Every time you walk into class you feel it. The softening of the face, the opening of the heart, the racing mind slows. The body knows it is about to practice; the mind shifts and there is a sense of ‘ahh’ knowing you have made a choice to be here, to move with intention for the next 60 minutes. You roll out your mat, you have no idea what asanas will be explored, yet you trust, with a steady breath and open mind to let your body, mind and breath connect and move through your practice. You trust in the unfolding of your experience.
The mat teaches us so much, patience, humility, compassion, growth, strength, softness, presence, mindfulness and so much more. We often speak about how we can take our practice off the mat. This week I invite you to approach each day as you would your yoga practice.
- SHOW UP for yourself. Don’t let auto-pilot take over. Remain present.
- TRUST in the unfolding – we can’t predict exactly what will happen next. See through the lens of a beginner’s mind with no judgement and rigidity.
- MOVE with intention – everything is a choice and every choice grounded in intention can shift our perspective and direction.
- Show yourself COMPASSION – it’s ok to stumble. It’s ok if it doesn’t work out.
- Let the BODY and HEART guide you rather than the chatter of your thoughts.
- Invite PAUSE and AWARENESS in challenging situations. Soften the breath, the body and be a witness before responding.
- SMILE. In class we say, ‘it’s just yoga!’ – Smile to yourself and remember ‘it’s just life’, invite grounding and try again.
I have seen how grounded, present and focussed you can be during practice. You have it all within you, draw from it in your day to day. You’ve got this, trust the journey.