The Art of Realignment: What to Do When You Forget What You Teach
A confession from someone who teaches balance — and is learning it all over again.
Lately, I’ve been feeling off — like I’ve drifted from the very practices I teach. The rituals that once grounded me started to feel like chores. My sleep slipped, my workouts became optional, and my journal collected dust. And for a while, I told myself it was fine — that I was just busy, or tired, or “in a season.”
But the truth? I forgot what I teach.
At the very beginning of Super Attractor, Gabby Bernstein shares a moment with an audience member who said, “I’m a life coach and I feel like a fraud. I’ve got a lot of fear, I obsess about the small stuff, and I’m still working out my own issues. How can I help others manifest their dreams when I’m going through such a hard time?”
Gabby smiled and said, “Honey, I’m writing my seventh spiritual book, and I’m still a head case.”
That line hit me like a mirror. Because same. No matter how much inner work I’ve done, how many vision boards I’ve built, or how many meditation apps I’ve downloaded, life has a way of humbling me right back into my practice.
Even the people who teach alignment lose it sometimes. The difference isn’t that we never fall off track — it’s that we’ve learned how to find our way back.
Alignment Isn’t a Destination — It’s a Discipline
One of the biggest misconceptions about wellness is that it’s linear. We love the idea of “arriving”, reaching this perfectly calm, enlightened version of ourselves who never loses her cool, never forgets her morning routine, and definitely doesn’t eat cereal for dinner.
But alignment is fluid. It’s not about never wobbling; it’s about knowing how to re-center when you do.
When I catch myself slipping — staying up too late, numbing with my phone, skipping my movement practice — I try not to shame myself anymore. Instead, I take it as feedback. My body isn’t betraying me; it’s communicating with me. The irritability, the fatigue, the resistance — they’re all signals pointing me toward something I’ve been neglecting.
That’s the real lesson: falling out of alignment isn’t proof that you’re failing. It’s an invitation to remember what’s right for you.
What Falling Out of Alignment Teaches Me (and What It Does to My Body)
When I push past my limits and ignore my body’s whispers, my nervous system starts sounding the alarm. Cortisol spikes. My sleep tanks. My creativity flatlines. And suddenly, the smallest things feel heavy.
My body doesn’t understand “I’m just busy.” It hears danger.
The beautiful thing is that my body also loves a comeback story. Even small shifts, sunlight on my face, a deep breath, a walk without my phone, start to reset everything. My parasympathetic nervous system wakes back up, and I remember what calm actually feels like.
It’s not just energy work. It’s biology. Realignment is your body remembering balance.
My Personal Toolbox for Returning to Center
When life gets loud, these are the things that bring me back:
Movement: Not to burn calories, but to move emotion and negative energy from my body. Movement helps me metabolize stress — it’s less about results and more about release.
Sleep: Rest is strategy. When I’m tired, my perspective shrinks. When I’m rested, everything expands.
Nature: Fifteen minutes outside regulates my system faster than any supplement. The reminder that the world keeps spinning even when I pause is medicine.
Stillness: My clarity lives in silence. The answers I chase rarely show up in the scroll — they arrive when I slow down.
Nutrition: The way I feed myself reflects how I care for myself. When I’m nourished, my energy softens and expands.
These aren’t fancy but they help me remember who I am when I stop performing and start listening.
The Real Flex Is Returning
I still struggle at times with the thought that being out of alignment makes me a fraud, that if I struggle, I have no right to guide others. Now I know better.
The real flex isn’t staying perfectly aligned. It’s having the humility to admit when you’re not — and the grace to return.
Because leadership, healing, and coaching aren’t about perfection. They’re about practice.
Where in your life are you feeling out of sync — and what’s one small way you could return to yourself today?