"To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts."

Thoreau, Walden

Hello lovely people,

I hope this newsletter finds you well. I am doing great. The family and I had the most magical trip to Disney last month and now we are less than a week away from Spring Break. We will head to the lake for a few days for Easter. I absolutely love these mini trips with my family. Being present with them and making memories is such a gift.

I am also grateful for my amazing yoga community. I cannot believe we have been online and in person for the past four years! When the world shut down, I wasn't sure if my little yoga shala would survive and look at us go! In a lot of ways, I think it is better than ever! There is so much love, respect, camaraderie, and discipline in the room and it warms my heart. Thank you for your commitment to practicing mindfulness and thank you for being part of this community. It really helps to have like-minded people to keep us on the path.

Having a 23 year old yoga practice, I know firsthand the amount of effort, discipline, strength and flexibility this practice takes. It is a commitment to show up day after day and it takes a lot of effort to have a "good practice." What constitutes a good practice? You hear people say this about the folks that can do fancy transitions, deep back bends and advance asanas. While yes, these people can have a good practice, I want to add to the list of what makes someone a good practitioner:

• Consistency- Those that are committed to their growth have a good practice because they work on it. They show up! They know that in order to foster a better relationship with their minds and bodies they have to come to the mat 2-3 days per week as a minimum! They keep putting drops in the bucket because they know--they add up!
• Focus- These students don't just go through the motions/sequence and expect to get the full fruit. They know they have to breathe, focus the eyes, concentrate, and watch their thoughts. This yoga is unlike any other physical pursuit. Presence is everything! When I go to the gym, I can listen to a podcast while I move my body. In yoga, full presence is required and there are no distractions.
• Rhythm- The inhales and exhales create a beautiful metronome to move to. It does not matter how fast (within reason) or slow one goes, as long as you have a rhythm. A good practitioner knows that the breath can carry them from one moment to the next. I've been telling myself and my students lately to stay in the vortex. It's a flow state and a field of energy where we don't have to think so much. It's wonderful! Unfortunately, if we keep getting off our mat, talking to our neighbor, looking at the door or the clock, picking at our toes, spacing out, we are spit out of that vortex of concentration. Stopping and starting can create a real drag in the practice. In the words of Gloria Estefan, "The rhythm is gonna get you!"
• Surrender- surrender to the sequence! Let each asana come and go. Let each feeling come and go. Try not to overanalyze if you are having a hard time. Try to get into the vortex and let go. Surrender to the fact that sometimes you don't feel the way you want to and make peace with that and keep going.
• Faith- trust with effort, time, focus and right thinking, you are making progress in one way or another.
• Sense of humor, humility and have fun!!! Lighten up. This mind changing is serious stuff, but it can be fun and amusing. Laugh! Giggle. Smile and stay positive.

This practice can teach us so much and can support us through the toughest times, but we have to think beyond asanas as a performance or as an achievement. All of these ways of being on the mat, extend out into the real world and they help us to find more grace and ease in life. It is a beautiful and ever changing journey. I am happy to guide you. I LOVE yoga and I LOVE serving my students. Check out the offerings below if you are ready to have a good practice that supports you on and off the mat. Click the links below for more details.