Where you are now...

Where you are now...is exactly where you are meant to be. 

About 6 years ago in San Diego, when I began practicing yoga, a teacher of mine once said during class, 'where you are now is exactly where you are meant to be.' And boy did that stick with me. That phrase rings through my ears and mind every single day. Every day when I wake up, even when I am feeling down...I know this is where I am meant to be. I am at a certain place in my journey of life that is just simply right for me. And my practice teaches me that.

Yoga teaches us a way of seeing that creates beautiful opportunies for us to recognize ourselves better. It ties the strands of the mind together - uniting our mental state with our physical being. Enabling us to attain what was previously unattainable. Yoga lets us know that this moment is our moment, every moment is one to take full grasp of. 

Every moment is a moment of love, creation, beauty, and growth. 

All of our attention is directed toward the activity in which we are currently engaged. Being this attentive lets us perform each task better - we become conscious of our actions - we are pulled into the here and now. 

I may be struggling in some poses during my practice, waiting for the next instruction, the next asana, but I stay, I stay with it....I stay in the pose and stay with my breath. I am in the here and now, and can find some peace in what may be a challenging pose by focusing on my breath and letting go of fear or discomfort. Know that this moment will pass, so why not stick with it? See what it can do for you? This pose is where I am meant to be. It is challenging for a reason. It is teaching me how to be in challenging situations off of the mat. How can I handle those? 

Am I present even in the most uncomfortable of postures? Of situations? Yes. Just do it. Let it be easy. Be here, right now. For right here is the safest place to be. This moment is the perfect moment - it's as if it was created just for you, it's your moment - take it, breath it in, live in it, and learn. 

Where you are now...is exactly where you are meant to be. Enjoy the moment lovelies. 

Off the mat

Just for now, allow a wave of breath to enliven your experience. 

Breathe out whatever blocks you from the truth. 

Just for now, be boundless, free, awakened energy tingling in your hands and feet. 

Drink in the possibility of being who and what you really are, so fully alive, that when you open your eyes the world looks different, newly born and vibrant, just for now. 

- Danna Faulds

How do you feel when you practice yoga? Are you present in the moment and notice the clearing of the mind, the lift in your mood, the ooey gooey good feeling when you release down in savasana? 

Do you wait for the next asana, or are you free in your thoughts, boundless in your body, enjoying this exact moment?

Do you notice the moment when separation drops away? When body, mind and spirit become one? 

Can yoga not only teach you and give you these feelings on the mat, but also off the mat? My biggest challenge in yoga is practicing it off the mat as well. Knowing that yoga has taught be how to relax, how to live in the moment, how to handle challenging situations. It has taught be to breathe. It has taught me to have an open heart. To do things whole heartedly. To love, love, love, and love some more. 

What has yoga taught you about life off the mat?