Atlantic Beach Yoga Cooperative Meetup

Breathing in I calm my body Breathing out I smile Dwelling in the present moment I know this is a wonderful moment! Thich Nhat Hanh Lessons. Each day brings with it its own lesson, sometimes in unexpected form. I've been traveling a lot lately, and finding the more I travel the more I get the "hang" of it. Or, the more I practice, the more smoothly things go. Wearing comfy and quick to slip onto the conveyer belt flip flops. Bringing tea bags or crystallized ginger & mixing it with the hot water from the plane's drink service. Once having shopped for a supercute new travel wardrobe, now packing familiar things that with delight, begin to express themselves in new ways in a new city. Observing the fashion on the streets of Manhattan is like a huge rush of oxygen - thrilling and a bit dizzying, worn on all different shades and shapes of bodies. There is so much originality, so much beauty that breaks the traditional rules and lifts your heart. I have also been reading this wonderful little book by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk. His writing is simple and true, and makes you smile and laugh:) He teaches the lesson of mindfulness, and finding opportunity to stay mindful and present in the moment even though the most annoying or maddening thing is happening! I had an opportunity to try this out today, when I received the email that said this Meetup group was disbanding. Through the sorting out of the mix-up, I tried to come back to the little verse above. It is surprisingly easy to remember, and you say it as you breathe. Doing this, I found that I was relaxed and otherwise feeling very good! More space grew between the tension and worry, and then they became smaller. The practice of yoga teaches us wonderful lessons on the mat. With time, and quality/consistency of practice, those lessons begin to follow us off of the mat. We relax efforts that are unnecessary. Our eyes open to new forms and possibilities of beauty. We return to the breath in a challenging moment. I look forward to practicing with you this Saturday morning. :) Sarah