We are becoming experts at sniffing out fake friendships, pretentious marketing and pushy sales tactics. Have you noticed this?

The more visually stimulated I am the more sensitive my kinaesthetic receptors are. Personally I am not driven by sales funnels and using the latest app to make my photos ‘pop’ or posting daily simply to boost my engagement. I can’t because I know the energetic cord from the post back to me is not a holistic or authentic one. Instead it is driven by something outside of my intention to inspire others to shine their unique light out into the world.

Learning to lead with authenticity takes so much, including courage to share from personal experience, strength to speak even when your voice shakes and resilience to keep going regardless of the feedback you receive, especially when we are so quick to judge others by what we see online. Jealousy is on the rise, triggers are going off like fireworks on the 5th November and everyone is bearing it all for the human basic need of acceptance and connection. This dopamine hit we get from spending so much of our precious time online chasing likes, probing for comments and outside validation is highly addictive. If you disagree I highly recommend to watch Simon Sinek’s talk on Addiction to Technology is Ruining Lives.

In Brene Browns book ‘Daring Greatly’ she writes ‘We are psychologically, emotionally, cognitively, and spiritually hardwired for connection, love and belonging’. Connection, along with love, and belonging (two expressions of connection), is why we are here, and it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.’

So what happens if Instagram takes away the ability to see how many followers you have? What happens if you can’t maintain your idealistic model lifestyle? What will we be left with if 5G spreads and pushes people off grid for health reasons, affecting your reach and business potential? What we are left with is no choice but to come back to our immediate community and eventually ourselves, including our flaws, samskaras and all that stuff in the back of the closet we have been hiding from (but more about this shadow work in a future blog post). This ‘stuff’ is our power, our teacher and our inner wisdom that makes us unique and truly special. Without this we would be all the same which would make the world a pretty boring place to be, don’t you think?

Having taught embodiment practices for more then 20 years (starting with dance at 14) I’ve been through a full range of high highs and low lows, all of which gave me a strong sense of purpose, direction and integrity for my work in the world. Yes the current state of the yoga can be disheartening especially with all the #metoo stories about physical, emotional and sexual abuse from teachers. I can’t help but think we are the generation to make a positive change for future generations. There is nowhere to hide with life online, eventually everything comes back full circle and we are faced with fulfilled or unfulfilled promises from the past.

Living an authentic life for me means knowing when it is time to step up and when its time to chill. It means sharing my truth from my life experiences and to humbly admit when I have no idea. It means recognising when I’m in a fork on the road and feel ok if I make the wrong turn or if I’m on my knees, wading through the mud to find solid ground to walk tall again.

If you trust your inner compass this guidance system won’t fail you, it doesn’t need wifi or a recharge. This deeper knowing has your back – it will inspire your blog posts, it will write your poetry and it will give you everything you need to live in alignment with your Dharma/ life’s path. Yes, even if you’re in denial of it!

Please know I am guilty of all of the above and my struggles with living authentically actually inspired me to be courageous to write this post. My challenge for you (if you choose to accept it) is to live one day listening to and responding to your inner spark, your authentic voice and the whispers of your spirit. This challenge won’t cost you a thing but has the potential to enrich your life beyond your wildest dreams.