Everyday Conscious Living
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Your hosts: Kathy and Dennis Lang. Contact them with your opinions at Dennis.Lang@PrudentialNetworkRealty.com |
Self awareness leads to wellness, less job stress, and caring for a better planet earth
Hi, we are Dennis and Kathy Lang of Jacksonville, Florida. Our awareness of the interdependence of our lives with those around us and our impact on the environment only recently developed. The last five to seven years have been years of growth which began at a resort spa in Arizona. Prior to that, we were a typical corporate driven couple, living in an upscale, gated golf course community (which paradoxically was a beneficial experience for our first EveryDayConsciousLiving episode on kitchen remodeling). What began has a spa vacation, became the beginning of a gradual change that has culminated in being chosen to host Everyday Conscious Living. We will finding ways to nurturing our own wellness and the wellness of our planet earth in the upcoming episodes.
Our 24 years in the corporate world were very good to us. We had excellent jobs with challenging roles in three public, multi-national companies. In fact, we had both worked for the same company each time. Each company and job offered us the chance to grow and develop together and as individuals. We were relocated three times from Ohio, to Virginia and now Florida. Our business travels were extensive, including Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia. We were able to see the world through our business travels which enlightened us with cultural awareness and taught us to appreciate diversity.
As time went on, we became less and less enamored with the income, frequent flyer programs and the corporate ladder. It�s as though we were lacking and not fulfilled�.yet by some measures, we had “it all”. There was something missing.
In the summer of 2000, we attended a Yoga class while vacationing at the Miraval Spa near Tucson, AZ ( see our recommendation of Miraval spa resort as the perfect yoga vacation). It was really a fluke that we should attend the class. We were both long distance runners and doubted the benefits of yoga. We were amazed at the physical challenge it presented. It planted a seed in us that would later have a life changing effect on us.
Over the next two years, we attended a few yoga classes, but were not consistent. We would attend a class when we were at various health spas. Along the way we would read books and magazines articles on yoga as a matter of general interest. It was not until the summer of 2003, about the time Dennis had developed a mild case of occasional anxiety and hypertension, that we found Cobalt Moon in Neptune Beach near Jacksonville. We had an epiphany and totally immersed ourselves in classes. We attended local workshops and national conferences to get exposure to the wide range of styles and philosophies of yoga.
We learned that yoga is the union of body, mind and spirit. The practice of yoga is a journey inward. When practiced with intension and mindfulness, it can be reflective. For us, reflection comes from the mat. The mat is like a mirror of our physical, mental and spiritual condition. Each day we come to the mat with a different physical condition, a different mental attitude, perhaps even baggage and stress stored in our physical body that limits our practice in the form of limited flexibility, mental focus and awareness. Continued practice on the mat brings our awareness inward and improves external awareness of the surrounding world.
With that first class a seed was planted. This led to a dedicated practice, which in turn, became an introspective examination of our individual lives and our lives together. We were no longer distance runners. We had found the same physical benefits from the power forms of yoga. In fact, we were stronger.
For Dennis, the practice had delivered therapeutic benefits as well. Through Pranayama breathing exercises Dennis had cured his random anxiety attacks. With the combination of meditation, Asana (poses) and Pranayama he had rid himself of high blood pressure medications. We had first hand experience with the medical benefits of yoga.
The continued inward journey led us both to what became our mantra, “life is too short.” Our inward journey had us asking serious questions about our lifestyle and what is truly important in our lives. It took time to develop, but it became evident. We needed to gain more control of our lives and broaden our life experience through change. We had continued with our corporate careers but found more dissatisfaction than satisfaction. So in the summer of 2005, we both resigned our positions and took a four month “mid � life” break. During that time we unplugged. It took some time, especially for Dennis, to disengage. But through it all we came to the mat for contemplation and practice.
We left the corporate world a became a husband and wife team in real estate and recently became certified yoga instructors. Our career change has made space and time for new experiences and opportunities. One example is we have a philanthropist friend who each year has asked us to provide anonymous donations to local yoga teachers and studio owners to advance their own practice with continuing education. This donation can also be used for enhancements to their studios or for student scholarships.
We are very thankful for what our corporate lives provided and we would likely do it all over again. These experiences brought us to where we are now and provide definition to who we are. In fact, it was our original jobs in Ohio that brought us together. This past provided life experiences and gifts that are priceless. Today we help people with their needs in real estate and touch people through our yoga teaching at Cobalt Moon in Neptune Beach, the very place where it all began.
We returned to Miraval in the summer of 2005 and had the opportunity to attend a yoga class with the same instructor that led our first yoga class. She remembered us. We explained that what she does as a teacher is truly special because she touches lives and in some cases, plants seeds that can grow with time. That was our case. The seed grew into a life transformation facilitated by our yoga practice on the mat.
