How I Found My Voice

There’s a lot of talk surrounding the idea of “finding your voice” or “finding yourself.”  What exactly, though, does that mean? It’s an ambiguous topic that can also seem a bit lofty. A simple Google search will result in hundreds of pages with varying information and they all promise to help you discover how to listen to the inner you. 

Truth be told, finding our inner voice starts with us as individuals. It’s learning to recognize and acknowledge the little voice inside ourselves and acting on something called “intuition.” “Listen to your gut,” is something we hear often. Sounds easy enough, right? While it can be a bit more complicated, learning to hear and trust ourselves is the beginning of a magical adventure and what unfolds can take us to places beyond our wildest dreams. 

We’ve established a starting point: finding your inner voice starts with you. But getting to this starting point can be a challenge in and of itself. If you’re like me, you’ve maybe been what I call a “social nomad” for many years of your life; always trying to navigate where you best fit in with peers, colleagues, family and friends. I’ve spent much of my life moving from this group to that group, never really feeling fully grounded in any of them. I dabbled in a bit of everything from sports, to religious studies, to academic groups. While I enjoyed my activities in each of these areas, it was never quite the right fit. It wasn’t until I stepped foot into a yoga studio that I truly felt a sense of belonging.  Becoming a yoga practitioner was the first step in my path of self-discovery and the community I found myself apart of allowed me to begin to listen to my quiet inner voice. 

It was subtle at first, but I knew that there was something special—something empowering—about the yoga community. It gave me a sense of comfort; it allowed me to explore myself both physically and emotionally. I learned to trust myself as well as my fellow practitioners and teachers, and I found a home away from home. It was a safe haven— a place where I could reflect on my thoughts and listen for the answers—the answers that I already had within me but had eluded me because I was too busy looking for them elsewhere. 

In 2009, two years after beginning my initial practice, I wanted more. I wanted to explore my body and my practice in a new and exciting way. College was long over and I yearned for an opportunity to learn something new. I missed the lecture halls, I missed the ability to think critically and be mentally challenged. A teacher of mine invited me to participate in Teacher Training and I thought, “Why not?” I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. I was apprehensive, terrified and exhilarated all at the same moment.  Little did I know that I would get much more out of Teacher Training than the ability to guide a group of students through a class. Completing Teacher Training allowed me to fully awaken to the voice inside myself that I had struggled to find for so long. 

Suddenly, there it was, burning brightly inside of me and I heard it! I think that was the most exciting part of training; the ability to recognize what it was my intuition was telling me, guiding me to do. I could hear the voice loud and clear. Teacher training had given me the voice I had been looking for everywhere else except for within myself. I felt brave. I felt courageous. 

It can be a challenge to find your voice. To empower yourself with the ability to say what you think and do what you say. But it is possible. If you seek it out, you will find your voice because it’s already there—right within you. You simply have to listen and allow yourself to be heard.