We cannot control all the events that happen to us but we can decide not to be reduced by them. Maya Angelo

Life is chock full of challenges and sometimes we just don’t respond in the right way. That’s because we are reactive rather than responsive and in part we are not fully to blame.

You see, we were never really taught that we even had a choice. I know I did not. Because of that many a times I reacted to situations when I should have taken a moment and responded in a different way. Thankfully, I discovered yoga. Before that I never even stopped to think there was a reactive or a responsive way of living.

Time on our mats encourages a connecting with ourselves. We discover how to accept who we are and through the yoga positions learn to be present. Living in the present moment helps us to let go more easily of past and future thoughts. Meditation automatically drops us into a state of calm and breathing deeply stimulates our parasympathetic nervous system, which puts us into a rest and relaxation state. But I believe the secret is in the yoga positions.

You see a good teacher will help you take what you learn off the mat and into your life. Teaching yoga positions that are challenging are the key. Helping a student learn difficult poses creates a dose of healthy stress. The student then has a moment to think about the pose and how to react to it. Will he or she approach it by reacting and getting mad and give up. Or will he or she respond in a better way? But isn’t that what life calls us to do?

Yoga really does help one in life by presenting choices and ways to react to those choices. Holding poses for long periods of time proposes a challenge. When the body is tired and challenged beyond our comfort zones we learn to focus and remain calm to accomplish holding the pose up with stamina and grace. We learn to be more that the sum of our reactions not reduced by our responses.

And when life sends us challenges beyond what are capable of responding or reacting to well, we only need to look up! For God tell us…

Do not be anxious about anything, but in prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. He will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7.

Thanks for joining me!

keep calm and yoga on

xxoo penny