I did morning yoga. -What?!

I may be currently laying in bed, but I actually did yoga in the morning for the first time in 3 or so years.

I'm not a morning person at all, and the fact that I'm doing it on a Monday is even more impressive. I spend weekends at the S.O.'s place. He snores. Monday's I play sleep catch up. Today was nicely different. 

Went to a Hot Power Fusion at Core Power for the first time.  I normally don't like hot classes, but I thought it might be nice on a winter morning (despite the mildness of winter so far). And it was!! 

For some reason today was one of the few days I wake up energized. I'm hoping to go to a 6 am class every now and then, but, if I can go a few times in a month, I'll consider it a success. Like I said not a morning person at all.

With the New Year coming, I'm glad I already have a pretty steady practice and I don't need or want to have an "overhaul" resolution. I'm at the point where I want to keep it up at least, but practice more in general. It's lovely to feel my progression. 

As for now, I feel great. I think I'll either watch a little YouTube or put on a podcast and enjoy my coffee. Then, it's GTD time!

Have a great week lady and gentlemen yogin!

Namaste. 

The lives of my very well loved yoga mats.

I bought my first mat in 2010. It's a brown, Gaiam brand mat - no longer available on the site. My only and deciding criteria was that it was the thickest mat available at the time. Which is not that thick (5mm) compared to some other ones. (I'm looking at you Jade mats!).

In retrospect, I really think my preference for thick mats stems from previous experience with knees on ground action. I actually practiced without a mat with Yogi Toes recently, but the Chaturunga taken on the knees situation was not nice.

Anyway, back to my first mat. I can't believe it's only been 4 years. Still not sure if it feels like longer or shorter... :-T This has been my mat at X-Sport and Core Power Yoga. This is also the mat I took to my first Wanderlust in the City this past May. I still use it in home practice, but I definitely upgraded with my next mat. A nice mat actually does make a difference!

Gaiam Sol Dry-Grip

It's black like a real yogi's! :-P But in all seriousness, look at that beautiful mandala-esque print. Click here to buy. (I am not paid at all for this endorsement.)

I only own two mats (so far!), but this one is the favorite child. It seems like this is Gaiam's favorite child too. This is the one mat prominently featured on the site and in ads. It can still be slippery once I get sweaty shoulders down to do core work, but it's a non-slippery dream when dry. Also at 5mm, its constructed to feel thicker, with more padding. I got this one at the end of 2013, and its already got some substantial love.

Check out the design up close!

As you can tell, I am partial to Gaiam. I may want to try the Jade mats. They have some REALLY thick ones that feel as if they'd be (even more) less slippery. If I wanted a thin mat, I'd just get a travel one. And there's just too much controversy, true or not true, regarding Lululemon. Prefer to avoid instead of support, even though their mats are VERY popular and do seem to be of great quality.

Either way, I'll let you all know the next time a mat joins my family!

Namaste. 

Gliding through my practice.

When taking time out for a home practice, maybe what you need to do is make is special. Light some candles, turn off the light, and put on your favorite yoga Pandora station.

Mine today was "Such Great Heights" by the Postal Service station. 

Practice was nice today. Built heat, but went at a soothing pace. Still jacked with energy because that's what it'll do to me, but I'm a night person anyway.

Gotta get off the screens so I can sleep sooner rather than later. Maybe listen to the Star Talk podcast while I do Savasana in bed. 

Oh, and I've rediscovered the single-task lately. It not only obviously makes you focus more, but you feel more fulfilled once the task is done. 

Om Shanti

Namaste. 

Oops! I missed a month!

Been taking it easy with the classes lately, but have cultivated the habit of a home practice. I really want to go to more classes to get inspired, but there aren't really any 9 pm classes. I'm not a morning person, so a nighttime yoga practice is just lovely. Granted, 6 pm isn't that late for the class I would want to go to, but afternoon, early evening is just prime GTD time.

Life's been good, but I definitely need to practice on the weekends. I spend the weekends with the S.O., but that's not really an excuse! I could definitely benefit from that.

Oh, and I want to brag about my Crow... it's actually not much to brag about, but I definitely feel more progress, more stability.

Namaste!

Impressed.

Class was lovely today... It was teacher training and everyone did great!

I wasn't nearly as weak as I thought I would be. I'm assuming my muscle memory had time to do its thing.

It felt really good to get on my mat again.

Namaste.

Soooo laaaaaazy.

Have I ever taken a break!

It's almost September... I don't think I've been to class this month. I'm going tonight, though. Not even practicing at home. Well. Every now and then I'll do a (count: one) Sun Salutation, but I don't count that.

I can feel it in my body. I'll stretch a bit... What I really need is a class or a session at home. I don't know where the time has gone. I'll blame YouTube.

Once it cools off, I'll be able to open my windows and maybe get some sessions in the morning.

Let's hope tonight builds up my motivation.

Namaste.

Finished the challenge, and where did the time go?

I finished the challenge, guys!

I feel like every season there should be a challenge. It would definitely get my motivation up to go to yoga.

Honestly, I finished the challenge on the 31st, then the next thing I knew it was the 6th of August. Like where did the time go?

Gotta get on my mat more...

No pics today. Updating from a tablet.

Namaste!

So close!

Guys, I'm so close to finishing the challenge! Four more classes to go! Four more days! AHH! Even if I don't complete the challenge, I should still be proud of myself. I really hope this has cultivated a more consistent practice.

I've started sequencing. I only have about half an hour to forty-five minutes, but I'm excited. It's actually really fun and once you're thinking about the postures, more ideas come to mind. I should try sequencing before hitting the mat at home. I find myself doing a lot of Child's Poses while trying to come up with the next posture after doing my old stand-by's. The Yoga Bible by Christina Brown helps a lot too.

What I think is cool is how you can totally make up a pose that you may not find in a book, but if you know the language, you have a name. Now, I'm not saying Sanskrit, but for example: Supine Twist... Supine Twist with Quad Stretch. I suppose teacher training will teach me what not to do, but I don't expect yoga to be like that. As far as I know, yoga poses are infinite! (Infinitely awesome!)

Getting ready for class tonight!

Namaste

Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi by Brian Leaf

So I stumbled upon this book, much like I stumbled upon Yoga Bitch. I suppose they're non-fiction memoirs, but that doesn't really matter to me. I was thoroughly entertained. Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi is even more entertaining than Yoga Bitch!

The back blurb will tell you everything you need to know... actually more. It's just a genuinely entertaining book that doesn't need a description. And well, if you like yoga, even better!

Challenge Update

Haven't gotten too creative at home lately, but I have been vigilant with the Down Dog Days of Summer Challenge... 12 more classes to go through the 31st.

I'm going to try to meditate more. I need to practice Full Lotus a bit more. I haven't quite gotten to where I was before my knees were injured. There'd be tension, then release as I became more comfortable in the pose... now, it's a sharper discomfort that I don't think I should push through.

Not really much else to update on. Just enjoying yoga in it's myriad forms.

I think once the challenge is over, I'll be less motivated to come to classes, but to practice more at home. I'm looking forward to getting creative. Last summer/late August, yoga pulled me out of a depression, or should I say was a symptom of recovery. Those were joyous mornings.

Namaste.

Yogi or Yogini?

If I'm correct, the answer to all this is Yogin.

This isn't really a big deal, but what do you consider yourself? A Yogi or a Yogini? Is it because of your gender or simply your sex? Do you consider how you like to practice?

Yogi is for masculine energy, and Yogini is for the feminine energy:

Yin is characterized as slow, soft, yielding, diffuse, cold, wet, and passive; and is associated with water, earth, the moon, femininity and nighttime. 

Yang, by contrast, is fast, hard, solid, focused, hot, dry, and aggressive; and is associated with fire, sky, the sun, masculinity and daytime. 

(via Wikipedia)

What's not to say a practice can't evolve. I would've definitely called myself a Yogi last year, but this year I'm more a Yin, Yogini. I love watching Meghan Currie videos (if you haven't YouTubed her, do it now!), and that lovely woman is defintiely a Yogini, but she remixes (fast-forwards) her practice into one with Yang energy.

What would you classify yourself as?

Living the Yogic Lifestyle

I am not perfect.

I am nowhere near perfect.

I drink. I smoke. I own and wear leather. I have Emu (sheepskin) boots. I enjoy sex.

Well, that's really it. I guess it comes down to the yogic principal of ahimsa. The hardest thing for me is smoking. With yoga being a practice of focusing on your breath, I can't help but feel like a hypocrite when I light up. (Although, I go a little easier on myself, since it's pure tobacco.) It doesn't help when all your friends have been doing it with you for years with no intention of quitting.

Admittedly, this all began before the idea of "yogi" became a bit of an aspiration. I've always had an inner hippie, but due to lack of time and education, that languished. But here I am now. I have the time to become a conscientious consumer. I want to become more eco-friendly and eco-conscientious. I want to consume less. I definitely have a shopping problem. How I plan on fixing that is by only shopping at thrift stores. I love leather, but now, I will try to only buy secondhand. The book, Wear No Evil has made being an eco-conscious fashionista a tangible reality.

I still apply chemicals to my body almost everyday in the form of makeup and perfumes. I have moved on to Simple face wash with simpler, hopefully less toxic (to myself and the environment) ingredients.

I want to eat healthier. Slowly, I have begun -eating raw avocados with seasoning. Grocery shopping more, eating fast food a little less.

The philosophy of Jainism holds a fascination in my heart, but it is so ascetic, it's not really tangible for myself here and now.

Yoga has brightened my life, and in turn has caused me to think about ahimsa more and more. I think just the word non-injury could be a great focus of my practice.

Namaste

Wear No Evil by Greta Eagan

I recently read the book Wear No Evil by Greta Eagan.

This is a great starter book for someone looking to be more eco-conscious with their clothing choices.

In short, Eagan lists out an "integrity index" of sixteen factors to be wary of when purchasing clothing. She says to focus on 3-5 aspects in order to be realistic, style being the first factor to consider.

For me, I personally like reduced water usage, biodegradable, local, and secondhand. If there are causes I would like to support, the first one that would come to mind is Charity: Water, or any other organization dedicated to clean water, and reducing water usage. It turns out a single, cotton t-shirt can use massive amounts of water to create and dye. I will now look for vegan leather that is a byproduct of the meat industry or at least is secondhand. For one, it's biodegradable, and two, pleather contains myraid chemicals. I would much rather see a trashed leather jacket naturally wearing out, than a pleather one living indefinitely in a dumpster. In general, I mostly shop at thrift stores, and try to support Made in the USA items. Even more locally, I would also like to support Chicago artists and companies. And I love thrifting. It's the thrill of the hunt. I've found some great things while thrifting. It's just an added bonus that I'm giving these items a second lifecycle.

In short, it's not that hard to be SOMEWHAT eco-conscientious after reading this book:

You're eschewing fashion for the sake of fashion, but that doesn't mean you sacrifice it.

For more check out: noevil.com

And buy the book!

All things yoga related, today.

Ahh. Today is a blogging day, so here's a general updatement of anything yoga:

Been doing good on the Down Dog Days of Summer Challenge. I'm at 15/16 classes, with a class I'm going to tonight, so 16/16 really. Not bad. When it comes down to it, you can miss 20 classes or do a class every weekday and skip the weekends. This challenge has really got my motivation up to go to class. Can't wait for Core Restore -the restorative, Yin class- tomorrow!

Went to my first Level 3 due to a double sticker day. Really liked it. It was very well paced for it being a 75 minute class. I was exhausted for the rest of my day though -perhaps also due to lack of sleep?

I stumbled upon a fun little book called, Yoga Bitch by Suzanne Morrison. It was in the Yoga non-fiction section of the library (it's definitely fiction, but if it wasn't, it would've had to be the greatest yoga book out there). But I was glad I found it anyway.

Downloaded the Yoga Sutras and re-checked out the Bhagavad Gita. I've already read the Bhagavad Gita, but the version I currently have is more what I was looking for.

AHH! Can't wait for class tonight! Might go to the library, too!

Book Recommendations

I swear by these books:

Total Yoga by Tara Fraser
The Yoga Bible by Christina Brown

No, they're not philosophy books, they're asana books.

Total Yoga really is total yoga. This was the book I got when I first started, and pretty much started it all for me. It provides a great general overview of yoga as a whole, from drinking water to meditation to, of course, the asanas.

After working with Total Yoga, I was ready for more asanas. The Yoga Bible has a short overview and includes an overview of the Sutras, but I was really going for advanced postures.

Now, in terms of philosophy, I've read the Bhagavad Gita, and would like to move on to Patanjali's Sutras. I'm actually going to go download it on my Kindle right now... (!)

Namaste

Wanderlust, among other things.

How I feel right now:

Didn't start my CPY 40 Class Summer Challenge off to a running start this Sunday, but I'd like to think I have a steady burning flame versus short-lived zeal.

I wish I could handle hot classes better, but at least I don't push myself past my limits. That's what I love about yoga. It's accepting where you are in your practice.

Anyway, enough with what you could've read on another yoga blog. No updates on progress... well, I guess my wheel is looking better. Also, I've started to get off my knees during Chaturunga... I would really like/LOVE to build strength.

As you could probably tell, I've been out of the groove for a bit. Doing more at home, but it's nothing to brag about. The CPY Challenge is just what I need to break out of this rut.

OH! And how could I forget about Wanderlust?!

Well, went to the first class. Got in a little late due to the Blue Line being closed. It was a little too hot, and I was hoping there'd be more vendors there. I kinda expected there to be local artists. (Obviously, my first time.) But all-in-all it was great. I would have LOVED to do every class, but it was just too hot. And then my brown mat was absorbing all the rays.

I'd go again, but maybe for the later classes, when it's hopefully cooled down a bit.

Off to a restorative class, but I did manage to get some pics this Saturday!:

Beautiful Weather

Finally! Beautiful weather is here. The kind where the air outside is room temperature. You can open your windows and get into your practice without your muscles getting cold. I forgot what humidity was like.

I'm looking forward to Community Class today. I'm going to practice a bit before class... so many poses, so little time!

I've been productive today: wrote posts for my other blog, Roxy is for Lovers. Need to do some maintenance on this blog since it's newer. I forgot to put all my links on here.

Wanderlust Yoga in the City getting closer and closer! So excited.

Childlike Wonder

[posting from my phone... too excited to wait for a computer to boot up!]

Ok. I'm a total cheeseball for this kind of stuff, but today's Community Class was utterly perfect.

I was at such peace waiting for class to start. I watched some clouds go by, and some specks of dust float on. I was in the moment. I felt joy, dare I say elation during flow.

I feel as if I could do King Pigeon with ease now, and my Full Lotus is back! Oh, how I've missed it. (Since hurting my knees, it's been difficult to get into and stay in that position.) 

I've taken a couple days off, but the time off was exactly what I needed to break out of a slight rut. I don't usually go to Community Classes because sometimes it's too crowded, but today wasn't bad. And I forgot how I love to watch everyone doing the postures from behind and not watching them in the mirror or just paying attention to myself. Can someone tell me if back of the class is coveted space? Because I think it is. :-P

I felt more connected to the moment while I was watching the room. I think the secret is to get outside of yourself. Get away from staring at the reflection. I don't think my judgement came out too much, and some of them were positive judgements... I just love watching yoga. And it's nice to (re-)discover childlike wonder. I laughed genuinely when I came out of Crow -which I am now able to hold for a few breaths.

Gonna snack on some carrots and hit the mat again. I have to cultivate my practice, and I really need to do that everyday. But every day is a new day.

Namaste.

The Yin of winter is over.

Enjoy the beautiful weather!

I could go into a long post about going outside, but I think I'm just going to go outside. :-D

King Pigeon

I've made progress! I am in the beginning stages of getting to full expression in King Pigeon. I don't know if it's because my muscles were all warmed up, but I was able to grab my toes! Quad flexibility isn't really the issue, it's more in the back. I'm excited! I plan on practicing King Pigeon a lot more to increase my spinal flexibility. I think that will help me in push up into wheel. Lots of Chaturungas for strength, lots of King Pigeon for spinal flexibility. Maybe some Camel Pose and backbends in Tadasana.

A strap helped me get my hands to my toes... I have a yoga mat bag strap at home that can double as a regular strap as well as two blocks and a pillow. I really have to try to remember to utilize them more.

I did a little yoga yesterday in the yard of my friend's house. Even better, I had a girl friend practice with me. That kind of brought me confidence... yeah, I might be able to do this instructor thing. That was pretty fun. And I have to practice outside more.

I may be getting more people on board for Wanderlust Yoga in the City! I want to drag them to Community Classes to get them started. So exciting. I love yoga buddies.

Namaste.

My history with yoga.

So I kind of came out of nowhere with this blog. I was attempting a lifestyle blog when I realized a major lack of focus made everything a mess! But here I am now. I've kept those other posts on their relevant blogs for nostalgia, and possibly digital hoarding. But, like I said, here I am now...

I wish they taught yoga in high school P.E. class. I don't know if high school me would love it as much as I do now, but I think I would. I do remember my first yoga class ever: I went to the free classes they taugh at Mizzou's Rec Center in 2006. My best friend, Tammy dragged me to it. Actually, it was more like, "ok." It might've been Iyengar yoga -all I know is that it definitely wasn't Vinyasa. I loved those. They were calming and Yin, although not restorative. Those classes were linked with the Mental Health Center; a psychologist, Terry Wilson (yes, I totally looked it up!) taught them. I guess they offer more classes now, which I think is phenomenal. "Integrative Yoga Therapy" sounds really interesting in general.

Fast forward. Radio silence on the yoga front. I attempted to do yoga at X-Sport in 2010, but found the classes too repetitive and only somewhat challenging. I wanted more variety and more yin than yang like the first classes I went to at school. That ended in a couple months.

On the on and off I would practice at home on my own. Mostly just holding stretches, not really any flows. My experience at X-Sport didn't lend itself to cultivating a practice at home.

Fast forward some more to the end of January, 2012. I heard about Community Classes at Core Power Yoga. Still repetitive, but challenging at least. Found a Groupon for a free month for $39 there. Score! February was the best month of 2012 because of that. I found myself practicing more intensely. I learned a couple flows. I would practice on my own when I wasn't attending the Community Classes after that.

Summer of 2013 found me deep in a dark depression. I'm not sure if the breakup of a relationship triggered it, among other things, or if I tend to get SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) in the summer. (All I can say, is that I think this summer will be different. :-) ) But come August of that summer, I was out! I started getting out of bed early. I would practice yoga. Yoga was a wonderful, low-cost (well, FREE!) thing to do that would make me feel great!

Perhaps, that upswing was a mania (just like Ian on HBO's Shameless). I was hospitalized twice. I lost my job. Yoga would've keep me saner if they offered it in the hospital I was in. I did what I could on a folded up blanket, but I truly think classes would've been immensely beneficial (and not just beneficial for me). I am, however, inspired to bring yoga to facilities such as the one I was in, and maybe even P.E. classes. I want yoga to be my life(!), and I want to bring the joy of yoga to as many people as I can.

Since then, I've been practicing: at home, Community Classes, and regular CPY classes since I am a part of a great program: Yoga for Trade.

Right now, maybe it's just this very moment, but I feel as if I am in a muddle. Trying to (still) pick up the pieces of last summer. (Still) job hunting. (Always) wanting to make yoga my life. My ego wants me to get arm balances and inversions before I even TRY to become an instructor. I need funds to become trained. It's really just trying to put the pieces back together in a way that makes sense and is hopefully fulfilling. And I've got a lot of ideas in my head. My intent is good, but perhaps my practice should be better. -Is that just my ego? All I know is that yoga is a part of my life that is here to stay, and I want to make it an even bigger part of my life. I'm looking forward to growing my practice as I grow myself.

Namaste.

Another great class.

Admittedly, I haven't been doing yoga as much as I would love, but I'm keeping at it.

In class, I tweaked my Crow's hand positioning, and I was able to hold it for longer (or at least I felt more sturdy).

I can push higher into Wheel, and my Headstand it getting better. I'm able to get my hips over my head, I just need to find my balance to bring my legs up. Tripod Headstand is easier for me than Supported Headstand. The only thing is that my legs fall off to the side in Tripod Headstand, and I get afraid of hurting my neck. In Supported Headstand, I feel more supported, but I can't quite get my legs up.

I'm looking forward to the time in my practice where it clicks; I remember those "aha!" moments with Crow and Shoulderstand. (Although, it's been a while with Shoulderstand... I remember the fear of hurting my neck, and one day I just did it.)

I'm also looking forward to the day that my arms are strong enough to do Handstand. As I can tell when I push into my Wheel, and with my Chaturungas, my arms are getting stronger: I didn't backtrack as much as I thought when I took a break because of my knees.

What I should do is practice more arm balances. I don't know... my body just feels too heavy sometimes. That doesn't mean I shouldn't practice it! I just need to get over my ego and keep trying. :-)

I'm really excited for the Wanderlust Yoga in the City on May 31st. I'm actually going to be able to drag a friend who has never really done yoga before. I'm hoping to turn him into a yogi. One day I want to go to an actual festival, but that doesn't make me any less excited for Chicago's Wanderlust.

All in all, I feel amazing. Thank you, yoga.

This is where I'm at right now.

This is where I will be one day. :-D

Beautiful.

Feeling good.

Feeling good today. If only the sun was out, but, hey, I'm definitely thankful to be.

Weather not to bad. One hour session.

Getting better at Crow, and trying to engage stomach muscles more. Arms need some work too.

My goal right now is to continue practicing as best I can and eventually get teacher trained.

In building playlists, I checked out The Heavy. If you like the Black Keys, you'll like The Heavy. Also, along those lines: Alabama Shakes.

Wow. I haven't updated in a while.

I was going to do a post on how I hurt my knees (running), but that's just a draft that's lost for eternity. Anyway, I was out of commission for about three weeks, and just got better about a week ago on Monday. Seems a lot longer ago than it was.

Long story short, I'm back in the yoga game again. Oh, how I've missed it.

Slowly getting closer to achieving headstand. Handstand is another story...

Went to two classes in a row yesterday. Wasn't sure if I would make it, but I did!

For the first time ever, I got my feet to touch my head in King Pigeon. My quads can stretch; it's the flexibility of my spine I need to work on.

Class was perfect today. I lost a lot of arm strength with my lack of Chaturungas, but I don't feel like it's going to take forever to get back. I DO need to eat more protein though.

Here's to feet touching head in King Pigeon. I can't get enough if yoga inspiration, even with my time out:

Just had a good session.

So I try to be mindful of the moment when I practice, but I often get brimming with excitement about my progress.

I honestly haven't done too much yoga at home lately, let alone meditation, but I got an hour's worth of yoga and three minutes of meditation -it's a start.

Sat in full lotus for the duration of meditation. I impressed myself.

Was able to hover in Crow for a bit, and flopped over again in headstand. Although I will say that getting my hips over my head is a great feeling!

Today, I was very yin, and I think my home practice will stay that way if I continue at Core Power. That's not an if, that's a when.

Those classes have really helped with my strength and endurance.

Rocked out to Tom Colletti Pandora. I suggest it to any yogin out there reading this.

I think I deserve some ice cream. Well, not really but it's gonna happen anyway.

Quick Status Update

 feel like my Crow is starting to take flight. At home, sometimes I use a pillow, but I was doing really well with a block in class. I think I'm going to go practice some more.

Also, was able to lift my legs for Headstand! Landed flat on my back and laughed. Will try to not get used to using a wall if I begin that.

Woo! Stoked!

Namaste.

Gotta hit it more!!!

Ok. I do a fair amount of yoga every week. I still can't seem to get enough. I never feel like I've done enough. Two classes a day isn't A LOT. Especially if one is yang yoga and the other is yin. I don't know if I could handle two high energy classes in one day, but I'm not opposed to finding out!

I'm not sure how to revitalize my home practice.... I need to do more at home. I think once it gets warm enough to open my windows, I will be revitalized once again.

I was surprised by my Crow today. I get scared of face planting, but I can feel that I'm doing something right -it's the surge of energy I feel in my core.

I've also gotten into coconut water. It is AMAZING!!!! Super yummy. I forgot what brand it was... -Think its Coco Cafe, but it's coconut water and espresso. SO GOOD! The best part is where it satiates your hunger. You don't feel hungry until you sit down to eat. Now, food is amazing, but if I'm not hungry, I'm happy!

Elephant crows!

I'm still here.

I've been neglecting my blog, but I haven't been neglecting my practice!

What to update about? I've been busy lately. Actually starting to have a life after summertime SAD. Yoga has been a wonderful recovery tool.

I am slowly, ever so slowly becoming able to hold Crow. Each time I try, it seems I can hold it just a little longer. Long enough to try a jump back. Well, the jump back needs some work, too.

My King Pigeon is getting closer to head to toes touching.

I've started to try Headstand. Gonna need some work, but I was better than expected.

And I went to a Chaturunga workshop, and will hopefully be more mindful with alignment. A problem I have is a curved back, but I never thought to change my gaze.

I'm also doing Yoga for Trade now at Core Power. Completely worth it. It's much better for me with this cold weather. I need motivation when my joints are so stiff.

I am one year older, now, with every intention of keeping my practice. I am thankful for a source of peace that is centuries old: tried and true.

I am also thankful for my yoga buddies, even though we haven't gone in a while.

And now, your moment of Zen: