{"id":36046,"date":"2016-01-20T12:25:43","date_gmt":"2016-01-20T17:25:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wanderlust.com\/?p=36046"},"modified":"2016-01-25T16:14:11","modified_gmt":"2016-01-25T21:14:11","slug":"redefining-success-valerie-sagun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/es\/journal\/redefining-success-valerie-sagun\/","title":{"rendered":"Redefining Success: Making a Big Difference in Self Love"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is part of a Q&A series featuring women who have found success on their <\/em>own terms in the mindful age. For more stories like this, click here<\/a>. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Artist, yogi, and radical self-love enthusiast, Valerie Sagun is finding her way in the world by embracing her shadows and defying stereotypes. Ask the founder of Big Gal Yoga<\/a> what advice she has for anyone enduring struggles and she\u2019ll say, \u201cEveryone\u2019s different so it\u2019s hard to give one standard answer for everybody.\u201d Valerie\u2019s unique way of seeing both successes and challenges is modeled on her approach to yoga: Honor differences, commit to discipline, and hold a vision. And like any avid practitioner, she encourages students of yoga\u2014and of life in general\u2014”to look inside yourself, but challenge what you see outside in the world.”<\/p>\n

\n

How do you define success?<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s when you\u2019re working hard. It\u2019s not about reaching a goal you have, but taking a next step and being able to see how you progress at something you\u2019ve worked for.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

What does a \u201cfulfilled\u201d life look like to you?<\/h3>\n

I know not everything can be happy all the time, but when I look back on my life, I want to feel that it was happy overall. It\u2019s about keeping things simple, appreciating life, doing yoga, making art, and being with people who make me feel good. It\u2019s what we all want.<\/p>\n

What were the challenges you faced and how did you surmount them?<\/h3>\n

Getting over the mental part of talking myself out of things, and toxic thinking. I\u2019ve had depression and anxiety. Yoga has helped me with positive thinking. I try not to overthink and I try to find ways to make myself happy.<\/p>\n

What was the most difficult moment for you?<\/h3>\n

Everyone is trying to figure out what they want to do, everyone is trying to find themselves, and I\u2019m not different. I had so many things I wanted to do but I couldn\u2019t find a way to express them. I wasn\u2019t sure about things. I was still learning.<\/p>\n

I was frustrated and wasn\u2019t making art I was proud of. That\u2019s what\u2019s what brought me to yoga.\u00a0 My practice gives me another outlet. It\u2019s a balance: I don\u2019t have to do one thing and I can heal myself through different things.<\/p>\n

What do you consider your #ActuallySheCan<\/a>\u00a0moment?<\/h3>\n

When I first started yoga, we were\u00a0going to do wheel pose and I was really nervous about it\u2014it seemed so far out of my reach. When I finally did it, it was with so much determination and a constant practice. If I\u2019m determined and I want to do it I can. I understood that things take time.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your greatest frustration with your goal of introducing Big Gal Yoga to the\u00a0mainstream?<\/h3>\n

Trying to change the heavily media-influenced stereotype of what yoga is. It\u2019s perceived for thin, blonde, white women. I know they\u2019re beautiful but the media doesn\u2019t show women who are bigger and who are of color. It\u2019s not about perfection; it\u2019s about practice and it\u2019s about learning.<\/p>\n

Through social media we can normalize what different bodies look like. My practice doesn\u2019t have to be an amazing thing. I look like me and I can do yoga. Other people who look different from me can do yoga, too. Simple as that.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m starting off with a self-loving practice. Yoga has helped me to\u00a0accept myself and love myself, and not have\u00a0to worry about being different or looking different. That\u2019s the way I\u2019m trying to work through my practice and to tell people to love themselves through yoga.<\/p>\n

Who are your role models? Why do you look up to them?<\/h3>\n

My role model is any woman who expresses herself and puts herself out there with the things she loves and enjoys. There\u00a0are\u00a0so many stereotypes put on women in general. I love women who are taking power over their own selves and their own bodies, accepting themselves, and creating positivity for other people for whom\u00a0self acceptance is difficult.<\/p>\n

What is the best advice you have received that you wish to pass on?<\/h3>\n

Be vulnerable. Be open with new people and new experiences. It\u2019s something that I\u2019m trying to work on and help others to be open about.<\/p>\n

Written for ActuallySheCan by Julie Balter<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Big Gal Yoga founder and social media sensation Valerie Sagun, a big part of success is trading in toxic thinking for positivity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1235,"featured_media":36047,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1057],"tags":[1500,916,948],"class_list":["post-36046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wisdom","tag-big-gal-yoga","tag-self-love","tag-success"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRedefining Success: Big Differences in Self Love<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For Big Gal Yoga founder and social media sensation Valerie Sagun, a big part of success is trading in toxic thinking for positivity.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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