Oh My, What a Sunny Day

Today is a beautiful day here in the Gorge. Too sunny to sit inside and do what I ought to be doing. Life's too short, gotta get out and PLAY! Took the time to run along the water with my daughter (ack first time since a few weeks due to a cold, snowy weather and just plain busy-ness) and then came home, picked up the dog and went for a walk out on the sandbar. Ahhh, feel better already!

We are fortunate to live in a very inspriring area full of active, engaging people and it is days like today when I appreciate it all the more. And the funny thing is that I feel our community not only physically (like out running or walking and at yoga class) but at, of all places... on FaceBook.

Hah, I know you are LAUGHING. Go on, get it out of your system...

But it is a great place for us all to share our thoughts for the day, photos of our activities as well as catching up with people that we just don't see every day but still want to be connected to. In other words, it isn't a replacement but rather an enhancement of our connectedness. 'Nuff said!

And so I am now sitting at my desk, catching up on... yup, yoga blogs & newsletters. Got this one today from Rodney Yee & Gaiam Yoga Club, and it got me to thinking. The newsletter was entitled: Why start your day with yoga? and went on to say:

Here we are in the middle of life — with headstrong teenage children, aging parents, crisis-ridden siblings, and downtrodden friends. Every day we wake up to another challenging surprise. In the words of Rumi, “Who can stand in this wind?”

We all need a reprieve from this chaos. A practice that helps you feel centered every day will help you find that reprieve. A little meditation, a single yoga pose, or a moment of focusing on the breath can be the saving activities of your day.

Beginning your day with a yoga practice sets up the possibility of being close to your center, which is peace. Letting peace be the foundation for your actions and observations in the world can be an essential tool to surviving a crisis — and maybe turning a crisis into an opportunity.

Still, after years of practice, my wife Colleen and I sometimes forget to utilize all our yoga tools. We have to encourage each other to roll out of bed and onto the mat some mornings. Taking time for our practice results in more resilience and more energy to deal with all that comes to our door.

Practice, practice, practice ... so when the storm comes you can fly right into the eye of the hurricane.

Gives you pause... makes you think. Starting the day with a peaceful sense of purpose, an inate knowing that you can be OK, that you have what it takes to get through whatever life has to throw at you... that's a good reason to practice yoga. I love the sentence: "Letting peace be the foundation for your actions..." That peace can directed towards others, but can also be for you. Contemplate that.

And it doesn't mean you have to take the time for an hour or hour and a half long practice. Maybe you take the time to breathe, find your centre while you are making your morning coffee. Perhaps you strike a pose as you wait for your toast to pop up... Take the time for YOU.

Namaste, and remember:

Get out(side) and PLAY. Laugh a little, or maybe a lot.