I love yoga. I love it for the introspection, the 75 minutes on my mat that is devoted entirely to me (although this doesn't mean I'm always completely "present" either), I love it for the openness I feel afterwards and for the community I've met along the way. one of the insights given in a yoga class one day was pointing out that how we show up on our mat is how we show up in life. Interesting. I posted this thought on my instagram page not long ago, challenging all of us to take a look to see if in fact we are showing up at all.
 
There are times where life gets busy and stressful when truthfully moving our bodies, either through yoga or a lunchtime jog would probably be the best thing we could do. Somehow though, these natural behaviours are often the first to be dropped. This may seem small and justifiable at the time, however our behaviours create habits, and this one instance can set the tone for dropping more positive action steps in the future.
 
Assuming you made it to your mat (or your version of such), it is interesting to observe where your self talk takes you. The biggest lesson yoga continues to teach me is how to be present. if your thoughts are lingering on the events of the day (or your lifetime), or bringing you forward into the future, we lose our state of presence and connection to what is real...to what is now.
 
In a time where our dear city is in flux, uncertainty and stress, we must maintain our state of presence. Recognize what we have control over right now. Stay true to our community and recognize that everyone has their own battle they are facing. The first step in rebuilding our external environment, is to look inward and make a choice to "show up". Not always easy, not always fun. But in keeping with our agreements we make with ourselves, by being gentle yet accountable, and by remembering to breathe, we will find that we are stronger than we may think.
 
My challenge to you is to take an honest look to see where you are putting energy. If you are on your mat, are your thoughts reinforcing old, redundant playlists, or are you taking this present opportunity to shift. Can you define a circumstance with a more helpful story, or let go of the "story" altogether and just be with what is?
 
Find inspiration in the ordinary and beauty in the difficult. Move, return to your "mat" and breathe.
 
 *Photo taken at Pranamar Villas in Costa Rica