Hi everyone, it's Rosie. Welcome to Radio Headspace and to Monday. So as someone who spent

a large part of my life prioritizing others over myself, I've experienced the healing

and transformative power of setting boundaries. As a nurturing water sign, I've always felt

an inherent drive to care for others. I'm also first gen Mexican-American, so I have

a predisposition for guilt if I do anything for myself. Over the years, I've often valued

others' opinions and time over my own, and I would succumb to habits that were far from

serving my well-being. So today, let's explore how setting boundaries can help us reach

a place of self-respect and give us the clarity to honor our individual journeys.

I want to start by sharing a story about my dear friend Maria, a fellow passionate yoga teacher.

At one point, Maria was teaching six yoga classes a day, seven days a week. As her inevitable

physical exhaustion set in, she realized she was giving away so much that she had little left

for herself. She knew how hard I'd work to build my own base of yoga students and asked me how

I did it and how to get through the exhaustion. I advised her to take a beat. But that sounded

really scary to Maria. She was afraid of losing momentum or opportunities. I told her that she

wouldn't be able to reap the benefits of her hard work if she becomes unwell. I knew from

experience that if you don't stop, the world will do it for you through sickness or exhaustion.

After this profound conversation, Maria understood that she needed to set boundaries,

not just for her own well-being, but also to remain a compassionate,

effective teacher to her students. She decided to scale back one class at a time and began to

feel the benefits of taking even a few minutes to herself here and there. Her decision to

prioritize herself care has made her a happier person and a better teacher. And being able to set

those boundaries enabled her to take a step back and see what was important and that she did have

...