we wear on our heads in support of #4:
4. The Green Bay Packers — GO PACK GO!

So you can see how trying a plant-based lifestyle would be completely out of character. But somehow, as I ushered in my 32nd birthday last September, something shifted.

I was standing in a hotel room in Salt Lake City, and I distinctly remember eating cheese and crackers. Blaine, the owner of our sister studio, Yoga Hive Colorado (and a dear friend/colleague who I spend A LOT of time with) was seated across the room. Blaine has been vegan as long as I’ve known her, and long before, and I would always describe her to others as “The Vegan who doesn’t make you feel bad for NOT being a Vegan.” 

On this day, I was curious. I wanted to grill her on WHY she was Vegan.

Admittedly, I expected her to list the reasons we're cruel to animals (which she did) and be done with it. I offered all sorts of reasons for my choices, and she humored me with her perspective. Then she started to list more reasons — things that, against all odds, intuitively felt right in my brain — and she kept going, and going, and…. the moment happened: As I popped a slice of cheese into my mouth, I had the thought: Maybe I could eat plant-based? 

And just as quickly as I thought it... the thought was gone. 

But the metaphorical (and literal!) seed was planted.

The week after I got back to Montana, I hosted Yoga Hive's first signature 21-day BeYou program at the Whitefish studio, and I was excited. Not only did I get to teach a 21-day challenge for our community involving daily yoga, daily meditation, and inquiry through Desire Mapping, but I had an excuse to investigate this whole Vegan thing.  

In the middle of BeYou, each person chooses three things that he/she wants to give up for just one week, just to observe. I may have been the facilitator, but I was NOT going to turn down the opportunity to be held accountable. And to any confused friends and family, I could say “I’m doing it for Yoga Hive." The perfect excuse! 

So I gave up eggs, meat and dairy for one week. And then one week became two. Two became six, and flash forward five months later, I’m still eating Vegan — not because I believe it’s what everyone should do… please know that’s not the point! 

I’m eating what feels good for me. And if it weren’t for my “excuse” to try it, I would have never done it. 

I don’t care who you are: It doesn't matter if you want to fill your life with more yoga, a meditation practice, a diet with more veggies, or if you want to spend more time with your family after work. The process of creating new habits is not easy! Which begs the question:

Why is it so fricking hard to get off the couch and do what you know is good for you?

Because we need a reason to try.

If your habit is “sitting on the couch,” then that’s what it is. You have a habit of “sitting on the couch” and you don’t have a habit of [insert positive habit]. You’ve likely spent years honing your “sitting on the couch” habit, so reversing it doesn’t have a quick, easy fix. It takes work, and time, and trust, and doubting, and resolve and.... a lot of screwing up and throwing in the towel and beginning again. It’s a process that doesn’t offer a path “as the crow flies.” You’ve got to navigate the twists and turns of the pothole-laden road through the mountains. 

So how do we start? Accountability.

Getting together with others who are also interested in making changes, too. I’m excited to tell you about our NEW and improved BeYou - a 21-day transformation program that features the accountability you might be looking for.

BeYou 2019 will be even better than last year, with expanded meditation teachings, different Desire Mapping activities, new inspiring daily emails, and never-before-seen weekly yoga videos with yours truly so you can practice from home on the days you can’t make it into the studio! 

We meet on Tuesday nights in Kalispell for four weeks starting February 26th. I will teach a dynamic, all abilities Honey Flow from 6:45-7:45, and then we have a workshop/meeting from 8-9pm. And if you can’t make one of the meetings (or ANY of the meetings!) we will have a Facebook accountability group where I’ll post video recordings of the class and meeting each week. You can even join in for the meetings LIVE via Zoom, an online video conferencing service. Everyone who participates will be paired with an accountability partner, whether you’re in Montana or not. 

Get your spot today! 

The program is only $44 for the four yoga + workshop combo evenings. If you don’t currently have a membership with the studio and you want to practice in the studio more often during the program, you can pay $132 for all four meetings PLUS one-month unlimited yoga at Yoga Hive. If the cost feels prohibitive to you but you’re open to asking for support, click reply and fill me in on where you’re at and what you can afford. If I can help make that happen for you, I will!

Have a great week!

In light,
Mollie