...easy as 1-2-3

Yesterday marked the one hundred twenty-third consecutive days of yoga. Yes 123 days of a daily yoga practice. What I have learned thus far:

My body is much more capable of change than I could have ever imagined.

I am able to forward bend, straight legged and put my palms flat on the floor for the first time in my life. No, seriously, I was not even flexible as a kid. This, my friends, is a major achievement.

Yoga makes everything in my life easier. The openness and calm this practice creates for me helps me approach everything with a sense of groundedness, even in the face of chaos.

Despite what some say, in my experience, yoga is helping me drop pounds, directly and indirectly. Not only does it burn calories and increase muscle mass, it helps me approach health and weight loss differently than ever before. It is working for me.

Finding time to practice is the kindest thing I am doing for myself. I feel wonderful, physically and mentally when I practice. It is never a chore to practice, even if I do not get to it until 11:30pm. My days feel complete when I do yoga.

My mind is opening up to more possibilities. Be it the clarity and focus, or the decreased level of stress, my mind is increasingly flexible and able to see new potential in myself and in the world around me.

I am in awe when my body spontaneously enters into a pose that I had not been able to do before. I have even been heard uttering "holy shit!" at times, such as when I entered wheel pose without so much as a thought. I was aware of doing the "prep" poses as usual and when the instructor prompted full expression of the pose, I simply did. Up I went into a back bend with ease as if I was a kid playing gymnastics in the yard. Yes, that induced a "holy shit!" followed by pure bliss.

I am thrilled that I put myself up to the 30-Day Yoga Challenge. It was what I needed at an ideal time, and yoga has become a natural part of my life both on and off the mat. I am grateful to my mother for having introduced me to yoga when I was a child through her own practice. I am grateful that Groovy completely respects my dedication to my practice and even participates on occasion. I am grateful to myself for allowing this gift to flow into my life.