Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alex Cohill. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alex , so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
I don’t actually believe myself to be optimistic. I am joyful. I’m very fortunate that through my practice of yoga and the subsequent self – study, which occurs for anyone attempting to follow the eightfold path it offers; I’ve learned that I have so much to be grateful for. I have friends and family who love me. I have beautiful children, I live in a great place surrounded by natural beauty, I have a job that fills me up and uses all of the talents I know I’m meant to share with the world. My life is constantly filled with blessings; a smile from a stranger on a walk, a kind word from a friend, a game of peek-a-boo with a baby in line at the grocery store – these things make me feel alive and connected to my community and the world around me.
Doing all that I love doing every single day makes me feel incredibly lucky. So, to actually answer the question, I would say my “optimism“ comes from a place of knowing that everything I do and everything that happens in my life is happening for me, not to me. I know that what’s real is the time that I get to spend with people I care about and doing things that I enjoy doing and things that make my heart happy. Then, once I’m doing those things, I just stay present and aware and let the joy fill my heart. “From contentment arises supreme joy” – Payanjali’s Yoga Sutra, 2.42
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
It is important to me to make every single kid in the entire world feel safe, confident, capable, powerful and loved. Right now the way I’m doing that is coaching at the YMCA during each sports season, holding kids yoga classes and yoga camp during the summer and continuing to work at the elementary school as a teacher. There, I also run a yoga club and make it a priority to smile and acknowledge every single kid I pass in the hallways.
I’m working on developing a phonics curriculum that’s based on guided movement. The curriculum itself is finished and I’m about halfway through the videos, but it’s a big project! I’m also putting the final touches on memoir disguised as a self-help book which focuses on yoga and the eightfold ashtanga path.
What I’m actually “doing” now though is planting seeds by creating time for all the things I care about with love and enthusiasm. Karmic seeds never die. I
have enough joy in my heart to share with everyone around me and I’m elevating the collective consciousness by being myself and being loving always. We’ll see what happens with the projects I have going on at the moment. I’ve got two failed businesses under my belt, divorce, bankruptcy, you name it. It’s all a big experiment, this life. I’ve finally learned to appreciate the journey rather than focus on a destination and I’m a lot happier.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The most important skill is to show up. Nothing happens if you’re not there and I don’t mean actually present and perceiving whatever situation you’re in correctly, I mean actually physically getting yourself to places that you need to be doing things that you know will benefit you.
Next is being aware. Awareness means putting your ego aside and actually experiencing the moments you create with people around you and the places you end up it’s so much easier said than done, but once you can really understand what’s going on in a group dynamic or in a moment, it unlocks the ability to really Improve whatever situation you may Find yourself.
Third, Recognizing that everyone is value, and that all people you may meet or with whom you may interact are important.
The advice I would offer someone in working towards these characteristics is to look inward first if you’re not aware of yourself and you’re not loving yourself as valuable and important and you’re not putting yourself in situations that can Lead to success as you see it, Then you’re wasting your time. Know yourself first and foremost, and be honest with yourself
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
The most impactful book for me is a book of poetry called “I Heard God, Laughing” by Hafiz. It’s a collection of poems of hope and joy. The lesson is that we can find perfection in so many moments which may seem mundane or unimportant, but if we’re really there and really in touch with this moment then we can find beauty always.
