yoga

Peace and grace by Christina Rosalie

Yoga tonight. YOGA. I didn't even know this hole in my life existed until I was there in the little second story studio doing downward dogs and listening to the collective exhalations of twenty other people. "Think of going out into your life with peace and grace" the teacher said at some point, and I was suddenly, inexplicably close to tears.

Peace and grace.

Somehow my life has moved away from this drastically. The past several months have been about chin up, mind over matter, power through it, action.

And oh, how I've missed this: being quiet with myself. Simply that. Simply breath, and wonder, and feeling tears spring up suddenly from both relief and uncharted sadness. I've always prided myself in being tough and resourceful. I've always been someone with brains and enough street smarts to figure things out and when the going gets tough I roll up my sleeves.

And for years--whenever I intermittently practiced yoga--I always brought this attitude to it: power through.

But it was not about that at all tonight. It was simply about this: about considering breath, and karma, and returning to breath. Peace and grace distilled into the fluid motions of warrior to downward dog.

I'm going to try for more of that this summer....and I want to know, where do you find or bring peace and grace to your daily life?