Yoga

The beauty is that people often come here for the stretch, and leave with a lot more. ~Liza Ciano, co-owner and co-director of Yoga Vermont, yogavermont.com

Yoga is such an amazing blessing in this world. When you surrender yourself to it, embrace it, cherish it, feel it, you truly reach the "union" that is yoga. And it is a union with yourself. It doesn't get much more beautiful than that.

I have found myself stressed out lately. Work has been straining and my boss is condescending. Using yoga for my lunch break helps me to find peace in a whirlwind of activity. To marinate within the love for myself, to drink in the cleansing breath, and to revel in the release of detox. It brings such an expansive awareness to yourself of your mind, body and soul and allows you to see yourself. Yoga can be a direct reflection of how you act in real life. Do you push yourself? Take it easy? Are you scared to try new asanas/things? When you are in an uncomfortable asana/situation, do you sit in it, feel it out, find comfort, or leave it immediately to enter back into your safe zone. Are you busy watching other people move through life/asanas, or is your gaze inward.

A misperception about yoga is that it is stretching. All you do in yoga is focus on your flexibility. But really, yoga is a direct reflection of your life and how you respond to situations that arise. If you want to learn something about yourself, I encourage you to take a yoga class, and reflect on the nuances of your personality. Don't judge, don't criticize: silently observe.

Observe and accept yourself. Allow your heart to mend through yoga.

You are where you need to be, right at this moment.