Yoga For Life is a collection of essays focused on one regular life as seen through the lens of yoga. In them, yoga's deepest gifts are discovered in the mundane activities of daily life - laundry, grocery shopping, raising children, going to work, friendships, gardening - you name it! These personal, insightful meditations bring yoga's ancient spirituality, wisdom, and mindfulness sharply into modern focus.
Yoga is a practice designed to help us find contentment, happiness and faith in every aspect of our lives. Yoga For Life is written to help you as the reader – no matter the level of your practice – embrace the positive thinking, mental resilience, and transformation that develops by taking yoga beyond the mat and into your life.
Do the good thing. Say the kind words. Even when you’re having a bad day. You might never know how your generosity impacts others. But, as soon as you choose to make someone else’s day a great one, you will realize that your day just got a little better, too.
Does September leave you feeling like you’re at the starting line of a race you’re not quite ready for? It is possible to bring some of summer’s slower, quieter rhythms into the mad dash of this busy time of year.
We all find ourselves in situations (sometimes over and over again) where our reactions are way out of proportion with reality. As crazy as it might seem, these reactions are a choice. Mindfulness practices such as yoga help us learn to choose our responses in even the most stressful situations. This ability frees us from the power that old habits and triggers have over us.
If a coming change has you an emotional wreck like my looming empty nest has me, it’s OK. Every change and shift in life is an opportunity to practice letting go. It is by letting go that we stay open to change. It is by being open to change that we allow ourselves to change. The opposite is also true. When we resist or fight change, we eliminate the possibility for our own growth. So join me in opening your arms wide to let go and embrace all that life is bringing your way!
Living next door to an awful construction project has taught me a surprising lesson: living in a way that is contrary to the lessons I’ve learned on my yoga mat feels just awful. Take it from me. There is no peace and no contentment possible when you’re filled with disdain, anger and loathing. This knowledge is inspiration for me to keep practicing as I inch my way back to living and feeling like the person I am on my mat.
As heretical as it feels to my hard-working self to say so, hard work is not enough. For hard work to truly bear fruit, you must love what you’re working hard at. Loving the fact that you can do it (or will be able to do it one day) simply isn’t enough. Love must inspire you to do the work. Otherwise, one day your will power and energy will flag and you will stop.
It is easy to forget that the yoga postures themselves are not the point of yoga. They are a means to an end. We jump around on our yoga mats NOT to get better at contorting ourselves into fantastic positions. We do it to quiet our minds. And we quiet our minds to find peace, to find comfort with stillness, to delve into the depths of our being.
The ability to mindfully choose your response to a situation rather than mindlessly reacting goes a long way to smoothing out the rough edges of your experiences. It can make you more patient and more empathetic. It can help you to stay calm and centered. It can help you to understand and to honor your emotions without allowing them to dictate your actions.
The sounds of life around you as you practice are not a distraction. Rather, they are a small reminder that yoga is meant to support you as you live your life, not help you escape from it.