Here are some Words You’ll Here me Say in this Week’s Vinyasa Class

Stress is mostly caused by our inability to accept things the way they are. Life isn’t about having things our way all the time, it’s about entering a flow state so that we can be the best we can be at all times and in all situations.

One of the primary teachings of Ashtanga Yoga is Santosha. A practice of contentment or having peace in your mind. Our practice of Yoga is so powerful in opening us up to our universe and all that we have, not in a material way but in our relationships and our life experiences.

I think all of this above leads us back to GRATITUDE.

My Gratitude Practice

It’s so easy for us to get pulled into the pit of “not-enoughness,“ the list of all that is lacking and all we need. It takes concerted effort to turn our attention to the list of enough. My gratitude practice is a practice of “enoughness,” of acknowledging all that is already enough in my life—loves, friendships, finances, mothering, circumstances, and my body.

Gratitude to me is an active state of being. At times we are unable to activate this state because the list of lack is in our way. When we turn our attention to the many miracles of our breath coming in and moving out and to all the places in our being that ARE healthy and functioning well, we can (often) arrive at this place of gratitude.

How I Get Grounded for Gratitude

When gratitude feels elusive, my practice often incorporates what appears to be meditation. That means I simply sit and engage in this practice of guiding myself through all of the things that are enough—and even wildly abundant—in my life.

The next thing I do is turn my attention toward being of support or service to another. I find this pulls me back into connection with gratitude. This support or service can be something as small as offering kindness to someone on the street or volunteering for those in need.

My Gratitude List

1. Birth
2. Death
3. Inhale
4. Exhale
5. Oh, and my husband Alastair, adorable and wild children Austin and Mackenzie

The Yoga Pose I’m Most Grateful For

Whichever asana invokes the most compassion at the time is the one I’m grateful for. The shape is not as important as its ripple effect of love. So, I would say that I’m grateful for all of them, which nourish this practice and remind me to be kind inward and outward.

Jane xo