When the Path Changes: Lessons from a Season of Realignment

By John Quirk

For the past ten years, I’ve been a yoga teacher. For the past six, I’ve poured my heart into building SoCal Wellness Retreats, hosting transformational retreats across Southern California and around the world—Bali, Costa Rica, Colombia. It’s been one hell of a ride.

The last couple of months have been especially wild. I’ve been sharing little moments on social media, but I wanted to take a breath and sit down with you here—to talk openly about some big life transitions, unexpected synchronicities, real challenges, and the deeper lessons unfolding underneath it all.

Burnout in Paradise

Over the past year, I found myself falling out of love with retreats. I know that might sound strange—these retreats were once my dream. But when you’re running 8 to 10 retreats a year, managing all the logistics, energy dynamics, and individual needs of dozens of people, it’s a lot. It started to wear me down.

Physically, I was hitting a wall. My back gave out. Sciatic pain knocked me sideways, and nothing seemed to work—acupuncture in Bali, chiropractors, physical therapy, specialists. I was dropping thousands on out-of-pocket medical bills, while also caring for both of my dogs as they dealt with their own health crises. My energy was fading fast.

And if you've ever been there—physically depleted, spiritually disconnected, not sleeping, eating poorly—you know how quickly things can spiral. I reached a point where I questioned it all. I even considered walking away from the wellness space completely and going back to school to become a nurse. It felt like the safer, more stable option. My parents even offered to pay for it.

But something in me said no.

Remembering My Why

I’ve always believed in the body’s innate ability to heal—mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I’ve experienced it, witnessed it in others. And I know that with the right tools—like understanding our nervous system, calming the mind, and connecting to the present moment—we can move through almost anything.

Still, I had forgotten what first lit me up about this path. Back when I left my corporate job to teach yoga, I didn’t care about the money or how many people showed up. One person in a class could light me up. Just knowing I was making a difference, that I was being of service—that was enough.

So I started listening again. I got quiet. I returned to my spiritual practices. Daily meditation. Breathwork. Affirmations. Sometimes three, four, five times a day—whatever it took to regulate my energy, shift my mindset, and get back to center.

Letting Go to Let In

I also realized something important: I was still clinging to certain patterns that weren’t serving me. One of those was dating apps. After years of swiping and sitting across from strangers, I finally had to admit—this isn’t working. It felt like a message to the universe that I was grasping, not trusting. So I deleted them all.

Then I went to Bali.

The retreat there turned out to be transformational in more ways than I could’ve imagined. Amid the healing, the connection, the sacred spaces we created together, I opened up to something new—a romance that quite literally fell into my lap. It was natural, easy, fun. There are some logistical challenges (like distance), but it reminded me of something huge:

We don’t manifest aligned relationships—or anything, really—when we’re stuck in fear, lack, or doubt. We have to become the energy of what we want to receive.

Coaching, Clarity, and the Next Chapter

Before Bali, I had been feeling called toward coaching. I’ve always loved helping people one-on-one, guiding them toward their own healing and authenticity. But truthfully, I had my hang-ups. Living in San Diego (aka the coaching capital of the world), I had built up some internal resistance to even calling myself a coach.

But I started exploring it anyway. I had a session with a friend. I read a book—not about six-figure incomes and freedom, but about service. That’s when it clicked. That’s what I want to be about. That’s what I have always been about. Service.

Since that shift, doors have started opening. I got a call to partner with a hotel in Big Bear to lead retreats without any of the heavy logistics—just the part I love most: facilitating and guiding. I’ve been invited to teach more yoga again now that my body’s healthy. I’ve had people reaching out asking for support and coaching. And for the first time in a while, it all feels aligned.

Trusting the Unknown

The most important lesson from all of this? Trust.

Trust that when something ends, something else is beginning. Trust that when you clean up your energy, the universe responds. Trust that when you listen to your intuition and take care of your nervous system, things start to click into place.

I don’t know what’s going to happen with this new romance. I don’t know what’s going to come of the Big Bear retreats or my new coaching practice. But I’m okay with that. Because I’ve come back to the deeper part of me—the part that isn’t afraid of uncertainty, that knows I’m creating this life one aligned step at a time.

A Little Invitation

If you’ve been feeling lost, stuck, or out of alignment… If your body’s giving you signals, or your soul feels tired… If you’re craving more clarity, more purpose, more you…

I’d love to support you.

I’ve built a life and a business without a blueprint—just a whole lot of trust, curiosity, and commitment to growth. And now, I want to help others do the same.

So if you’re ready to tune back into your own compass, I’m here. Let’s find that spark again—together.

With love and deep trust,
John