Blessings

This is my daily quickie 'what I'm thankful' for because, in truth, my runneth over.

*A callback from a yoga studio re: a teaching vacancy
*My children
*Birds on my feeders
*My garden
*Having another car when one goes -quank-
*Candles
*Friendship
*Afternoon with a friend
*Perspective
*PeRsPeCtIvE
*PERSPECTIVE...
...because it changes everything

Experience

"Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having..." --Tolle

I needed to read this last night as it helped to change my perspective on a particular issue that was troubling me but using it as a lens in itself, I am able to view my orbit with greater clarity.

Whether it is a car problem in the midst of a financial crunch or not yet having found a home studio to teach yoga or existential ponderings--My life is my life, always and ever in the making, rarely scripted and definite. Accept the flow, the cyclical nature of living.

As we flow in yoga from posture to posture on the wave of the breath, so we flow in life on the wave of our experience.

Namaste

My afternoon practice

Centering

Surya Namaskar with pigeon and side body stretch

Surya Namaskar with crescent lunge and prayer twist

Virabhadrasana Flow Series:
~~Warrior I
~~Warrior II
~~Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle)
~~Three Point Balance: Standing Split, Ardha Chandrasana and Revolved Ardha Chandrasana

Surya Namaskar

Trikonasana Flow Series:
~~Triangle
~~Revolved Triangle
~~Parsvottanasana (Pyramid)
~~Wide Angle Fold
~~Squat
~~Bird of Paradise
~~Goddess

Utkatasana (Chair)

Surya Namaskar

Balancing Series:
~~Vrkasana (Tree)
~~Warrior III

Surya Namaskar

Bhujangasana (Cobra)
Prone Navasana
Gharbasana (Child's pose)

Baddha Konasana
Janu Shirsasana

Upward Facing Navasana
Setu Bhandasana
Ardha Sarvangasana

Savasana (Corpse)

Centering...

...and,

Namaste.

Congratulations Yoga Teacher

I graduated Sunday--a blessed and blissed day. Here begins the journey of the teacher, mindful of her infancy and her inner ever-student.

bLiSs

I am in a contented state of mind following a blissed out yoga practice. Perhaps because I'm so close to my graduation; I am overcome with emotion and feeling very still.

I have wanted this for so long and really lived it, to the best of my ability and level, for the last nine months. I have grown in yoga. I am changed.

I know this for many reasons but one that comes to mind is that I smiled from my heart tonight. Normally I avert my eyes in class, keeping to my own warm-up, but tonight, I sat and smiled from my heart as people entered the yoga space.

I am so proud of myself for accomplishing something that has meant and does mean so much to me. I am ready to nurture the path of others as a seasoned student of this ancient practice.

The Space in Between the Beans

Allow me to explain. Today, my kids and I did an experiment to show the space between molecules. We took a cup of hot water, full to the brim, and added powdered sugar by the teaspoon. The water never rose over the brim, the sugar found space between the molecules.

Our research question was, "Can a container that looks completely full, still have room?"

Our answer was, "yes".

To further illustrate this concept, we filled a small glass jar with dry black beans. When I couldn't fit one more bean in the jar and I had confirmed with each child that the jar was indeed full, we poured water over the beans to fill the space in between.

Matter is overflowing with empty space.

I thought of myself. My own busy life packed full like beans in a glass jar. When I get to yoga, it's usually filling the space between my beans. Which is fine, I suppose, magnificent that so much can be accomplished in the finite time we have and the breakdown of that time into days.

But yoga should be a bean, peace and contentment the water that flows between my beans bonding everything together...filling the space.