WEEKLY VLOG #3:

3 REASONS WHY I DON’T LIKE THE CAMERA

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Transcript

Hello and welcome! Dear wonderful people!

I am Totally Zen Tadeja from Andromeda Yoga Atelier. Every Thursday I am going to answer a real-time question we might all be struggling with considering yoga, mental health, and well-being. If you have a question post it in the comments down below.

The vlog is specially dedicated to people who are:

  • Tired
  • Tired of being tired and
  • Tired of explaining how tired they are to everyone else.

You can substitute the word tired with exhausted, feeling blue, stuck, busy… Whatever pops in your head. USE THAT!

The idea for this week’s vlog came from Lauren. So thank you, Lauren, for sparking this question.

And today’s vlog question is:

Why I don’t like the camera?

But Tadeya… you are on camera right now, aren’t you? Yes, I am, and it took years and years for me to get this far. Maybe you are struggling with showing up for online yoga courses, too. I had anxiety issues when going to any public class for the longest time ever. It took me 6 months only to get comfortable with hearing my own recorded voice. Editing my own videos felt like a nightmare.

Here are my three reasons why:

  • it makes me practice radical self-acceptance,
  • it puts me out there for the whole world to see which freaks me out,
  • and it makes me create healthy boundaries.

 

1. It makes me practice radical self-acceptance

My pesky inner critic would just not shut up! Ever! I have internalized that critic so much it became automated. I am by no means an exception. It happens to almost anyone at some point in their life. If you do not have an inner critic, you, my friend, might have bigger fish to fry. At first, I really didn’t know why but then I slowly realized where this feeling was coming from and took small daily actions to gradually change that mindset! As I already pointed out in the previous episode, I am a big fan of workbooks and journaling your daily affirmations. One of my yogi friends also suggested recording positive affirmations about myself and playing them back to me every day. IT REALLY WORKED MAGIC! To be comfortable on camera, you have to accept and love yourself completely. You have to understand that what you perceive as “flaws” is what makes you, you! It’s what makes you unique. So please celebrate your uniqueness!

 

2. It puts me out there for the whole world to see and that freaks me out

This intense fear, for me, had a lot to do with feeling safe by controlling every single detail of my life. However, no matter how high you build the walls around you there is no guarantee you won’t ever get hurt. So… if the pain is inevitable, why not at least open up and share my side of the story. On my terms, I have nothing to lose. I love teaching yoga and yoga is just a wonderful gift to the world. By choosing to share such a powerful and positive message, it’s impossible NOT to want to open to the whole world. And when you trust your story and trust yourself to make good decisions, you really don’t have anything to fear anymore.

 

3. It makes me create healthy boundaries

Being on camera, I do have a lot of power. I am in control of my narrative and I decide which opinions matter to me. So I choose to focus on the feedback that adheres to Socrates’ triple filter test: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? When giving and receiving feedback, I really try to follow these guidelines at all times. I might still fail here and there, but I’m learning and what matters is that I am coming from a good place. If I mess up, I can learn and do better the next time. The world is really a forgiving place.

 

The silver lining is, if you are nervous about attending the live classes don’t be. I focus on creating a safe and loving space for all students who are eager to learn yoga. There are really no rights or wrongs. And the same goes for creating your own videos! Get out there and be your unique self!

With that thought I bow the head to the heart; may the wisdom of the body and the wisdom of the mind unite together to support our collective healing and evolution.

With love & joy continue on to the rest of your day!

XOXO
Totally Zen Tadeya