Do you relish the hours, minutes and seconds leading up to yoga class or do you approach your yoga practice as another task to check off the "To-Do" list? So many of us, myself included, correlate our self-worth with how much we can get accomplished. The more tasks we check off our "To-Do" lists the more productive we feel as members of society and the more valuable we feel as individuals. The connection between what we accomplish and our perceived self-worth is totally arbitrary and artificially constructed by Western culture.

How do we negotiate the desire to keep moving forward and making life happen, i.e. "TO-DO" with our insatiable and costly quest for inner peace and stillness? The only answer that comes to mind is to slow everything down. Pay attention to the most mundane details. The byproduct of a more mindful and intentional lifestyle is asteya. Plowing through the racetrack of life robs us of fully experiencing the circumstances of the present moment. How can we slow down when we have things called jobs, deadlines, children to take care of, places to go and people to see? Stop stealing from yourself and give yourself the gift of fuller and richer experiences by incorporating mindfulness into your daily routine.

YOGI TIDBIT 1:

Next time you find yourself flustered at Trader Joes because all the checkout lines are really long try getting into the longest line! Yes, the longest line. Seems counter-intuitive, but it's a great little exercise. As you reluctantly make your way into the longest checkout line keep your mind clear and free of judgment. Remind yourself "There is no where I have to be." "There is no where I have to be." Your office will still be waiting for you when you finally return.

YOGI TIDBIT 2:

Slow down your yoga practice by practicing Surya Namaskar A and holding each pose within the sequence for five full cycles of breath. One cycle of breath means one full inhale followed by a pause and one full exhale followed by a pause. The sequence would look like this:

Uttita Hastasana in tadasna (5 breaths)

Uttanasana (5 breaths)

Ardha Uttanasana (5 breaths)

Plank (5 breaths. Be honest with yourself if you are working on building strength by modifying this pose. Work this pose with your knees on the ground)

Chaturanga Dandasana (5 breaths. Be honest with yourself if you are working on building strength by modifying this pose. Work this pose with your knees on the ground)

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (5 breaths)

Adho Mukha Svanasana (5 breaths)

Step or hop your feet in between your hands and come halfway up with a flat spine into Ardha Uttanasana (5 breaths)

Uttanasana (5 breaths)

Tadasana with the hands in namaskar mudra (5 breaths)

HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW?