Power Of The Creative Cycle For Changemakers & Yoga Teachers

Welcome to the Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast.

It's May the 1st.

If you're listening in real time,

I'm excited that we have a new month and May is a really exciting time for me because it is all about gardening and being outside.

No matter when you're listening to this episode,

I'm so glad that you're here.

If you don't know who I am,

I'm the host,

Shannon Crow.

My pronouns are she,

Her,

And I record our podcast on the land of the Anishinaabek,

Odawa,

Mississauga people,

Which is three hours north of Toronto.

If you're looking on a map of Canada,

This area is also called the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario.

If you are new here,

You might not know that I'm also a mom of three,

A yoga teacher,

And the founder of Pelvic Health Professionals.

And if you are a returning listener,

You know how things go around here.

This podcast was really created for you,

The yoga teacher,

So that each and every week you could be connected to information and inspiration that's going to support you as you're building your yoga business and as you're doing this thing called life as well as being a yoga practitioner.

I'm really excited about today's episode because I feel like on a very personal note,

There are times in my own business where I feel stuck.

I feel like I procrastinate.

I feel like I'm facing tasks sometimes in my business and I think,

Is this the work that I want to be doing?

It feels like I'm dragging my heels sometimes on some of the tasks.

And I think it's important to note as well that sometimes when you're looking at online entrepreneurs,

Everything can look like their life is easy and effortless and just full of joy.

And there are definitely moments like that as an entrepreneur.

But please,

Please never believe that everyone is just having an easy go of things as an entrepreneur.

So when you're facing those tough days,

Come and listen to this episode with Wenlin.

I really love how she talks about uncovering your unique self,

Letting go of attachments to the work that you're doing or the ideas that come up.

And also how we talk about going with the cycle of creativity instead of fighting against it,

Instead of pushing through on the days where it feels tough,

But really using those feelings that come up when we feel stuck or we feel reluctant to dive into something.

This is one of those interviews that just has stuck with me this week as I've been looking at my work and I've really been just sitting with the feelings when they come up.

If you don't know Wenlin,

I'm so excited to introduce you to her.

She's a Qigong and yoga teacher trainer,

Women's health and wellbeing specialist,

Growth consultant,

And curious human.

Wenlin specializes in supporting yoga teachers,

Healers,

And change makers to optimize their wellbeing and make a strong and powerful impact in the world.

And she does this by weaving in ancient wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine,

Eastern philosophy,

Qigong,

Yoga,

And psychology.

So let's dive right in,

Learn from Wenlin and see what we can do when we're really feeling stuck in our business or we're feeling like we want to be more creative.

Welcome to the Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast,

Wenlin.

I'm so glad that you're here today.

It's my pleasure to be here today with you,

Shannon.

I can't wait to dive in with you.

I know I'm really excited that we get to talk about the cycle of creativity and how this works for us as entrepreneurs,

As people walking around on the planet as yoga teachers.

But before we get into that,

Tell us what's the work that you do and who do you do it for?

Great.

My name is Wenlin and I am a coach,

A women's mindfulness and creativity guide.

So I work a lot with women change makers,

Creatives,

Including yoga teachers,

Healers,

As well as other,

For example,

Entrepreneurs in the creative industry who are looking to expand their business and leave lasting impact in the world.

So a lot of the work I do,

Including group coaching programs,

Including one-on-one coaching,

Supports them to empower and leave greater lasting impact and to really get to know themselves and enhance the way they actually work and also improve their well-being and self-care.

That's amazing.

I'm so glad that you're here today to talk to us about this.

So first tell us,

What does this even look like?

How do you explain it to someone if they look at,

Do you call it the creativity cycle?

Is that what we call it?

That's a great question.

Yeah.

So it sounded like you had something else that you wanted to share.

Oh,

I just like,

How would you explain it to someone in a,

I don't know,

A brief interaction if someone was telling you,

Like maybe you'd be in a conversation with someone,

They'd say,

I'm just feeling so stuck right now.

Like I've,

I don't even want to go to work today.

Or I feel like I don't know what kind of content to create.

What sort of questions lead to you talking to people about this?

And then how do you explain what it is?

I think I usually,

I would just start with saying this idea that creation or whatever we're doing,

Including for example,

Because this podcast is for yoga teachers,

We teach and we want to leave lasting impact.

We want to share the work of yoga as union,

But the idea of that things are linear is actually not true.

And the idea of growth and businesses,

How we expand is actually cyclical.

So this,

This idea of the creative cycle,

It actually comes or is rooted in traditional Chinese medicine,

Which I am a huge fan of.

I incorporate some philosophy of it in the teacher trainings I offer that are rooted in Qigong,

Which is an energetic health practice rooted in traditional Chinese medicine that also complements,

I believe yoga very,

Very well.

They are like two different cousins,

Almost the same feeling,

But like a different interpretation of a different thing.

And perhaps you've heard of the five elements in traditional Chinese medicine that we can also find in yoga and Ayurveda as well.

So one interesting thing is that in the traditional Chinese medicine cycle,

There is this cycle called the birth cycle,

Meaning one element gives birth to the other.

So that one is a predecessor and one follows the other.

So this is one of the main relationships in this five elements and how I've interpreted this element is beyond just the realm of traditional Chinese medicine,

But I've observed it as well in the way we create,

The way we run our businesses,

The way we experience the menstrual cycle,

The way we experience our lives as change makers,

As healers,

As creatives.

So I think the simplest way to say it is,

It is a way of understanding where you are energetically and then understanding your strengths,

Your weaknesses,

And then how to harness this phase or work with the challenges that you're facing right now in this phase of your life or your business so that then you can move on to the next phase and you can move through the cycle.

What are some of the challenges then?

What are some of the common challenges that you think this really helps people with?

What are some of those,

If you can name like a few challenges and then how this applies to those?

For sure.

That makes a lot.

.

.

That's a common question I often get.

It sounds very abstract,

The creative cycle,

But as you mentioned in the example you gave from before,

A lot of people show up to work and maybe they feel a reluctance,

Maybe you're a yoga teacher and you are starting to put yourself out there or your business out there and you are like struggling to come up with marketing materials.

So that is associated with this feeling of fear.

Fear is usually rooted in this idea of fear of failure,

Fear of not being able to respond to your inner critic and this fear is actually rooted in the water element.

And the opposite side of fear is trust.

And before we actually even start any kind of project,

Rooting in this feeling of connecting with your true intention and the message of what it is you want to convey is really,

Really important.

That would be the main way to overcome this fear because the fear comes from the little self,

The small self,

And we all know as yoga teachers,

You know,

From our yoga teacher training,

There is the small us,

Like there's you,

There's me,

There's a sense of the ego,

Usually fear is the feeling of like,

Oh,

You know,

I'm not good enough.

Maybe after your yoga teacher training,

You've just done the first one and you're like,

I'm never going to teach.

When I finished my first yoga teacher training,

I never thought I would be teaching for a five-star resort.

For example,

Last week I just came back from a five-star resort that a teaching opportunity just landed in my lap and I was like,

Okay,

I'm going to do it.

But so going back to this,

One of the common issues that many yoga teachers procrastinate or change makers,

Healers,

Whatever,

This procrastination is connected with the wood element,

Which is doing.

So that's the initiation.

Everything starts with an idea,

With like a deep feeling,

A connection.

And I really believe that there is a force greater than what we can see that's manifest in the world.

In yoga,

We call union,

Union of not just ourselves,

Like body,

Heart,

And soul,

But also us with the greater collection of everything that is out there.

You know,

Other people in our collective,

Our families,

Our community,

But also all the living things,

Beings,

Forces that are unfolding.

So if we want to,

For example,

Put something out there in the world,

And if we want to harness this creative cycle,

We start from a place of deeply connecting with this seed that is not quite yet in the real world.

It's just an idea.

Like maybe I want to offer this program for women who are,

You know,

Or people who are experiencing trouble with insomnia because,

You know,

I've had insomnia for a long time.

And then I encountered yoga and yoga brought me such great healing and a deep sense of connection.

So that seed of what it is you want to bring to the world,

That's the deep connection with the water element and the source of all things.

So if we choose to connect with that,

Rather than choosing to connect with the fear from the small self,

Then that will support you to move to the next stage of creativity,

Which is usually the initiation of a business.

That's when we start to like,

Okay,

You know,

I'm brainstorming some ideas,

I'm putting things into action,

I'm planning,

Okay,

Maybe this might work this way.

Where should I try it?

So that's the next stage in the cycle.

Does it kind of answer your question?

It does,

For sure.

I'm also wondering what about when we get stuck in where we really like that seed part where it's like,

Oh,

I've got this new idea.

Like how do we know because I know in the cycle of my own business in my own life,

On the days when I feel like,

Oh,

Do I really have to sit down and answer all of these emails?

Or do I have to like figure out this tech issue?

It would seem way more exciting to focus on one of those new seeds instead.

So how do we know when it's like a really good seed to focus on?

Well,

It takes some practice,

I would say.

It takes a lot of,

I think another thing is before even thinking about what seed to get attached to or what seed is really good seed is to remember that none of the seeds really belong to us.

I think that in yoga,

We,

That's so much good in yoga that we are just vessels to allow these ideas to pass through and manifest.

And I'm a huge proponent and fan of this idea that everything is kind of karma yoga and we do it in service of something much greater.

And if we come from this idea of staying in service,

Then when we birth an idea,

So to speak,

And we remember that we are not the ones who own the idea and therefore this trouble with attachment then doesn't come in if we keep reminding ourselves.

And I would say if we,

There are some phases during the creative cycle,

Whether that is if you menstruate within your menstrual cycle or maybe in your lifetime,

You know,

At various stages of life,

Energetically,

You will be more connected with a specific phase or specific element than others.

Let's take the example of perimenopause or andropause.

This is a phase where a lot of people undergo hormonal transitions.

It's associated with the metal element,

If we look at the time of day,

It's sunset,

It's this like closing energy,

Contracting energy.

So rather than outwards in the world,

We're like putting things out there,

You know,

Showing other people,

We are like really reflecting in.

So if you're in this state of mind and state energetically,

Then it makes for a good time and it's very,

Very efficient.

It becomes easy for you to clearly discern and see and assess,

For example,

Your business or your life situation.

And then within the menstrual cycle as well,

For those who have ever menstruated during PMS or the luteal phase,

It has a bad rep in media.

But actually this is also a great time where women or people who menstruate,

Apologies for that,

Become absolutely honest and very clear with themselves.

They know what is truly in alignment and what is not.

And that from the previous phase,

When they were people pleasing,

When we were saying like yes to everything,

All the opportunities,

When you wanted to be out there in the world and when you were maybe even comparing to others.

When you enter into this phase,

That's when you start to get this reality check and you really connect within to see and assess in a very objective way.

That's the true energy of the metal element,

Which is reflecting,

Which is reducing the outsides to the true essence of what this idea or what this project or what this relationship is and what it means for you.

And more importantly,

What you want to do in the next cycle.

Because as mentioned,

This is a creative cycle,

So it never ends.

It's like a spiral.

We do one project from the project,

It close,

We bring closure and from that project we harness and then it feeds into the next cycle.

Does that answer your question?

It does.

I think it's beautiful when you say like,

These aren't our seeds,

We're just the vessel for them.

I think that's super important because that also takes away the feeling of like,

Oh my gosh,

What if I try this thing and it absolutely flops.

It relieves the pressure a little bit as well.

Yeah.

And there's just so many factors I wanted to point out because a lot of people hesitate to try things out because there's so much pressure and this association of this idea,

This business as being a reflection of who you are and your self-worth.

Every single one of these ideas or attempts or like,

I like to call them projects nowadays because I have so many different projects and ideas.

And if every single time I felt I was a failure,

If they didn't go as expected or didn't have resonance in the world,

I would be devastated by now.

There's just so much outside of your control.

It could be the time of the year where you launched a project,

It could be the communication in terms of the copywriting language that you use,

It could be that your target audience isn't the right target audience.

It does just so many factors.

Okay.

And the other thing I wanted to clarify,

Which we did a little bit before I hit record is because we started talking about the menstrual cycle and that's really fascinating to me as a person who menstruates.

And thank you for also like saying it's not just women,

Although we often will get caught saying that,

Me as well.

Explain to our listeners like how this relates to the menstrual cycle,

But doesn't necessarily mean it's just for people who are menstruating.

Sure.

So a lot of the work I do is to let the clients that I work with,

The change makers,

Creatives,

Understand that the creative cycle is both extrinsic,

It is out there in the world.

We can feel it through the changing energies of a day,

As well as the shifting energies of the month.

For example,

You can see it in the full moon,

New moon,

Waxing moon,

Waning moon,

But also internally,

But because we are beings of the universe.

So everything out there is also inside of you and your life.

So every single one of us has a start to our lives.

The moment we were born,

Actually preconception,

When we are conceived in our mom's womb before that,

That's the water element.

And then the so-called end of our lives,

Which is when we are no longer manifest on this world.

But the true nature of time is that it is cyclical.

So life goes on even without us and it continues.

And then the menstrual cycle for anyone who has ever menstruated is the most intimate and really,

I would say,

Real and raw way of experiencing what the creative cycle is like or even the creative cycle in the business,

You can feel it.

So there are four primary seasons in a menstrual cycle.

There's a follicular phase,

Which is the one to seven days.

Again,

This is a range for every single person.

The cycle is different.

That's right after your menstruation has ended,

You start to feel the rise in energy.

So you're no longer bleeding,

You're a little bit right sort of energy.

This is a time where it's good to plant new seeds,

To be creative.

It's also,

For example,

Imagine you're starting a new project or a new marketing campaign,

Or maybe you're thinking of revamping your website.

This is the time to play,

To explore,

To not be attached to the ideas because you're still experimenting and you're still exploring and you're just creating these little boats that you send out to see and you're seeing which one resonates.

Then we reach the phase of ovulation,

Which is when an egg is released from the ovaries.

And that's usually when many people who menstruate report feeling very attractive,

Magnetic,

Full of energy.

This might be also the time when you feel like you really want to be out there to socialize,

To do things,

To be in your inner power.

This is a great time to socialize,

To connect with others,

Of course,

To connect with your inner power,

To grow and to bring the projects into reality,

Into manifest reality,

Rather than from an idea.

It's actually out there now.

It's a real thing in the real world that's tangible and you can hold it with your hands or you have an actual product.

So the most important thing at this moment is to connect with your authenticity.

Because at this point of time,

A lot of people are so.

.

.

When you're out there in the world,

It means that you have less energy or time for yourself and you might then be distracted and you might forget,

Okay,

Where did I come from?

What actually was the seed of intention that I planted from before?

And what's the reason why I'm doing all this?

What's this project for?

So if you're able to connect with your authenticity at this time,

Then that will help you overcome the potential roadblock,

Which is to play small.

So some of us are a little afraid at this point of time,

You know,

You know,

You've got something good,

But you're like just afraid,

Or maybe you're not so confident.

You feel anxious that,

You know,

This project,

Which you've already tested at the earlier phase,

You want to show it into the world,

But you feel anxious and you're not sure that it will be really resonant.

This time,

If you connect with yourself authentically and you trust in the process,

Then that's when you really stand in your inner power and you radiate outwards into the world.

So that's ovulation.

And also in the life cycle,

That's the phase of usually when we're around our thirties,

Forties,

You know,

We've gained a certain level of skill in the things that we're doing.

We understand kind of who we are in relation to other people.

And most of us have built up a little bit of maybe career success or some relationships with others that we really cherish.

And you're starting to show yourself in the world.

You have something to this identity.

Then we come to the phase of the luteal phase,

Which is the PMS,

As many of us call it,

Is the phase that's so hated.

Many of us hate this period when we are grumpy and you feel the fluctuations,

There's bloating,

Maybe you feel swollen breasts,

And some of us experience cramping and some real issues as well.

And so this phase is also like a lot of the clients I speak to at this time,

That's when they want to divorce their partners when they want to,

You know,

When they regret taking on this project,

Like,

Why did I even take this project?

I am overwhelmed.

I should have never done this,

But this is a time and it's really great because this is a time usually when the inner critic surfaces.

And for many of us,

The inner critic is a very challenging persona to deal with.

But the inner critic also holds a lot of power because if we can have a good relationship with the inner critic,

The inner critic is able to reveal to us true clarity,

Honesty and insights that we were not able to see from the previous phases when we were still playing,

When we were still connected to others.

The inner critic is when we are truly sitting down,

Connecting with ourselves,

Looking objectively at the situation,

Whether it is our relationship with our partners,

Whether it's our businesses,

Whatever it is,

Even like our self-care during the menstrual cycle,

Have I taken on too much this month?

Was I actually not being realistic,

You know,

Wanting to be a super person for this month?

So the true power of this is to connect with this,

This sense of refinement.

If I can let go of some of the things that are on my plate right now,

What can I let go of so that I can retain the true essence of what it is?

And also for the project.

So we've expanded the project right from before.

It started from a seed,

An idea that was in your mind.

Then we started to plan to execute it,

To grow it so it has some kind of outcome.

Then we sit down to really objectively assess and refine it so that then it can enter into the next round.

And this is what startup founders do as well.

You know,

They always follow this cycle.

And this is also in the entire life cycle.

That's the phase of the waning moon,

Sunset period,

That's perimenopause,

And repose.

That's when from outwards facing,

We are much more inwards facing.

We start to be very honest and clear with ourselves.

We care less about external affirmation,

Which is very,

Very important.

And then the last phase is again,

Returning to the seed of the idea and connecting with this deep insight and intuition.

In yoga and yoga nidra,

We call it sankalpa,

This deep heartfelt intention that comes from a place that is not really ourselves,

Like much deeper source.

I like to believe it's a water element,

The source of everything,

The collective unconscious.

I also wanted to add that I love the episode that you shared about seasonality.

And for those of our listeners who have not caught it,

They definitely should listen to that episode.

In the creative cycle,

There's a fifth element,

Which is very,

Very interesting.

And I know that there are four seasons,

Just like there are also usually four times of the day or four seasons of the menstrual cycle,

Four phases of the moon.

The fifth element is the bridging element.

So in traditional Chinese medicine,

It is the element that bridges the transition from one to the other.

And I like to think of it as the return.

So when you're in the season of,

For example,

Let's say you are outwards,

You are growing your projects.

It is the point where you grow the project,

It is ripe for harvesting.

And then you sit down and you go back and reflect on the previous season.

So you incorporate a little bit of the previous season into the current season that you are in.

And this element is very mysterious because it is rumination.

It is a deep reflection,

A deep contemplation.

It is also connected with transformation.

And I cannot remember where I've heard of this quote from,

But it's this idea that we cannot seek transformation.

We can only cultivate all the conditions necessary for transformation to arise.

And this is the essence of the work that is the creative cycle.

We can practice the cycle,

But we cannot force creativity.

We cannot force and say,

Success must come.

I must have X number of students.

Because we work with the universe,

There are so many other forces at play.

Yeah.

So I hope that answered your question.

And sorry for the long spiel.

Oh my gosh,

That was so good.

I love this.

And I was just laughing here to myself thinking when you said you can't force it,

You can't be in it.

But we all want to do this.

Let's say you're writing a book or you've decided to launch a yoga series or you are graduating from a yoga teacher training and you want to put it out into the world.

You just are like,

Let's do this.

Let's make it happen.

And thanks for calling attention to that episode as well with the four seasons and saying like there is this subtle difference.

Verify the elements that are all associated again,

Like just highlight the elements there.

Definitely.

And I think a good metaphor is,

Okay,

Let's start with the beginning.

Because it's a cycle again.

And like,

I hate,

Hate to say that there's a beginning,

But there's no beginning.

But if we had to choose an element to start with,

I would say it's the water element because the water is the source of everything.

And we are mostly made of water.

So think of water as the moment before you were born as an embryo in your mother's womb.

The same with your idea,

With something you want to bring to manifest in the world,

Whether that is your career,

A project,

A relationship.

So we start the water element.

We connect with deep intuition,

Insight,

And trust.

On the other side of this trust is fear when out of balance and how we get past the fear into the practice of trust is by creating safety,

By asking yourself,

What makes me safe?

What makes me feel safe and what would it take for me to feel safe to put,

To start to experiment and play in the world?

So when we water a seed,

What happens is it starts to grow and sprout.

And this is the season of wood,

Which is springtime,

Which is this energy of playfulness,

Creativity.

This is what you experienced as a child growing up when you didn't have any expectation,

You didn't have to be successful or leave a legacy or no one asked you whether you were going to have kids,

You know,

All these things,

You were just like exploring the world,

Like what that is to offer.

And you were interacting and really very,

This is the most creative phase.

So that's the wood element,

Which is this,

If you can imagine the energy of wood,

It sprouts.

So after this long hibernation in winter,

Which is the season of water,

It bursts through the surface of the soil and it has this upwards energy that reaches towards the sun.

So feel that energy when you start a project,

When you begin a relationship with someone,

When you enter into the next phase of whatever it is you're doing.

So after this,

Wood,

When we chop wood,

It becomes fuel for fire and then we can burn.

So this fire is this expanding energy.

This is when you feel radiant.

This is also the energy of the full moon that is so luminous and bright.

And it's also,

I mentioned from before,

This is in a time when you're in your thirties,

Forties,

Many people feel that,

Oh,

That is when we should be at the peak or as they say,

You know,

Even though that might or might not be true,

But so that is this energy of growth,

Expansion,

Manifestation,

Like real in the world and in your own power.

So connecting with that true power and authenticity.

And so the flip side of this,

When not in balance,

This fire element is a feeling of anxiety of not being certain of yourself,

Of not being confident and not being able to really show yourself out there in the world and to tell people who you are and what you have to share with the world.

So how we cultivate that is rooting in this feeling of like knowing who you are,

Understanding clearly who you are so that then that can support you to be confident and not comparing with others.

So from this wood element in the creative cycle,

We actually come to when a project comes almost to fruition,

Like we've put in all the hard work,

We've planned everything,

That's some kind of product.

And then we start to harvest.

Imagine the fruits are ripe and juicy.

And there's this time of the day,

Just like a time of the year when everything seems to be great.

And it's almost like time comes to a standstill.

So energetically,

This is the earth element,

But it also bridges all seasons I mentioned,

But its natural place within the cycle is between fire and metal.

And this is the time where we harvest the fruits of our labor.

And many people don't harvest.

They just rush from one thing like,

Okay,

The project is done.

Now it's time to assess.

Now I move on to the next thing.

It is so important to sit down to celebrate and say,

Yes,

I've done this.

Great,

Wonderful.

Look at this wonderful thing I've done.

This product,

This guide I created for yoga teachers or this website that I have to enjoy.

So it's simply connecting with the transformation that has unfolded and this deep appreciation for this transformation.

And when out of balance,

The earth element,

Which is associated with the stomach and spleen,

It surfaces in a form of worry,

Of rumination,

Like,

Oh,

You know,

What if,

You know,

It doesn't go well the next round or like it could have been better,

You know,

This kind of feeling.

So this worry is that when it's out of balance.

And then from this earth element,

So I forgot to mention for the fire,

When we burn fire,

What's left are the remains of ash,

Which is like,

Oh,

Right.

So that's the earth.

And then from the earth,

The next element that comes into play is actually the metal element,

Which is reflecting.

And in the earth,

In the soil,

We can find minerals.

So this is the metal element,

Which is reflecting,

Which is very precious,

Which is this space of,

As I mentioned from before,

True contemplation and I would say crystallization.

So after we celebrate,

Then we have to be honest with ourselves,

Right?

We can't just say,

Yay,

Great,

My website is now launched.

Or like,

Now I've just started this new job at this yoga studio.

Like we have to sit down and really critically ask ourselves,

Okay,

So what part of this went well and what didn't go well and what would I keep the essence,

Then what would I let go of without feeling attacked?

Because it's not you,

Remember,

This is a project.

It is the thing that you're giving life to.

You're just in service of this thing.

And so when you're able to do that,

You have true courage.

And this is the true power of the metal element,

Courage to see clearly and confidently what works and what doesn't work.

When out of balance,

It sometimes surfaces in the form of grief,

Of clinging on,

Not being able to find closure,

Not being able to let go.

And then you bring this with you into the next cycle and into the next project,

Which can be,

I mean,

Of course it doesn't work well and it does pull a little bit and limit you in terms of the creativity and what you can bring out into the world.

So that's the metal element.

And the metal element,

Right?

So metal is one of the few elements that we can use to create a container or a vessel that holds water so that then births water.

Then we come into full circle and that is the creative cycle.

Oh my gosh,

I love this so much.

Thank you for going into such detail of each element as well as that really helped to go from like the water and now that's the seed and that's sprouting.

Like it really helps me to visualize it and see it.

So thank you for doing that.

What do you think,

If you could tell like the majority of yoga teachers,

Because you work with a lot of yoga teachers and entrepreneurs and creatives,

What do you think is the biggest struggle that you're seeing right now with them in terms of what they're facing and what's one thing that you wish that they understood?

I would say that there are a couple of challenges.

Like from before we discussed a little bit about procrastination,

A lot of the people I work with,

They struggle with procrastination.

Procrastination is the actual behavior.

So think of that as the wood element.

So not being able to be creative and start to make things happen in the world.

But that stems from the previous element because every element feeds the next one.

Remember?

So before wood is water.

So it's held by the feeling of fear and not being worthy.

And this sense of like,

I'm not good enough or like,

What if I fail?

And then this,

What if I feel actually comes from the previous element,

Which is a metal element of not being able to have a good relationship with the inner critic,

Knowing what it is that is the essence of you and being able to channel that into your heartfelt intention,

Which you then bring out into the world.

So I think everything is related.

And I think for me,

Actually,

The thing that I wish,

Well,

Actually,

Even as a yoga teacher,

Because I also teach yoga,

It is at the heart of everything I do,

That the thing I wish that most of my clients are also yoga teachers knew from the beginning is that growth is not linear.

Work is not linear.

Life is not linear.

And more importantly,

Your path,

Your cycle,

Your strengths,

Your challenges will be different from someone else's.

And also at different points of time,

I really relate to what you said from before about this idea of sometimes,

You know,

You're in the middle of the yoga teach training or you're in the middle of a business project and you really don't feel it like energetically,

It's not connecting with you,

But you're thinking,

Okay,

I would just push through it.

You can push through it.

But then that comes from the thinking mind.

You are not helping yourself because energetically,

You know,

Your heart is not into it for whatever reason.

And if you can understand and really be honest with yourself and go into the root of why it is you are feeling this way,

So understand which phase in the cycle you are at and what issue you are struggling with at that moment,

And then get to the heart of the issue,

Address the issue,

Then you will need to push through it because you will want to do whatever it is necessary to do in the next cycle.

And I'm a huge fan of working with rather than against or pushing through.

So I also like,

I always tell my clients and the yoga teachers,

The creatives that I work with that is what you produce in one day,

Today.

Today might be a super productive day and then tomorrow you might be struggling,

You know,

Stagnant and there are patterns,

There are ways,

There are tools,

There are structures,

There are habits that can help you become more productive.

But the underlying theme or gist is like,

Can we treat ourselves as creative beings?

So creative beings have this need for freedom,

For,

To allow yourself,

How can you treat your mind,

Your body and your spirit?

Like it is a sacred thing as if it is something that we really cherish and we're like understanding,

Oh,

Okay,

I notice I'm feeling this resistance.

Why?

Rather than,

No,

I'm going to push through this resistance.

I'm going to get it done right now.

You know,

I have to meet the deadline for whatever reason.

So yeah,

That's how I feel about it.

I love this.

And I also appreciate that you're saying this is like something to listen to,

Not just push through and ignore that it's a message that's coming through.

That's really,

That's really helpful.

Do you have some things that you use,

Some tools that you use when you feel that procrastination come up or you feel that resistance of like,

No,

I really don't want to do these tasks today?

That's a good one.

There are sometimes like the question I would ask myself usually if I notice I'm procrastinating is actually in the moment,

If I am not menstruating just for myself,

Of course,

Because I am a menstruating being.

If at that point of time,

I'm not menstruating,

I try to do something to get my energy up,

Just jumping jacks or,

You know,

Listening to some music that makes me feel good or chatting with someone.

And then noticing after doing this uplifting activity,

If it gives me the energy to push through the procrastination.

And if that doesn't happen,

Usually then I sit down for a little bit and I notice if my patterns of behavior are,

I'm procrastinating on this specific task and instead doing other things like,

Okay,

I,

You know,

I have this big thing and I'm not doing it.

Instead I do all this small little tasks or I make myself,

You know,

Preoccupied with busy work,

Which happens because usually the big tasks have,

You might have some underlying self-limiting beliefs relating to this big task,

Which is why you're holding yourself back from starting it.

Maybe you think,

Oh no,

It's going to take forever to do it.

Or for example,

I don't know how to do it.

I'm going to fail terribly.

Or for example,

I've seen this person do this thing out there and I want to do something like that,

But it's still going to be worse than that person's.

So all these possible self-limiting beliefs.

And yeah,

Usually at that point of time,

If you're able to sit down and ask yourself,

Honestly,

Why am I holding back?

And instead I'm able to do all these other things and being curious rather than being critical of yourself,

Like angry that all like guilty that,

Oh no,

I didn't do this today.

And instead having that observer's mind that we have in meditation or even in yoga,

Like,

Oh,

I noticed I did not do this today,

Even though I put that,

I time blocked it on my schedule.

Like,

I wonder why,

And like considering possible options for why that might be the case.

And then also experimenting and testing over the next couple of days.

If you reschedule it again,

Do you procrastinate again,

Despite changing something in your schedule,

Despite,

You know,

Addressing some of the self-limiting beliefs?

What is necessary for you to start to take that first action?

Like that's my approach to working with these things.

I love it.

I love that the awareness is really there.

Noticing if we do it.

I do this sometimes with the podcast,

Not interviews.

I'm always like,

Oh,

So excited because it's connecting with people.

But then when it's time to go back and like do the intro and outro and I want to make sure it's polished and you're exactly right.

It's the like putting something out there.

And then that little inner critic is sometimes having a real party.

And we all have that.

Yeah.

And there are just some tasks that we are so eager to jump in to do and other tasks where we are like,

Maybe not.

Like some of us hate invoicing or yoga teachers,

Come on.

So many of us hate marketing or sales or,

You know,

For example,

Being social or networking.

It also has a very bad name,

But it's going back to this heartfelt intention.

Like why are you doing this?

And also more importantly,

What self-limiting beliefs or limiting beliefs do you have about this task that is making you feel eeky about the task?

Maybe you think networking is like,

You know,

Connecting with people,

Not in an authentic way.

And maybe you could do it in an authentic way.

And then maybe if a task you find is very menial or meaningless or mundane,

Then the solution might be to ask yourself,

Okay,

If I do this task,

What would be the impact for myself and for the people who actually receive it?

Like in this case,

Maybe editing the audio.

I'm also a huge fan of live and I love connecting with people.

I love doing a live sessions.

I love being in person.

And when it comes to making pre-recorded things,

It takes me ages and I'm just also always struggling.

And some teachers are the opposite.

They love making pre-recorded things.

And for them,

You know,

Being in person,

It's very tiring or it really drains the energy and they had to do a lot of preparation before and they have to,

You know,

Withdraw and be in just isolation to recharge a bit.

So it's really being curious and understanding what drives you and what are you struggling with that maybe you could reframe or start to become more acquainted with.

And then for the things that you really don't like,

If it is possible,

Outsource it to someone else.

And I know in your podcast,

You talk a lot about,

You know,

For example,

How to hire an admin assistant,

A virtual assistant to help you do these things.

And I think I really highly recommend for yoga teachers or anyone tuning in,

If you're at the point in your career where you feel like you could consider getting some help for someone to do some of the tasks that don't bring you joy,

Doesn't give you that feeling of like that you're creative and that you can instead channel this energy into something else that will grow your business,

That will,

You know,

Really give you that sense of filling your cup,

Then go ahead and do that,

Whatever is necessary.

So wise,

So wise to know like what our strengths are and how to reframe it when we're feeling like I really don't want to do that.

Maybe it's something that you do pass on,

Like you said,

Or maybe we find a time where we're more apt to do it or we find like what is the roadblock.

This has been fascinating.

Tell our listeners how can they work with you further if they're having a listen now and they're like,

How do I learn more about this?

Great.

So I can be found,

My work can be found on my website,

Wenlintan.

Com and on all the socials I am Flo with Wenling and I offer one-on-one coaching at the moment.

Later this year,

There will actually be a group coaching programs for change makers and creatives who are interested in leaving lasting impact in the world.

It will be connected to the five elements and it will be rather than,

I don't like to call it a teacher training.

I'm calling this a journey through the five elements because at the end of this journey,

Which is a six months journey,

You will learn for example,

Specific Qigong forms as well as self-regulation tools that will help you connect with the specific energetics of each of these phases and each of the challenges so that you can overcome them,

Whether that is procrastination that you're struggling with,

Whether it's that you are over worrying or you are anxious and you are playing small in your work.

Or for example,

You're struggling to even do anything for the next cycle because your inner critic keeps holding you back.

So we actually talk about all these things and I think a lot of these things are much more valuable than a teacher training and it's not taught in a teacher training,

Even though in this coaching program,

In this journey,

There will be specific forms,

Elemental Qigong forms that we learn that will help to self-regulate and connect with each of these different phases with these energetics.

And at the end of the session,

Those who are interested to be certified to teach these forms to their students or clients,

They will be able to do that as well.

But for me,

When I offer this primarily,

This is a self-growth journey.

This is a way to elevate yourself to the next level.

And really,

If you want to really leave greater impact in the world,

And I really believe this for yoga teachers,

Is to not look outwards into the world.

Okay,

What new certification can I get?

What new class can I offer?

It's really to get to the heart of who you are and what it is you want to share with the world,

Your message,

Your story.

And in order to do that,

We must truly understand ourselves and understand what drives us,

What scares us,

What holds us back.

So this is what the journey is all about.

That's really exciting.

I love that you say this is kind of someone uncovering what they are.

I think this is really important with niche work.

People say to me,

Should I teach this class?

Should I train as this?

And I think you're right.

I think we really have to uncover what our special gifts are in the world,

And everyone has them.

And sometimes they're a little trickier to uncover,

And it takes some time,

And it's a process.

So thank you so much for outlining as well that this is not like a linear thing that happens.

It's all happening to all of us,

And there are so many components that go into it as well.

I also wanted to leave our listeners with a message that many of us are rushing into success,

Rushing to want to be at the destination,

The end point.

Enjoy the journey.

This is also what I wish I told myself at the beginning.

Don't rush to already want to leave lasting impact or to be a successful yoga teacher or to be someone who is inspirational.

You need time,

And also you need to enjoy it and feel like your cup is filled.

I think that is the most important,

Especially for those who are tuning in,

Who are very outward facing,

Whom you really connect with the students.

You really sincerely want to gain more tools so that you can help the students or your clients heal,

Transform.

You have to start with yourself because if you don't do the inner work,

You don't understand and you will be confused by all the options out there.

You will be comparing with other teachers,

With other healers,

With other coaches.

Your own path is yours to walk and it will also take time to reveal this process.

I've seen right now in the market,

There are so many coaching programs and business marketing programs that are like,

Yes,

You have to find your niche.

But if you've just completed your yoga teacher training,

I think maybe the first thing to do is to start teaching and to really understand what brought you to yoga,

What aspects of it you enjoy,

Rather than rushing to already launch your yoga business,

To niche down to a specific area of specialization.

It takes a lot of time.

And I,

For example,

Only came to so-called this niche or discover that this is what I enjoyed after also exploring different movement modalities,

Learning from so many different teachers,

Understanding what my voice is,

Understanding what my story is.

And all of this really clicked for me when I got a clearer glimpse into myself and who I am and what it is I have to offer into the world.

And all these things,

All these certifications,

Tools,

Whatever,

They are just something in your tool belt.

Think of it as you are the protagonist in your story.

So you write the story,

Every single certification,

Every single program that you do,

Every bit of knowledge you learn,

It is something that you add to yourself,

But it is not you.

You have so much more to offer.

And then you can decide at what point of time you want to bring this thing out of your tool belt.

And then maybe it's like,

Okay,

Maybe this is not relevant.

And then you're like,

I've tried this tool.

I didn't waste my time because I did this certification.

For example,

I'll give you an example.

I did kids yoga teacher training,

And I was just curious at that time.

And I wanted to explore if that would be something that would interest me.

And I did,

And I tried it for one.

I realized like,

Oh,

It's,

It doesn't resonate.

It's just not my calling or my dharma,

But some people love it.

And so I had to go through so-called that detour because some people think it's a detour.

Oh,

I wasted my time doing this extra training,

Or,

You know,

I wasted my efforts trying to teach this class and it was not successful.

I know a fellow coach from inside timer,

She's called June B.

And she says,

I love the same.

She says in life,

There are only two things that are lessons and there are blessings.

So they can be lessons of blessings or they can be both.

So there are no detours.

The path is yours to take.

And you can choose also what has unfolded has already unfolded,

Especially if you're tuning in and you're someone who often thinks back and,

And says to yourself,

Oh no,

What if I made the wrong choice?

Maybe this was the wrong choice,

Or I wasted my time or I'm behind.

So if you think this way,

It means there's something in your past that you didn't quite reconcile.

You didn't find closure in.

The best thing you can do for yourself right now is to go back to that moment and rewrite that story so that it can empower you right now.

And also your future,

Because if you keep going back to that loop thinking,

I wasted my time,

You know,

I'm behind,

I need to catch up.

You're not going to be in this mindset or mentality of being like,

Yes,

I'm here to connect and share with the world.

I can't wait to,

You know,

Be there.

I can't wait to share.

I can't wait to learn more.

So it will hold you back.

And yeah,

I think that that is the message I would like to end off with,

Perhaps.

I love it.

Thank you so much for all of this today and for the work that you're doing and your excitement and your enthusiasm about it.

You can just tell like it lights you up and you get excited about it.

It's so great to witness that.

Thank you so much.

And thanks for having me.

It was such a pleasure.

Thank you so much again,

Wenlin.

This was such a joy to talk with you,

Connect with you,

Learn from you today in this interview.

And it is one of those interviews that really,

As I said before,

Really has stuck with me in thinking when I feel stuck,

When I feel that procrastination come up,

Or just when I'd like a different energy going into a project.

So thank you so much for sharing all of this with us.

And Connected Yoga teachers,

I want to hear from you.

What are some of the ways that you embrace this cycle of creativity in your own life?

How do you see it show up?

What are some of the questions that you have going forward?

What questions come up after listening to this episode?

You can share your thoughts,

Your ideas,

And your questions over in the comment section of our show notes page.

That's over at the connectedyogateacher.

Com slash 322.

The fun thing about leaving a comment there is that I can read it,

Wenlin can read it,

And all of our podcast listeners can also join in the discussion there.

Also while you're there,

There's a button near the top of our show notes page for every single episode that leads you to leave a podcast review.

So there's a button there that you can click on and it'll take you right to the reviews.

And this means so much to me and to our entire podcast team over here.

Tell us what you love about the podcast,

Maybe it's about today's episode,

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It is a huge gift when you leave a review for a podcast.

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Either to be shared on the podcast or as a personal note to me,

Head on over to the connectedyogateacher.

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There's a button there.

Also,

I forgot to update you on the spider.

So yes,

In fact,

I did catch the spider.

The key to catching and releasing spiders is one,

To have someone who's okay with doing it,

Which is often either me or Sean in our household,

A nice clear container.

I like to use a plastic container and a good strong piece of cardboard or paper.

And that's one thing that we love to do in our house is when there is a critter that belongs outside,

We try and catch and release it when we can.

But Sean will say,

Except for flies.

Shannon really just gets the fly swatter out for flies.

Now I feel like looking up like,

What's the spiritual meaning of spiders now?

I feel like I'm going to go look that up after I finish recording here.

So thanks for putting up with my like real life moment as a podcaster.

Thank you to our entire team over here who brings this podcast to you,

Suzanne,

Crunch and Sinead.

This amazing group of people does so much behind the scenes for each and every podcast episode,

But also just to support our community.

And they do amazing work out in the world.

If you'd like to see who our team is,

You can find that information on our about page over at theconnectedyogateacher.

Com.

Thank you to you,

Dear listener,

For making this podcast possible,

For hanging out here today,

For listening in on ways to deal with creativity,

Feeling stuck,

Procrastination,

And really ways to embrace the cycle of creativity,

This ongoing thing that we're all a part of.

I'm so curious to know what you're going to be doing this week to stay connected to yourself,

Your yoga practice,

And to your community so that you can share the yoga that lights you up.