“Each time we come to the mat, we have an opportunity to work the entire path, moment by moment.  As we move through the posture we are constantly enacting each aspect of the path.  Our bodies, our breath, our minds, and our choices are being refined…As this symphony becomes established on our mats, it becomes established in our lives as well.”

-Rolf Gates, Meditations from the Mat:  Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga

Day 3 – Today my alarm at 4 a.m. felt awkward and jarring, which is a sign that I rest further.  Because my weekday morning ritual is so important to the quality of my day, I am still disciplined to sleep for an hour and practice for much less time, say 20 minutes between 5 and 6 a.m.  This looks a lot like spending 20 minutes to coax my old dog up and out to do her business, to coax her back inside to position her on her blankie, to clean the cat box, feed the meowing boy-cats as they return from nighttime hunting grounds, and diverting big hairy Einstok away from the food bowl before he climbs back in bed with his girl, who isn’t working today and gets to sleep in.  Finally, I begin:  I light the candles for loved ones, I light the incense to fill the room with beautiful morning smells, I set intention through pranam, and I settled into a quick, gentle morning yoga practice for my achy, sore body.  I followed with meditation.

Like Rolf, once the candles are lit, and I step into the space for pranam, “I begin the process of letting go.”  And there was a lot to let go from yesterday.  The momentum that brings me to my practice is no longer required in the way that “walking is no longer required once you have arrived at your destination.”  I shift slowly from thinking to feeling, and then here, I shift from feeling back into thinking, reflecting upon my practice the “ordinary nature of the miraculous.”    It is this that I wish to bring to my world.  It is the reason I love being in the classroom.  It is the reason I find joy in dance, yoga, and crossfit.  It is the reason, too, that I write everyday, in various forums.  It is how love thrives and how I persevere during dark times.  And, yet is also, none of those things.  It is simply the love that moves the universe, and has for all times.  Love is all.