Meet Summer Greenlees

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Summer Greenlees. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Summer, thanks for taking the time to share your lessons with our community today. So, let’s jump right in – one of the most essential skills for unlocking our potential is self-discipline. Where does your self-discipline come from?

This is an excellent question because self-discipline is an integral aspect of yoga. It is essential for being a yoga practitioner or teacher. Discipline is also necessary to be successful as a student, an entrepreneur, a parent, and an example for clients to follow as a wellness professional.

Self-discipline has been one of my topmost challenging personal growth struggles.
One thing I have most recently learned is that motivational wisdom and other strategies that are effective for neurotypical individuals are not effective for many neurodivergent individuals like myself.

The following insights into yoga and nutrition explain my experiences and what I have discovered, which has been useful for me in cultivating discipline.

One of the many aspects of yoga that prioritizes self-study over physical practices is called “Swadhyaya”; one way of translating this is “self-study.”
In my experience, this practice is essential for self-development.

This practice is preceded by the most important aspect of yoga, the very first step, which is “Ahimsa,” or Compassion/Nonviolence/Nonharming.

The precursors to Ahimsa precede these yoga practices and others, which are the first steps in the aspirational way of life that yoga is. These introductory steps to the first practices are called “ The Four Brahmavahara.” Without going into too much detail, they are basically about being good friends to ourselves and others.

Within the four Brahmavahara are a few key practices that, in my experience, are vital for cultivating improved self-discipline, or any quality we desire to emulate for personal growth and evolution.
From my experience, these are having an attitude of friendship towards myself, celebrating the good in others rather than comparing myself to others (a very powerful practice), and deliberately putting myself into the company of those who lead by example and embody the qualities that I am seeking to emulate, like discipline.

I am very fortunate to have two yoga teachers who embody the fierce and powerful energy of a disciplined way of living and practicing yoga. I draw from their company to assist myself in becoming more disciplined.
I have also stopped comparing myself to others, especially neurotypical people, when it comes to how discipline manifests for them and me.

Within my inner life, or as one of my spiritual teachers has taught me, when I walk in the streets of my mind, where no one except myself is walking with me, I have to clean up all the trash that litters the streets. This includes negative self-talk or self-criticism, unforgiveness, guilt, shame, or any other garbage blocking my path.

This is especially essential for those neurodivergent individuals who grapple with all of the internalized shame that comes from having a neurotype that is wired differently than mainstream culture understands or recognizes.
The reward centers, dopamine supply, and aspects of the brain in the prefrontal cortex of many neurodivergent individuals with ADHD are physiologically different than the way that neurotypical prefrontal cortex brains are structured.

When this physiological neurological difference is not understood, those people who struggle significantly with things like planning, organization, task management, delayed gratification, and discipline are incorrectly classified as lazy, deficient, lacking moral character, respect for others, or it is assumed that they do not care. These differences are almost always judged as character defaults instead of neurotype differences.

Many neurodivergent brains do not have the hardware or differences in how the brain creates and repeats daily habits and routines. Not everyone is the same. Many neurotypes within the spectrum of autism have a strong ability to lock into daily repetitive habits, for example.

Having been late diagnosed in my 40s and only discovering this information about how the brain works regarding executive functioning this year, these are new insights for me that assist me in understanding myself (swadhyaya).

This insight helps me shine a light in the streets of my mind, further cleaning the trash of guilt, shame, and negative self-judgment from polluting and obstructing my path as I continue the daily walk with myself in the streets of my mind.

The only way to move forward in growth is to create an atmosphere of gentleness, radical self-acceptance, self-compassion, and holding my hand as I would for a dear friend.
Of course, if any of this effort to cultivate self-discipline lacks the supportive context of self-love, it is hopeless and fruitless.

“Force and frustration begin where skillfulness ends” is one of my favorite things that one of my teachers, Donna Farhi,
has taught me, along with the understanding of the eight limbs of yoga as an aspirational path about how we live our lives, and the powerful practice of “Radical, Unconditional Self Acceptance”. All of this helps me to create the conditions that encourage the growth of my ever-evolving and improving self-discipline.

There are two main areas in which I used to struggle significantly with consistency and discipline;

One was with diet and nutrition. I used to struggle with taking supplements, I had a serious, lifelong sugar addiction, and I struggled so much with cravings and self-sabotage for the first 20 years of my career and life as a wellness professional. The struggle was real, even though I had been practicing veganism, juicing, macrobiotics, seasonal cleansing, and fasting, loading up on spirulina and other healthy essentials recommended to me by experts since my teens into my 30s.

I also used to struggle with consistency and self-discipline in my daily yoga, meditation, and physical exercise practices.

Keeping up with those two challenges regarding my self-discipline, while being a single parent, or in an abusive relationship, while also being a self-employed entrepreneur, neurodivergent individual, and a parent to neurodivergent children, has been the pretty Olympic challenge of a lifetime.

The keys that have led to my current state of ever-evolving, imperfect mastery of self-discipline are;

Regarding nutrition, I can 100% attest that the quality of my nutritional supplements has made all of these lifelong struggles a distant memory. I used to feel unable to cultivate consistancy with this.

My food addictions, self-sabotage, sugar cravings, and struggle with consistency have been entirely resolved by adding to my daily diet products that are incredibly fresh, not oxidized, highly efficient, and micro- and macro-nutrient-dense. Adding this resource, unlike anything else, made my body pH more alkaline, changing my taste preferences. I now do not crave processed foods, addictive foods, and sugar like I used to. What I was craving is now a non-issue. By adding high-quality nutrition from a natural source that is particularly efficient and pure, making healthier choices, feeling better, reducing inflammation, having great energy, and having a more positive mood are a natural result. Without obsession over being controlling over what I eat, or following any diet or “ism”, and instead, experiencing greater energy and well being in my 40s that I did in my 30’s and 20,s, being better able to offer my services to the world while feeling good, this is all the motivation I need.

Feeling good feels good. When I feel such dramatic results and the apparent reason is improving the quality of food I am eating (because there is a way to access it that is simple, affordable, and convenient), there is no struggle or battle of will power over addictions. The simple, evident truth is that I feel better, offer better quality of work, spend less money, and experience an upleveling of my healthy lifestyle every year after 9 -10 years of adding this resource into my life; it is no longer a struggle with discipline. It is simply “how I roll”.

Why would I feel less life force and experience greater struggle with how I think and eat?
It really isn’t even a choice anymore; it’s a lifestyle. I don’t have any major food restrictions except that I don’t enjoy or prefer foods that are fake, highly processed, sugary, or overly flavored. Sometimes, people might comment to me like, “That is so healthy,” but to me, it’s just normal, actual food. Food that is not health-affirming, addictive, or fake is not appealing to me anymore. It has lost its charm.

“Adding in the good,” especially if what you are adding in is healing for you, is a much more skillful strategy to cultivate self-discipline regarding nutrition than being restrictive or forceful about what you eat.

That said, it takes a monumental effort and a revolutionary mindset to embark on this journey of cultivating discipline when it has been a historical challenge or obstacle to personal growth in the past.
The experience of struggle and a life that feels less than optimal, or specific concerning health challenges are great fuel for the fire of “Tapas” or “burning enthusiasm” which is the essential element required to move us from inertia, stagnation, or addictive patterns, into cultivating the self discipline necessary for living a life that supports us in realizing our full potential.

To me, the experience of contrast (the experience or life condition we are not enjoying, which is the result of our past choices and habit patterns) is excellent fuel for the right motivation.

It also helped me to step into this improved self-discipline, having the support of a trusted friend who introduced me to these nutritional resources. Community and company on the journey of personal evolution are powerful allies and can be essential when conjuring the strength and momentum to begin.

Feeling good and having fun are key motivations for a neurodivergent mind with lower reserves of dopamine and different wiring regarding daily habits. Feeling good feels better than feeling bad. Health is a natural high. It is easier to cultivate discipline when the results are feeling good, and overall well-being

My second area of greatest challenge with discipline is daily yoga, meditation, and exercise habits. I have to point out that what we eat and our movement practices go hand in hand and affect each other strongly.
If I do not feed my body food that is rich in life force, I have to generate more willpower to do physical activities and cultivate discipline with my practice.
A nourished body can be more easily motivated to maintain healthy habits.

Many yoga practitioners probably notice over time that their yoga practice and their daily life choices are not separate topics. One thing affects the other until every layer of our wholeness is affected: how we think, what we do, and how we do it, how we relate to ourselves and each other, what we purchase, and how we contribute to or harm our environment, our communities, and our bodies.

That said, the wisdom and the practice that have propelled my life into improved experiences of discipline regarding my daily practice and physical activities are the practice of Nrityoga and the teachings of Amrita Choudhury. Amrita has taught me the importance of Joy, the spirit of Bhakti (a devotional aspect of yoga). Nrityoga is such a soulfully uplifting practice. It is so full of light, joy, and spiritual richness. It is so beautiful, so graceful, so fun and uplifting, and it engages every single aspect of our body. The eye movements, hand gestures, and focus on the breath, spine, footwork, and all aspects are utilized, so it is thoroughly engaging. The practices are introduced gently with compassion and wisdom, so our inner light is revealed over time. There is no forcing, yet much discipline is required to practice this form of yoga. In this way, it is similar to a martial art, where you learn and level up gradually with practice and dedication. This form of practice has effectively sparked my self-discipline, where, in other yoga methods, I have had greater struggle. I know this is because of this form of yoga’s joyful and uplifting nature. Fun and playfulness are key in learning and in creating discipline.

The last note I will include regarding my self-study and observations regarding discipline in my yoga practice is that yoga is a way of life.

Integrating “yoga sprinkles” into my everyday life has been my answer to keeping a practice going, especially as a busy mom when my children were smaller.

For example, child’s pose and a few key restorative yoga asanas are an integral and almost unconscious part of my daily after-shower routine, getting up for water in the morning, then pausing for meditation, Mudra, and Mantra practice, even if it has to be brief, are an integral, automatic part of the day. These are my fall back, daily life integrations of yoga practice that are always there to catch me when the business of life obscures the allotment of time for the structured, formal practice.

I don’t have the habit of flopping into a couch or chair, or turning on the TV. I have the habit of going to the floor, maintaining an open, clean space to move, breathe, and be. Even small moments of floor time count when life is busy. Since I am a massage therapist, Hatha Yoga (The yoga practices involving the body and movement) is my go-to maintenance resource for tending the body, which is my tool for my livelihood. I don’t have to work too hard to be disciplined to do a practice when it is an essential resource that cares for my body, like a massage would. I go to even small moments of Hatha Yoga or Somatic movement for relief and self-care, as I would go for water, food, breathing, or bathing.

Healthy practices that are small and achievable can become automatic aspects of the daily routine. Discipline that was once a challenge can gradually, over time, become an unconscious way of living.

During newborn care, moments of forced immobility while holding or nursing a baby are moments for breath awareness meditation. Tapping into the unflappable, eternal nature of my true nature at the core of my being, in the face of baby screams and other life chaos and noise, is the gift of pratyahara (a meditative practice and awareness of our senses, another aspect of yoga).

Listening to audio books or reading about yoga philosophy during spare moments, making a point to regard myself with friendliness, connection with nature as much as possible, keeping a clean environment, taking care of my body, helping a friend or someone else, being present within every day moments, giving thanks to the water before bathing, the food before eating, the sun and the moon, all of these little, integral daily rituals are keeping the discipline and active practice of yoga going as a way of life.

This results in positive momentum and the magical effects of repetition, which generate powerful results. All of this fuels my self-confidence to keep going. From my experience, I am guessing that I am not alone in the inner experience of tending to be hard on myself, especially when it comes to the challenges of navigating a culture designed for the neurotypical, as a neurodivergent person. In that case, I can reflect about my daily life and honestly report to myself that I do, indeed have a consistent, and disciplined yoga practice, when I include the constant “yoga sprinkles” that are an integral aspect of my way of life, even when I feel my structured practice time is adjusting to a life change, different season, or interruption.

The fuel for my efforts to grow and deepen my discipline as I continue on my path of personal and professional evolution springs from feeling good about the reality of the momentum I have created over a lifetime of practice, as I continue to grow.

Feeling good feels good, which is key to creating and sustaining a healthy and life-affirming discipline.

Eventually, we notice, for example, that we don’t feel as good when we don’t observe the discipline we aspire to maintain. The desire to feel better is beneficial when establishing self-discipline.
On the days we miss meditation time, for example, the mind feels less clean, the day is more hectic, and there isn’t enough time. On the days or periods without a physical yoga practice, which nourishes our body, we feel more aches, and we are not really “on our game.” Experiencing the lack of a nourishing discipline can drive us back to the discipline that is uplifting and good for us.

I have noticed this as I have been on a journey of cultivating and deepening my understanding and experience of discipline. Discipline is liberating. Without it, we are enslaved to our limitations and the patterns of the past, whether they serve us in realizing our full potential or obstruct it.

Everyone has a different angle with which to get leverage on the topic of discipline. These are the angles and perspectives that have worked for me.
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Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am very exited about my private Yoga studio, Austin Soma Yoga Shala.

With a small, group cohort learning environment, series classes an workshops, students are provided with a unique opportunity to engage with and learn a yoga practice which is relevant and applicable to their personal life and wellness goals.

As a Yoga Instructor and Bodyworker with almost 30 years of full time experience, I am so grateful and profoundly impacted by witnessing the growth self discovery that students can experience within this unique model of learning and cultivating a personal yoga practice.

In our small, series classes of 4 per class, students get to know each other, and they share with and support each other in ways that are supportive for their learning and personal growth.

The difference between a Shala and a Studio is that a Studio business model is around customer service, sales, and most often, the emphasis is about physical fitness and current trends.

A Shala (Sanskrit word for home) is more like a Martial Arts Dojo, where students come to learn from a teacher who has extensive experience, and an active personal practice. The business model is more aligned with education. The personal growth experiences and learning extend beyond physical fitness into each aspect of the students personal life.

The Yoga Renewal Series is a course that I offer which is perfect for the complete beginner in yoga, or for someone who desires to re start or re establish a yoga practice that is relevant to the current life chapter that they are in now.

As an example, here are two examples of feedback from students after completing our last Yoga Renewal Course;

Starting yoga with Summer has been one of the most transformative experiences of my life. When I first stepped onto the mat, I was a complete beginner—unsure of what to expect and a little intimidated. But from the very first class, Summer created a space that felt safe, supportive, and completely judgment-free. Her warmth, patience, and knowledge made it easy to show up exactly as I was.

Yoga quickly became more than just movement for me. It became a grounding practice that helped me reconnect with my body, my breath, and ultimately, myself. Each session with Summer has helped me grow—not just physically in strength and flexibility, but emotionally and mentally as well. She weaves mindfulness, compassion, and intentionality into every class, and that’s made all the difference.

As someone in recovery, yoga has been an essential part of my ongoing healing. It’s helped me stay committed to my sobriety and has supported the work I’ve been doing in therapy. On the mat, I’ve learned to sit with discomfort, to breathe through the hard moments, and to meet myself with kindness. These are lessons that have carried over into every part of my life.

I’m so grateful to Summer for being a steady and encouraging guide on this journey. Yoga with her has helped me find clarity, confidence, and a deeper sense of peace.

Courtney
Age 40
Round Rock,Tx

Summer is an exceptional yoga teacher. Going to her classes regularly has had a noticeable positive impact on my physical and mental health. When I started, I had a lot of knee pain and difficulty walking, but she offers several alternatives to beginners and those with limited mobility or range of motion. I was able to strengthen my legs, improve balance, and increase proprioception with the modified movements until I was able to eventually do the poses without assistance. It was such a thrill to feel the changes in my body over a few months, and I know I will continue to improve.

Over time, my knee pain has decreased, my range of motion has increased, overall stability while moving around has improved. Another positive change is being able to lie flat on the ground in shavasana comfortably whereas previously I needed to be propped up.

She is truly committed to making sure her students are comfortable. There were times when I thought I was comfortable enough, but then she provided an adjustment which made me realize what true comfort actually felt like. I never before had a yoga teacher who was so attentive and nurturing.

In her yoga classes, Summer also brings in an awareness of our spine and internal organs so that we move with the whole body in mind. With this approach, I feel so much more stable and strong in the yoga poses and also when moving through life- walking, dancing, etc. She has also taught me gentle movements I can do in bed to lubricate my joints and my spine before I wake up and face the day.

She incorporates the spiritual aspect of yoga instead of just the poses. I leave every class with my mind at peace and my body feeling strong and relaxed. For me, Summer’s yoga classes have been vital for stress management. I have much better sleep quality after her yoga classes. So no matter how busy I may get, I make the time to come to class because the way I feel at the end of class is absolutely worth the drive over there.

I also love the atmosphere in class. Summer creates a beautiful environment in which we can practice- with soft lighting, candles, plants, aromatherapy, cozy blankets and bolsters, and sound baths. It’s such a luxurious experience. It is clear that she cares deeply about her students and I’m very grateful that she is my yoga teacher.

name not disclosed

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Our Next Yoga Renewal Series begins August 21st. I am very exited to share this beautiful and transformational course with a new group of students!

Another exiting announcement is that I recently returned from assisting Donna Farhi in Denver, Colorado this past July.

After 20 years of in depth study with Donna Farhi, which includes completing her teacher training program twice, and assisting her during her tours when she came to Texas in the past, This year was my first experience of being hired as her senior assistant. I was able to receive her advice, her encouragement and support for what I am doing in my work. In addition, this experience has provided me with a lot of inspiring material that I am looking forward to sharing with students throughout this year.

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 answer to this question, for me, might be different than what is expected.

The first things that I think of when I am asked about three areas of knowledge that have been impactful on my journey are;

My apprenticeship with my first teacher. This is an ideal way to train as a yoga instructor, in my opinion. Having two years of one-on-one apprenticeship in my teacher’s small studio provided me with a depth of learning that is so valuable. I was able to learn from her, and to teach in her studio under her guidance. Because she was one of the only Prenatal Yoga Teachers in Austin for 20 years, before larger, commercial studios were a thing, I was able to be immersed within the world of Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga as a strong feature of my training to learn to teach Hatha Yoga.

The second area of knowledge that was most impactful in my Journey was going to Massage Therapy School after my Yoga Apprenticeship was completed. Learning about Anatomy and Physiology, and Therapeutic Bodywork techniques, from my perspective, were pointing arrows back to Yoga. I was amazed as I learned more about the body, that it really deepened my understanding of Yoga and why all of the things that I had been learning about yoga are helpful and useful. I highly recommend that Yoga Instuctors take additional courses to more deeply understand Anatomy and Physiology.

The third area of knowledge that I consider to be most impactful in my career has to be the 12 years that I worked as a Doula, professionally and personally assisting Mothers and families with childbirth clients in the Austin area.
Again, learning more about birth, and having the inside scoop in understanding and relating to such a big variety of people and families, and teaching them how to prepare for and recover from birth, taught me so much about yoga and the applications of Yoga. Teaching hundreds of people how to use tools from Yoga to reduce stress, anxiety, and pain during childbirth, and learning how to most effectively teach and communicate with a diverse population deepened and widened my understanding of people, how they learn. I got to expand my experience with various cultures, and deepen my understanding of humanity. Through practice, I became well versed in how to most effectively communicate essential skills, and I got to have the experience of witnessing them apply what they learned in challenging moments, which taught me so much about the effectiveness of the tools that I share, and I got to learn about a wide variety of experiences with people that taught me so much.

How would you describe your ideal client?

My ideal clients include; the complete beginner in yoga, or a yoga practitioner who is experiencing a life change and would like to revolutionize their practice to become more therapeutic, healing, and nourishing for them, based on their current life needs and new wellness goals.

When studying with me, a beginners mindset is important. The emphasis in my classes is interoceptive and requires in-depth self discovery. The Hatha Yoga classes are taught with a shared inquiry model of teaching and learning. The practices are given as inquiries, and require exploration. Every person will manifest their practice in different ways. This approach is different, than what you might be used to if you are accustomed to a mainstream yoga class or practice.

In Addition, I always have a deep love and heart of service for my Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga students.
Students in their Childbearng Years will have a very special experience with me at Austin Soma Yoga Shala.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.summergreenlees.com
• Instagram: @summergreenlees
• Facebook: @summergreenlees

Image Credits

I used a tripod and timer on the phots and took them myself.