I first did yoga fifteen years ago.  It was life changing in many ways.  It helped me ease a lot of pain in my back from injuries and it helped heal my soul in a few more.  I had a lot more mistakes and learning to really get the cosmic experience I was desiring, but it gave me God back for a while.  We didn’t break up again, but we hit a rough patch a few years later.

Yesterday I overslept and missed yoga.  I beat myself for staying up late and whatnot.  I am human.  I make mistakes.  I’m a mess and I’m wonderful as well.   I will keep striving to be my best, but perfectionism will never serve me…which is good because I’m not good at that. I’m perfectly me.  I took stock of what my life is looking like right now. Asking myself what am I in the dark about myself.  Being a self-love aficionado, I am not immune to self-criticism.  I have my own battles.

Am I doing my best?
Am I aligned with what I believe in my thoughts and actions?
Am I putting time and energy into the right things?
Am I avoiding anything?
Am I practicing what I preach?
Am I ashamed of anything?
Am I living, loving, flowing, growing?
Am I allowing God in my life fully?
Am I feeling worthy?
Am I focused on problems or solutions?

The term yoga comes from Sanskrit which means yoke or union.

Whether I practice yoga or not, am I in union with the Divine?  Am I being honest to myself, my soul, my wholeness.  Or is my shadow running the game.  Sometimes I’ve thought that I chose to make tons of mistakes, have challenges, and lows so that I could REALLY learn to love myself.  Like it would’ve been to easy to love myself if I was that college educated, Martha crafty lady, who didn’t have stretch marks, never yells, was never drunk in her life, and runs marathons. Cause really, some people make life look easy.  I know that kind of person would have their challenges, but really…maybe not much.  I came for the love badass route.  It required forgiveness often.  I’ve accepted there will be an ebb and flow with my badassity and quiet softness within to heal.  In business, happiness, fitness, and life they are not straight lines.  They may be circles, zigzags, or sexy curvy lines like my signature.  Epic days and nights that you’re glad to put to bed.  I love my life.  It’s just right…for me.  Everything is always getting better.  I love me…even when I need to give myself a pep talk when my scared little girl inside fears failure and believes in the boogeyman named self-doubt.  Or when her middle school dork misses yoga and feels like a loser.  I’m always a winner because I keep going, after I stumble, I rise again.  Never believe your bad day, crappy morning, your small thoughts.

You are greatness, my friends.  You can keep on striving to improve, but relax into the present and be okay with that.  Time for some downward dog.  Next time you do it, imagine all the negative thoughts falling out of your head.  Namaste and blessings.