The Light in Me Bows to the Light in You

Yesterday I revisited a hobby I used to enjoy much more often than I do now, yoga! I forgot how much I enjoy practicing yoga and wanted to put together a reminder for myself of the things I am loving about it so much now, to remind myself in the future. 

• Yoga can happen any time, any place. - Yesterday we did yoga in my friend's backyard under the sunset and eventually in the light of a bonfire. From a yoga mat to a scrap from a gym floor, and even on the grass we moved from cobra to down dog to warrior one and through a series of poses that left me feeling relaxed, stretched and centered.

• In yoga, whatever you can do, is perfect. - Everyone is different. Skills, beliefs, flexibility, we are each unique. In yoga this is recognized and although everyone is shown the same moves, the way you feel and experience each is up to you. It was entertaining and at times impressive to see the moves my friends were attempting but there was more than once (especially during the head stand moves in the slight decline of the backyard) that I found myself relaxed with a smile on my face in child's pose or resting on my back under the newly emerging starlight. 

• You will never hear "This seat's taken" at yoga class. - We've all seen the movie or been the kid on the school bus that walks the aisles fearing the words of someone telling you you're not welcome to share their space. I've never felt this way in a yoga class and feel that each time I go I am amazed and inspired by the openness of everyone to the practice and to each other. Each of us at yoga yesterday had a different day, different worries on our minds and different joys in our hearts. For an hour, we took all the positive energy we could muster and whether we knew it or not, put it out in the air and shared it with each other freely. 

Some of us could stretch farther or hold poses longer but in the end we all laid down, closed our eyes and embraced the newly found warmth in our bodies and calm in our hearts. Click here to take a look at the Sun Salutations we practiced and try them for yourself next time you're feeling a desire for some chi... no guys, sorry, not cheese.

 Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours. 

Swedish Proverb