gratitude, progress and a teeny gentle smile

There are a few things I'd like to write about today that I felt.
     upon waking up today, I was in prime comfort everything mode. comfort food, clothes, comfort tv shows, tea, and the whole ordeal.  For the past month or so, I've been feeling like I haven't been able to catch a break... until this a.m. There was snow on the ground, and I just wanted to snuggle up with myself. But I couldn't; I had to go work my shift at the yoga studio, which includes an hour commute each way, and an hour yoga class. Wasn't feeling it. I tried doing some wake up tiffs online, at yogaglo.com. it's not the type of yoga I've been doing lately, and it enlivened and awakened me without putting effort into it! It was great, it reminded me again, how many different forms yoga can take, and that different forms are appropriate at different times.
     Later, as I got on the bus to go to the studio, I was practicing something I picked up from a yoga instructor recently. Putting a very slight, gentle smile on your face. The feelings associated with a smile like that will follow, if you just put it on your face. During my bus ride, a huge feeling of gratitude came over me. Gratitude for myself. Here I was, on a bus, on a beautiful day with the snow falling, driving thru beautiful and cultural dc. I am here. It took a lot of growing, learning, painful times and courageous times to get where I am now. To be who I am now.
     I didn't end up in my home town, doing whats safe. I took leaps, pressed on towards what my heart wanted. I've experienced a lot, and from my experiences I've found so many things to love about life, so much beauty to appreciate.
     I feel like I've reached a certain point. A point that is restful in some way. My growing and learning will never end, of course, but this point I've reached, I'm content with my perspective of life and myself. 
     In the yoga class I took this evening, I placed my mat in front of the big mirrors (my favorite spot). I love to assess my posture in all poses. I looked in that mirror and saw my progress. I don't look like I used to a year ago. I stand taller. I wasn't noticing specific muscle definition, but over all, my body looks stronger. My face looks more peaceful. How beautiful to notice progress.
     I thank myself for all of my effort, and courage, to become this happy and strong person that lives life the way they want to.
     Yoga was a big part of my journey. Without it, not only would I not be as physically, and mentally strong, but I would not have realized everything that I did today. Now THAT, calls for a namaste, ya'll.

Conquering the Physical Challenge

     Here are my thoughts after yoga tonight.
It's been two weeks since I have gone to a class at the studio. And two months since I have used my bike. Today I decided to do both. It was great. Rough, and great.

    When I came home I started thinking about how I would respond if someone were to ask me why I do yoga. Why I think yoga is so healthy, is a whole ordeal of a response; but why I do yoga? I do it because I want to feel physically capable of anything.

    And upon that thought, I realized, how many times I've recently said "I can't do that yet." about certain asanas (yoga poses). And when I see pictures of doing headstands and handstands with their legs flailing about in all sorts of ways and maybe only a finger touching the ground, I think, when I can do THAT, then I'll feel physically capable of it all!

BUT!!!

I already am capable! I am physically capable of ANYTHING! I may be rusty, since I haven't used my abs so much lately, or that killer part of my quads right above the knee, and I need practice with them to grow their strength. But I am already, 100% capable of any crazy yoga poses I see, and any other physical challenge.

So those yoga poses I haven't yet gotten into, I'm gonna start trying to get into more often. A lot of times I think about them as poses I'll be able to get into when I get stronger from doing other, more beginner poses. And it's true that the strength I'll gain from those will help me in the more challenging ones.

"I haven't failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Thomas Edison