I used to work in banking. I had the job, the benefits, the salary. On paper, it looked like everything I had worked for was finally mine. I was 23 years old when I began my career in retail banking for a major Canadian bank. I wore heels. I had a corner office. I helped people plan their financial futures.
But every morning, I felt a physical resistance just opening the door to my office. It started creeping into my dreams. I couldn’t ignore it anymore: I was disappearing into a life that didn’t feel like mine.
The Whisper: There Has to Be More
I didn’t leap out of the banking world right away. I didn’t even know what I wanted at first. But something in me kept whispering: there has to be more.
One afternoon, while avoiding the piles of paperwork on my desk, I googled “yoga teacher trainings.” I wasn’t looking for a new career. I was looking for myself. I found a training in British Columbia, in the forest between Squamish and Whistler. I hit “apply,” and immediately burst into tears.
It was the first time in a long time that I felt something stir inside me: excitement. Possibility. Aliveness.
You Don’t Need a Plan. You Just Need a Yes.
Here’s the truth: you don’t need a five-year plan to change your life. You don’t need to have everything figured out. You just need to listen to what’s true for you right now—and be brave enough to say yes.
Yoga teacher training wasn’t just about learning asanas or memorizing Sanskrit. It was the first space where I could hear myself again. The breath. The presence. The honesty of meeting myself on the mat. I began to trust myself again.
5 Signs It Might Be Time to Reroute
If any of these resonate, you might be standing at a similar crossroads:
- You dread the start of every week, not just occasionally—but constantly.
- You feel like you’re disappearing inside a life you built for someone else.
- Your body feels tight, tense, or tired all the time.
- You fantasize about a different life but feel too stuck to act on it.
- You tell yourself, “This is just how adult life is.”
Spoiler: It doesn’t have to be.
Why Yoga Teacher Training (Even If You Never Want to Teach)
People assume yoga teacher training is only for those who want to become instructors. It’s not. Here’s what it gave me—and what it might offer you:
- A space to unplug from the noise and reconnect with your intuition.
- Tools to regulate your nervous system and release built-up stress.
- The ability to listen to your body’s cues instead of overriding them.
- A community of people who were also asking deeper questions.
- Clarity—not from control, but from returning home to yourself.
Breathwork for Clarity: A Practice to Begin Right Now
Wherever you are in the world, take a moment to close your eyes. Let your breath slow. Let your hands rest in your lap, or on your heart.
Inhale deep into your belly, then your ribs, then your chest. Exhale from your chest, ribs, then belly. Do this for five rounds.
Now visualize your dream life. Where are you? What do your mornings look like? How do you feel?
This version of you is already within reach. Let your breath stoke that inner fire. Let your next exhale release it into the world.
A Final Invitation
If something stirred in you while reading this, if you’ve been feeling the quiet nudge that there might be another way to live—there is.
This May 17 to June 7, I’ll be leading a 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training at Anamaya in Costa Rica. You don’t have to want to teach. You just have to want to come home to yourself.
Join us. Let your “yes” change your life, too.
Want to learn more about Michelle and her journey? Watch her latest live video with Anamaya founder Kelsey Matheson HERE.
