At this time of year when everyone is focusing on the upcoming holiday season and in particular Thanksgiving, it is the perfect time of year to bring gratitude to your yoga practice. Rather than worrying about what you’re NOT able to do in your practice (So what if handstand in the middle of the room still eludes you!) consider what you have to be grateful for in your practice. Perhaps your hips have opened a bit or hamstrings have lengthened since you started practicing more regularly. Maybe you have even started to notice that you’re not as short tempered for a day or two after practicing yoga and you find it easier now to be nice to that difficult coworker. If you’ve been doing yoga for a while there’s also a real possibility that you have met some really kind, heart-centered folks who aren’t all that difficult at your friendly neighborhood yoga studio.
Most of all, the next time you hit the mat just be grateful for your breath! We take it for granted most of the time that the next breath will just follow the last. For those of us who have dealt with loss of a loved one, we know all too acutely how each breath is a gift. If you are breathing today, able-bodied enough to find yourself on a yoga mat to practice, and conscious enough to enjoy it all – there is plenty to be grateful for today! Enjoy your breath, enjoy your yoga, and enjoy your day!
Namaste, Brian
What a nice and fitting post to what I was just reading about the increase of Yoga rage because the population of yogis and yoginis seem a different mix these days. A typical yoga class now consists not of gentle, deep-breathing vegetarians in search of a good form of exercise to stretch their limbs and what not, but of highly competitive professionals in search of tight abs and a load-bearing pelvic floor. It’s a mixture that is bound to react strongly.
Thanks for such delightful post here.
Peter Lee
Bringing Gratitude to Your Yoga Practice « Just Be Now…
Here at World Spinner we are debating the same thing……
I would simply like to say “Thank you” for your discussion on gratitude. Just what I needed to begin this week and holiday season.
Dear Lisa,
You are very welcome! I wish you and yours a very happy holiday season full of gratitude for life’s simple blessings. Thanks for stopping by and take care. ~Brian
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