Mahara Wayman [00:00:06]:
Welcome to the art of badassery where I explore what it takes to live life on your own terms. Break free from the status quo and unleash your inner badass. Whether you're a rebel at heart or simply seeking inspiration to step outside your comfort zone, this podcast is for you. I'm your host, Mahara Wayman. And each week, I dive into the stories, insights, and strategies of those who've mastered the art of badassery and are living life to the fullest. They smile when no one is lucky. Welcome to another episode of the art of badassery podcast where we celebrate the incredible individuals who have mastered the art of living life on their terms. Today, I have a truly remarkable guest, someone whose life embodies self discovery and transformation.
Mahara Wayman [00:00:59]:
My guest, Paige Park, hails from the vibrant city of Indianapolis, Indiana. Her path in life has been anything but ordinary, Filled with dreams and aspirations that have evolved over the years. From a young dreamer with visions of being a Broadway star To contemplating a career in computer programming, Paige eventually found her calling in the world of education. For 24 years, Paige dedicated herself to the noble profession of teaching. Her classrooms hosted students of all ages, And she brought her passion for learning to diverse educational settings. However, as life often does, It presented Paige with unexpected challenges. Losing her parents left her in a state of profound disarray. Her nervous system became a battleground of anxiety and perpetual alertness.
Mahara Wayman [00:01:52]:
And it was during these tumultuous times that she discovered solace and healing through the practice of yoga. Intrigued by the profound changes she experienced, Paige embarked on a courageous journey. Encouraged by a very perceptive yoga teacher who recognized her potential, she pursued intensive training, Completing her 200 hour yoga teacher certification. This transformative experience not only reshaped Her outlook on life, but also ignited a passionate calling within her. Today, Paige is a dedicated yoga teacher who views life, Sorry. Who views yoga as a way of life. She believes in its power to provide stability and grounding in a world that often feels chaotic. Her message is clear.
Mahara Wayman [00:02:42]:
Each of us each of us possesses the inner strength to be our own stabilizing force. We only need to look within. Now beyond her work in the realm of yoga, Paige has also learned profound lessons about living in the face of death. Her experiences with grief and loss have led her to prioritize intentionality over complacency. That is so interesting and huge. It's probably gonna be one of the first things we dive into, Paige. So please join us on this journey.
Page Park [00:03:14]:
It's Totally fine. Hello. I'm so glad to be here.
Mahara Wayman [00:03:19]:
Yay. I'm so glad you're here. You know, tongue in cheek, people joke, I think, about Living life as a badass. Oh, I'm badass. Oh, are you badass? Laugh, laugh, joke, joke. Mhmm. What I think I'd like to get across today is that Often, it is with intentionality that we create the life of our dreams. Yeah.
Mahara Wayman [00:03:41]:
And that Absolutely. That's why those words just popped up for me when you said it. So welcome to the show. So glad you're here. Let's go back. I wanna talk about, though, 24 years of of Teaching is amazing. Diverse situations, diverse, locations. Talk to us a bit about your career as an educator.
Page Park [00:04:00]:
I started funny oddly enough, I I never thought I would enjoy teaching secondary students, and I actually started my career as a secondary. I was a mild disability special education teacher, so my kids all had learning difficulties. I am a problem solver. And I'm diving into human design, and I'm learning like, oh, yeah. This is like this is such a problem solver. Like, it's a, yeah, it's a part of my being even, and it's so fun to just, like, learn that, oh, yeah. That's I do that really well. And, oh, and this is a part of my makeup.
Page Park [00:04:37]:
And so I it it it kind of fell into it. I I excelled at computer programming when I was in high school. Didn't do a lot of computer programming back in the late eighties in schools, but, like, that was my computer class. And I was one of the top students and Applied to Purdue University, to their computer programming technology and was accepted. I wrote a program for my dad's business as a high school student to figure payroll. Wow. And it worked, and I used it, because I worked for him. And and and I was on this trajectory, And then a local elementary school caught fire, and I, started taking I was in a volunteer.
Page Park [00:05:25]:
I was in a class that needed volunteer hours. I started taking the kids with mild disabilities from the resource room to their regular classes and then picking them up and taking them back to the resource room as a part of my volunteer hours. Well, I started then volunteering just for fun because I really liked this teacher, and I loved the students In the resource room on during, like, my study hall and anytime I had free availability to go down there and work with her, I would go down there and work with her. I went for a day on campus and changed my major from, from computer programming to elementary education. And then after some horrible experiences in elementary, I actually ended up changing to, to special education. So I'm licensed k twelve. So I'm licensed all of the grades. When I did my student teaching, I had to do half of it high school or secondary and half of elementary school.
Page Park [00:06:24]:
And I didn't know I would like working with high school kids, and I taught And I found out that I kind of enjoyed it, during my student teaching. And so my first job right out of school Was a high school, mild disability, special education teacher in North Central Indiana. Didn't wanna be So far from home, so I ended up moving back down here. I taught secondary at a small rural school for a couple years. I taught, Students in a self contained emotionally disabled class in the inner city of Indianapolis. I worked at an inpatient treatment center for a few years as one of their educators, and then I successfully burned myself out so I quit for a little bit.
Mahara Wayman [00:07:09]:
And before wait. I I just I wanna highlight the humor behind the successfully burnt myself out. Many of us have done that. Mhmm. Not intentionally. I don't think I don't know if anybody intentionally does that. But Knowing where you are today, can you look back on that experience and go, wow. That was for me to learn this.
Mahara Wayman [00:07:32]:
Because I truly believe life happens for us. So what was the learning for you there? What was the lesson
Page Park [00:07:37]:
in that? Wow. It's been a long time ago. The lesson, I think, was for me to be content where I had been placed, because I I I was in my early to late twenties. Well, I was in my mid to late twenties. And I I had this desire to, Like, search out all of these different placements. And so I wanted I'm a problem solver, so I wanted Challenging environments to work on. And instead of being content at the small rural school, I I sought out more challenging situations, so I ended up in the inner city. I ended up at the and they were I learned so much about myself and about kids and about what works and what doesn't work and how to not be a pushover and all of those kinds of things through those settings.
Page Park [00:08:35]:
But if I had just been content with where I was and what I was doing, other challenges, I think, would have come up, And I could have just problem solved those. K. This is But I wasn't.
Mahara Wayman [00:08:46]:
Yeah. This is so interesting because it's almost as if You asked. You were putting out to the universe, I want the challenge.
Page Park [00:08:56]:
Mhmm.
Mahara Wayman [00:08:56]:
You jumped in, took it, but lost yourself, lost the ability to navigate it or to balance it, and that led to the burnout. Yeah. I think it's I'm curious, though, if, really, if the the challenges that you would have had if you had stayed put would have brought you as quickly to the place where you needed to be. I don't know, but
Page Park [00:09:19]:
don't know. That's a that's a good question. You know? You make decisions in our life, and They bring us to certain places in certain locations, and they bring us certain lessons. And maybe the lessons I needed to learn were in those Changing in in those challenging situations.
Mahara Wayman [00:09:38]:
Well, it's one of those I don't wanna go down that rabbit hole, but I think it's it's interesting because When we recognize that we are spiritual beings having a human existence, which is what I think, but when we give ourselves permission to look at everything Through the lens of love, and it was exactly the way it was meant to be. Oh, absolutely. It it gives us other questions. Like, well, if it was meant to be that, But what if I had done it this way? Because I could have just as easily turned left than turning right, or I could just as easily Fought the desire for the challenge and said, oh, give it up. We'll try next year. Let's just stay put. You know? I it's just fascinating. It's one of those, It's one of those questions that you can just lose yourself in.
Mahara Wayman [00:10:20]:
But
Page Park [00:10:21]:
Very much so. Yeah. It is something I've contemplated a lot, especially Leaving, compute the idea of being a computer programmer and going into education. Like, that's one of those huge like, I wonder what my life would have been like I had
Mahara Wayman [00:10:36]:
stayed. I gotta ask, what did dad think mom and dad think about you leaving? Because, you know, back in the late eighties, that was the thing To be was if you were on the cutting edge of computer technology, man, you'd be set.
Page Park [00:10:50]:
Right. My parents were actually very, encouraging. My mom was an educator, and they had strong ties and beliefs into education. My dad was a civil engineer, and they were very much supportive of, if that's your passion, go for
Mahara Wayman [00:11:10]:
it. Beautiful. You're so lucky to have that to have that to have had that level of support. I mean, Many of us do. My parents just wanted me to just be happy, but pay the bills. Actually, at one point, my mom said, could you get a real job? Because I was an actress. I was dancing, trying to make ends meet in my twenties, you know, as in the theatrical world, and, of course, I I wasn't. And I remember her saying, Sweetheart, we love you so much, but could you get a real job? And I'm like, what do you mean? Like, one that pays? And she's like, let's see.
Mahara Wayman [00:11:44]:
So, okay. Great. So your parents were supportive of you pursuing your passions. Mhmm. You were with and experienced Many things in your 24 years. What's what are some of the key things that you take away now that you're no longer in the education world. The traditional because, obviously, what you do is there's lots of
Page Park [00:12:04]:
education. Obviously. Yes. Very educational.
Mahara Wayman [00:12:07]:
That taken away when you look back on your career.
Page Park [00:12:10]:
One of the things and I learned this lesson really early in my career. Don't judge a book by its cover. I had some kids. I for some reason, and I'm not sure what it is, kids who are The weirdos, you might classify them as, like, the weirdos, the misunderstood, the troublemakers, especially later in my career. Those are my people in the education world, and they those kids have flocked and gravitated. There's a there were a handful of us at the school that I left, and those kids would flock and gravitate to us. And and it's Just getting to know what's underneath and what you see on the outside. So what you see on the outside isn't always what's underneath.
Page Park [00:12:57]:
So pay attention to what's underneath because that's what counts.
Mahara Wayman [00:13:00]:
Oh my gosh. That's like a that's that's a philosophy for life. Right. Yeah. Right? No matter how you cut it, this is just a facade. Right? And if we This is what I've learned for myself. I'm not speaking for anybody else, but I've learned that if I base my if I base my worth On what I have created on the outside, I am setting myself up for heartache. Because the outside the outside stuff, what we see, my clothes, my house, the car that I drive or don't drive.
Mahara Wayman [00:13:32]:
Today, I had the bike. But if I put too much value in that, then I I run the risk of losing myself in outside, You know, pursuits versus what's on the inside. What's on the inside is always way more interesting. Yes. It just it's One of the one of the tips to being a great facilitator is asking questions to get to the underneath because most of us Will for example, I'll you know, even with friends. Hey. How's it going today? I'm fine. And now I know bullshit.
Mahara Wayman [00:14:06]:
If you are fine, then I wanna know why because there's a story to that. Chances are you're not. So there the underneath is always more interesting than what we initially show the world. Can you share a specific example of your of being blown away by what you found underneath when you took the time to look?
Page Park [00:14:25]:
Oh my gosh. There's so many stories. I have it's funny that you say fine. I have a student. There's a movie, The Italian Job. They define fine as freaked out, insecure, neurotic, and emotional. And I have I have a former student who lots of trauma, abuse when she was younger, really struggles to maintain stability in in all things. And it was so funny because she would come up to me and be like, I'm self harm.
Page Park [00:15:07]:
She she did a lot of self harm. She has been free of self harm for several months now, so we were celebrating. It's I had dinner with her last night. We were celebrating that. Yeah. It was really fun to to go back and and see like, I had dinner with 2 of the 2 of my former students. And, Last year, she would be like, I'm fine. I'm fine.
Page Park [00:15:30]:
Everything's fine. And finally, I looked at her and I wait, you're not fine. It's okay that you're not fine. Do you know what fine means? And I gave her that definition. And so now anytime she goes And so anytime after that, she would say, I'm fine. I would be like, no. You're not. Really? Or I'd say, really? You're fine? What's what's really going on? You're not fine.
Page Park [00:15:56]:
So that's one of the big ones. And just Just some of these the kids these days, at least the ones that I interact with, carry so much. You know, I've had kids who were providers for their family, and and they might say that they're fine, but they worked all night so that they could help pay the electric bill. And and there's so much going on with them, and they carry, like I said, a lot of the ones that I worked with. Now this isn't blanket for all of them, but a lot of the ones that I worked with, It was like there's always a lot going on underneath, and I was one of those teachers that was a safe haven for for that. Right. Hey. What's really going on? Yeah.
Page Park [00:16:44]:
And and I would take time, and I would much of my career was relationship building. How can I create relationship with these humans?
Mahara Wayman [00:16:55]:
It's it's such an important component Of, I think, our societal structure that we that we teach each other How to how to do that. And I do think it's a it's a forgotten art almost because for so many reasons. And I'm not gonna bash the Internet. I work on the Internet. I'm not gonna bash social media. I I you know, I live in social media. But I will say that I think there's a a definite correlation between even my children and their ability to communicate Truly how they are feeling with with the escapism that technology has provided everybody. So, I mean, I love the English language.
Mahara Wayman [00:17:43]:
I'm a writer, and I remember, I will never forget actually, the day that my daughter called me dude. And I almost lost my shit. Like, what did she just say? Because she got into the habit. That's how they talk to each other, and that's how she was texting friends. And she called me dude, and I, You know, I I I got upset. I said, look. I don't care how you talk to your friends, but there's a level of respect and just normalcy that I expect from you. And dude is I am not your dude.
Mahara Wayman [00:18:08]:
I'm your mom, mommy. I'm best mom ever. Babe with the curly hair, but I'm not dude. And she kinda laughed. And I, you know, I remember calling them out on on some of the language that they used while texting. And we we joked about it, but I just I think in that moment, I was just really afraid that it was another example of me losing them to something that was not supporting them versus a a life of an an uninsulated life where they could actually communicate what they were feeling. Does that
Page Park [00:18:42]:
make sense? I will say it does. 2 years ago, I lost a student, died tragically in a car accident. I was in school that day on his way home or on his way to work. I can't remember which. Car flipped, didn't have a seat belt on, thrown from the car, died a couple of hours later. Like, it was very instantaneous. And one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my life was these kids who are these tough boys, the ones who don't show any emotion, Holding each other in a circle, sobbing at the loss of their friend. And it was one of, just the image of these So called tough kids just holding and relying on each other and holding each other up And expressing their their their loss through
Mahara Wayman [00:19:41]:
tears was absolutely beautiful.
Page Park [00:19:43]:
So it does still exist. We just have to dig a little to find it sometimes because it's covered up by all of the other things.
Mahara Wayman [00:19:53]:
Yeah. I think and and, you know, to your point, I think we have a duty. Anybody who who feels badass or even if you're not feeling like a ass. I think it is our duty as part of the as part of the community to just take a moment and reach out to someone. How are you? How are you really? How can I help you? What are you feeling? Because it does make a difference. And I think, you know, as humans, Our base well, some outside of needing to be fed and clothed, we need to feel that we belong. And so many of us do not feel that. Maybe maybe we don't even realize that that's what we're that's what we're feeling.
Mahara Wayman [00:20:35]:
But, you know, when you Painted that picture of the grieving so called trouble kids or tough kids. All I could think was, You know, the tough kid. There is no such thing as a tough kid. A tough kid is a hurting kid.
Page Park [00:20:49]:
Yeah. You know? And I use tough In quotation marks.
Mahara Wayman [00:20:53]:
Yeah. But I I do like I love that you recognize the beauty in that moment of theirs when they were being truly honest with themselves. Mhmm. So many of us have had a lifetime of Pretending that we don't know what we're scared to be that honest, and that's what this podcast is all about. It's it's okay to be honest. If you're having a a tough day, it's okay to feel that. In fact, you can't I truly believe that you can't you can't change your relationship with those feelings until you feel them. Mhmm.
Mahara Wayman [00:21:25]:
Oh, absolutely. And really feel
Page Park [00:21:28]:
them. That that is the premise of all that I do now is Uncovering the feelings that you're really feeling and and and expressing and get digging into them. When my mom passed away, My father was he had, he had an infection at the time. And so, you know, mom dies, and dad is Still getting treatment. He's still having these issues, and grief would bubble up, and I would be like, I don't have time for you, and I would shove it back down. And it came out. Like, I by the time we you know, my dad passed away, and we took care of my parents' estate and did all of the other things, Like, I was a dysregulated hot mess. My blood pressure shot up.
Page Park [00:22:13]:
My digestion was off. Like, all of these things were going on, and it's because I wasn't feeling the feelings. I would every once in a while, so it wasn't all of the feelings. So sometimes when I had this space and something would bubble up, I would allow it to be. But other times, I was like, I don't have time for that right now. Where I would be at school, and, like, I can't I might excuse myself, but I struggled to Wear that face sometimes. It became easier, as time went on to wear the sad face if I needed to And to just be honest and roll with my kids. Look.
Page Park [00:22:51]:
I'm really struggling today. This happened, and and I'm I'm dealing with it. And I'm trying to deal with it, and It's not being dealt with very well, so I'm upset. And this is how it is.
Mahara Wayman [00:23:03]:
So we're gonna take a short break right now, but I'll be back with my guest within 60 seconds. Ladies, unlock your inner badass and transform your life with my monthly subscription workshop. For just $47 a month, you'll have exclusive access to work closely with me, Mahara Wayman, as we dive deep into all things badass from personal development to conquering your goals. Imagine waking up every day of confidence, purpose, and a Smile that radiates your newfound strength. Take advantage of this badass opportunity and join us today at www.mindfulnesswithmahara.com, and start your journey toward a happier, more confident you. Smile when no one is looking. You've earned it. Did you notice That when you gave when you were honest with your kids in school, you gave them permission to step up for you, that it made a difference in their lives?
Page Park [00:24:05]:
I think it did. I don't I think it did, And I don't necessarily know what that might be. I've had 3 kids in the last week, like, former students just come up. I when I ran into at the grocery store, He was with his girlfriend. It was super cute. He was like, this woman, this is why I graduated from high school.
Mahara Wayman [00:24:24]:
Paige, what does that do to you? Because my heart is just
Page Park [00:24:29]:
melting. Oh, I I'm I'm a little puddle. Yeah. A little puddle. It's the sweetest thing I've ever heard. It's such high praise and a
Mahara Wayman [00:24:41]:
compliment. Like It's the best.
Page Park [00:24:43]:
It is. Absolutely.
Mahara Wayman [00:24:45]:
I wanna congratulate you for that because there are a lot of teachers that don't have that ability, And it's not a diss against them. We need all the teachers we can get. Absolutely.
Page Park [00:24:57]:
They're leaving like dro in droves.
Mahara Wayman [00:24:59]:
The reason I asked is that this comes up a lot in my work when a lot of my clients struggle with setting boundaries. And what comes up is when I when I share with them, I give them I invite them to look at bound setting boundaries a little bit differently. And what I what I say to them is, are you aware that setting a boundary is a gift? And they're like, no. I'm not aware of that. I said, well, look at it this way. You are telling the world how to make you happy. You're making it so easy for the world, and you are inviting them to support you by supporting the boundary, and it is almost an invitation to my inner circle. I'm gonna tell you exactly what to do so that I like you and respect you.
Mahara Wayman [00:25:47]:
Yeah. And they were my clients were like, oh my god. I never thought of it that way. Yeah. But what made me think of it is when you when you were honest and said, I'm having a tough day today, You were actually, on the one hand, inviting them to step up for you. That's okay, teacher. I'm not gonna get I'm not gonna be a tough one today. I'm not gonna be difficult for you today because you've They they would.
Mahara Wayman [00:26:07]:
They would absolutely, for you today because you've
Page Park [00:26:09]:
They they would. They would absolutely, be like and then some would test it, and I would be like, I already warned you. The fuse is short today. Do you just need to go see the deeds. And and sometimes they would have to leave, and sometimes they
Mahara Wayman [00:26:28]:
would be like, oh, okay. So she's really serious. But that's what's so beautiful about boundaries because you actually you have so much control. It's like, look at I already don't be surprised. Don't be surprised that I'm letting you that I'm inviting you to leave, or don't be surprised that I'm upset with you because I made it very clear. But It is a beautiful opportunity to to when some I think when someone sets a boundary because you're like, wow. This person respects me enough. They they want me to like them.
Mahara Wayman [00:26:57]:
I must be worthy on some level. Does that you know what I mean? Like
Page Park [00:27:01]:
Yeah. Absolutely. Well and I also found that the more I would speak my truth and how I was feeling that it created an opening for the kids to be honest with me about They them and where they were. Yeah. Mic drop.
Mahara Wayman [00:27:18]:
Yeah. Right? Right. Total mic drop. Guys, if you're listening and you If and you happened upon this podcast with no idea of who we are or what it means to be bad badass, if there is only 1 thing you take away from today's conversation, Please understand that the more open, honest, and vulnerable you are, the more open, honest, and vulnerable those around you will be. And that's a good thing even if it feels uncomfortable in the moment because that is how we grow as a community. That's how we grow as spiritual beings. It's recognizing the the truth of who we are in this exact moment. I I didn't mean to go off on this tangent, but I just No.
Page Park [00:27:59]:
You're good. And it gives it gives permission for them to be themselves. It's exhausting pretending.
Mahara Wayman [00:28:07]:
If you have to lie, you wanna make it as close to the truth as possible because it's exhausting to remember all the little lies. Right. It's exhausting to pretend because those are those are, in essence, little lies all along the way. Okay. So I wanna Jump forward a little bit. You are no longer teaching Correct. In the school system? Correct. You looked for yoga.
Mahara Wayman [00:28:28]:
How did you fall into yoga when you were needing it so
Page Park [00:28:33]:
badly. Yoga has actually been in and out of my life for years. I took my 1st yoga class as a college PE credit. K. And when I was going through my divorce, I was I was practicing at the time and leaning into the breath. And then I don't I don't know why I didn't think of it. I just didn't. I had been power lifting, and it was The stress relief that had given me while my parents were ill was no longer in effect.
Page Park [00:29:11]:
The gym that I loved dearly had closed down. I was lifting on my own. I didn't have that, like, little supportive community that I had had around me, And it was becoming stressful to go work out k. More than it was actually relieving the stress. And I was working with a friend of mine who is an energy worker, and she looked at me and she said, Paige, why don't you try yoga? Maybe that'll give you something that you need. And right at that same time, I within that next week, my school announced that they were partnering with the local yoga studio, And they were offering 6 weeks of yoga classes at this deep discount. And that's where I met Mindy who encouraged me to do a 200 hour teacher training, and she's still a phenomenal human and just such an impact on my life. I had never My previous experience with yoga was yoga as just a workout, but it's not.
Page Park [00:30:13]:
Okay. She I'll ask today. She taught yoga as a personal and spiritual practice. The the mat is a mirror of our world and our life. And the lessons that we learn On the mat, we can actually take off the mat and practice them in our everyday lives. There's 8 limbs of yoga. I can get in. I can really dive deep into yoga philosophy, but I won't go too far.
Page Park [00:30:41]:
Okay. The only one of the limbs is movement. The other limbs are how you interact with yourself, how you interact with the world around you, breath, and then the last 4, 5. The last 5 limbs deal with controlling your focus and communing with god, the divine spirit.
Mahara Wayman [00:31:12]:
I see a part 2 to this podcast. Just saying. Just saying.
Page Park [00:31:16]:
I'm good with that. I like part twos.
Mahara Wayman [00:31:20]:
Alright. So you started On this journey of really diving into yoga, understanding that it is more than exercise. In fact, that's kind of the least of it.
Page Park [00:31:32]:
Yeah. It's not exercise. I mean, it is you do get but it's also I I found an emotional release. So in moving my body in these ways, I was able to recenter my focus on my center instead of on the world around me. And as I moved my body and as I pushed myself In not totally beyond my limits, but pushed my limits, you you know, bumped up against them and and inched them forward. Yeah. I learned about, like, myself and how I respond and react to things, and I'm able to release emotions on the mat, And it was such a powerful
Mahara Wayman [00:32:18]:
experience. I love what I'm hearing because I understand That the body holds everything. Yeah. My entire 57, almost 58 years of emotions and experiences are held in my body. And it's one of the things that I work with my clients if if I do somatic work with them is giving them permission to just feel the what are you feeling in your body? And if you can get a practice that allows those feelings to move through your body, that's brilliant because most of us don't know how to do that. Most of us are like, oh, my back's been hurting for 17 years, or or I've had a I've had a I've had this ball of angst in my stomach for, you know, 10 years or and we just we just get used to it. That's how the body feels. But, really, It's not supposed to feel like that.
Mahara Wayman [00:33:07]:
You're supposed to feel light and free and energized and energetic and move and all of those things. So I think it's beautiful that you've very, Very, easily painted a picture the understanding that yoga is not just exercise. It is, and I don't know much about yoga. I've done some of it. But what I'm hearing from you, it is a holistic view of your world that allows you to funnel And navigate through the body, through body moves and body extension and body understanding. Does that make sense? Did I
Page Park [00:33:43]:
Yes. It does. Yes. Absolutely.
Mahara Wayman [00:33:45]:
You make me wanna do yoga. I wanna do yoga.
Page Park [00:33:48]:
Oh, no. It's such a beautiful practice, And it's and it's a and it is. It's truly a practice. It's it's this, you know, learning And tools. I I it's so hard to just sit here and actually describe it. That it's it's this place where I found myself again because I was able to quiet the noise of the outside world. I was able to quiet my mind, but not to the point of shutting it off, but to the point where I could pull back. One of my teachers it as, sitting in the seat of the watcher, so pulling back away.
Page Park [00:34:34]:
And that's basically what meditation is, is Pulling back away from the mind and watching it like a movie. Mhmm. And then you can notice those patterns. You can notice The things that are going on. And I have another teacher that says just simply by the act of noticing, you enact change. You don't even have to oftentimes do anything. You just notice. You notice what's going on.
Page Park [00:34:58]:
Get curious about it. What's that about? And that's the platform that yoga gave me the space to do that, the space to notice what what was going on within myself, to notice my mind, to notice the patterns within my mind, to notice my breath, where I'm breathing, how I'm breathing, How it feels in my body.
Mahara Wayman [00:35:19]:
So how did all of this help you navigate grief?
Page Park [00:35:25]:
It gave me an outlet. It gave me the breath. I I feel like the breathwork of yoga is one of the most powerful things that if you do nothing else, practice some breathing techniques. The simple act of pulling in, noticing your breath, and in e even you don't even have to do a fancy technique, Just increasing the inhale and increasing the exhale. So deep long breath in, long slow breath out. That simple simple act calms the nervous system. And I noticed after classes that That nervous pit thing in the pit of my stomach would dissipate, and that I felt lighter, And that whatever emotion, it it had moved through me. And I didn't sometimes people will cry in class.
Page Park [00:36:22]:
I'm notorious if you've come to my class. I'm notorious making people
Mahara Wayman [00:36:28]:
cry. You don't make them cry. You provide a space, but a
Page Park [00:36:30]:
lot of people space for them to cry. I do. And I I didn't I didn't have that kind of a release, but it was this, like, a Physical letting go, and it was like a sigh. You know that you breathe in and you Yeah. It's like my body had this sigh at the end of class, and I was able Quiet all of the noise and all of the things and go, okay. What's what's real and what's true in this moment?
Mahara Wayman [00:37:05]:
So thank you for sharing, and I love how you've described that. I wanna jump back to this idea of being intentional versus complacent And how yoga helped you develop that intentionality. It it was yoga that helped you develop that. It may have just been life's lessons otherwise. I'm just curious.
Page Park [00:37:23]:
I think it was a combination. Yes. Life lessons, but, also, yoga gave me the peace to be able to see it and recognize it and go, Oh, that. Okay. Does that make sense? Through yoga, I was able to come back into my body Instead of being, like, out in this netherworld, if that makes it's hard to describe. I think
Mahara Wayman [00:37:48]:
my work here. Well, what I'm hearing is that The practice of yoga allowed you to feel comfortable in your body so you no longer had to run away from the feelings. Right.
Page Park [00:38:01]:
Yeah. I was them. Right. And I could I learned to be with the feelings and allow them to pass through me. Beautiful. And then by doing that, it opened me up for Okay. How do I really some of this was yoga, but also some of it was, like, losing my parents, And it happened with my mom. It happened so quickly.
Page Park [00:38:27]:
One moment, she's fine. The next moment, she has a brain tumor. A few days later, she has surgery. 9 months later, she's gone. Like, it was it was just that quick. And my brothers and I would have these conversations of, hey. I've always wanted to do these things. Why am I not doing them? And so then yoga freed up the space within me to go, okay.
Page Park [00:38:49]:
How do I really wanna live? What do I want life to look like? How can I bring intentionality to my home, to the things that I do, to my work, to all of these aspects? And it kind of it started slow. One of the things I promised myself after my mom's death was that I would do or experience one new thing every year. Some years, I get more than 1. Actually, most years, I get more than 1. And and and finding yeah. Just finding the newness in Life is here to be lived, and I had felt myself, as an educator and just as a human. You know how we fall into our routines? My routine became a rut, and how can I break myself out of the rut so that I can experience all that is around me? So last year, In a really bold move, I sold my house and 90% of my possessions, and I downsized into about 400 square
Mahara Wayman [00:39:49]:
Okay. That is
Page Park [00:39:49]:
bold. Because I wanted a freedom. I wanted a freedom to be able to travel and to not have a home to take care of So instead of owning, I'm renting. And I wanted the freedom that if something went wrong, I wasn't responsible for it. Oh, and Somebody else was. No.
Mahara Wayman [00:40:08]:
I think that's I think that's really brave, and I and and very intentional. So Speaking of your currently, you are a yoga teacher. Do you do teach do you are your classes in person only, or do you do classes on
Page Park [00:40:21]:
Zoom. Do virtual classes as well. You do virtual? A lot of my it's kind of in partnership, So they're at the same time as some of my in person classes. I offer a Zoom class as
Mahara Wayman [00:40:35]:
well. Awesome.
Page Park [00:40:37]:
I also do coaching and containers and those kinds of things.
Mahara Wayman [00:40:42]:
All of the things that you do guys, don't worry listening. I'm gonna put them in the show notes Because I would love you to connect with Paige. As you can see, she is an absolute delight and, you know, tragedies and and and And loss, grief notwithstanding. I think, Paige, you've really demonstrated that if we give ourselves, not if, when we give ourselves permission To feel all that we're feeling without judgment Yes. Then that is our we didn't even talk about that. That is our No. We didn't. To to real freedom.
Mahara Wayman [00:41:16]:
And you, you've done that so beautifully, and I wanna thank you for sharing your story with us. What is one thing that we don't know about you yet that you'd like to share with my audience, if if anything.
Page Park [00:41:28]:
We don't know about you yet. Let's see. Let me think. Oh, I used to sew all my own clothes.
Mahara Wayman [00:41:37]:
Okay. Did you make the the
Page Park [00:41:39]:
beautiful I know. This was, like, When I was younger in a former life I don't even have a sewing machine right now. When I got rid of everything last year, I hadn't picked up the sewing machine other than to teach One of my friends' kids had to sew, in years, and so I was like, okay. It's gone. If I decide to sew again, I'll get a new one.
Mahara Wayman [00:41:58]:
But what a beautiful attitude. Right? I mean, your face is just lit up just talking about getting rid of the sewing machine. You're like, energy's gone through the roof.
Page Park [00:42:05]:
It's so It it it was The the most incredible thing was I closed on a house, and I went back to go I had a final sale of something, and to grab a couple of more things. And I had my my cars loaded to the gills. I had just closed. I, you know, grabbed all the stuff for the realtor. I left the key in for the new owners, and I walked away And this sense of relief blooded over me, And I have just been living my life ever since. I got to choose what came with me. I got to choose what furniture I purchased to replace the things that didn't, and I'm still in this act of purging. It's it's crazy.
Page Park [00:43:03]:
Okay. You are so badass, it's not even funny.
Mahara Wayman [00:43:05]:
And I hope other listeners recognize. But well, here's the thing. You know, all, you know, all joking aside, there is freedom when we recognize sometimes that less is more. Yeah. There is a lightness of spirit when we recognize that we are worthy of being intentional. And that is so powerful. And I was gonna ask you next, why are you badass? But Honestly, I think you've already answered that so many times. It is badass to follow your dream.
Mahara Wayman [00:43:32]:
It is badass to Do the work. It is badass to say, I choose me, and this is what I choose for me right now. All of those things are totally badass, and it's badass to be an entrepreneur. Let's be honest. Yeah. Yeah. Not not everybody wants to be it, and which is fine. It's not cut for everybody, but those those of us that are in it and love it, even if it's a challenge, it is badass to wake up every day determined to make a difference in someone else's life.
Mahara Wayman [00:43:59]:
And it's pretty clear to me, Paige, that you are on that same trajectory. So I wanna congratulate you for that. Yeah. I wanna know more about I'm gonna check out the links as well because I wanna know more about your online Zoom yoga classes because I would love that. I haven't done it very much.
Page Park [00:44:15]:
But I do a if If you win an intro, I do a free I have a little meditation group. So it's free. You can log in, create a little Create an account. Past meditation videos are there, and every Tuesday, I post a blog. And then the 1st Tuesday of every month, I have a free live virtual meditation. Beautiful. If you want a little intro, that's, like, the easiest way to, connect with me. And meditation is the bulk of my yoga practice, so that's something that's very near and dear to my heart.
Page Park [00:44:52]:
And And I try and make it very practical and very doable and repeatable.
Mahara Wayman [00:44:57]:
Beautiful. Paige, I wanna thank you so much for being my guest today. Those of you that are listening, thank you for your support. Please share this episode with a friend. Check out the show notes because I'm gonna put as many links as possible for you to connect with Paige. And again, thank you for joining me on the art of badassery. My name is Mahara Wayman. Thanks to Paige.
Mahara Wayman [00:45:16]:
I will see you next week. Thank you for tuning in to the art of badassery. I hope you enjoyed today's episode and gained valuable insights to help unleash your inner badass. If you found this podcast helpful, please leave a rating or review on your favorite platform. Your feedback not only helps me improve the show, but it also helps others like yourself discover the podcast. Until next time, keep embracing your authenticity and living life on your terms. Here's to you.
