Love What Is

I was talking to Scott tonight about how I sometimes have trouble appreciating the present.  I find myself looking ahead, thinking about what I should be doing, what I want to change.  Maybe I just need to take a deep breath... 

When I think about it, it seems silly to not appreciate the life I am living right now.  I have so much to be thankful for.  And someday, I'll look back with the perspective and clarity only time can provide, and I will understand how the uncertainties and doubts I have now will evolve and change and play out. 

With time and distance, we can remember all the good and understand all the bad of our pasts.  In the future, I will not be able to deny how wonderful things are right now.  Even as I take a moment now, I know it... even as I type this.

via Yoga Journal

I came across a short meditation in the September issue of Yoga Journal that relates to this feeling.  It's called "Love What Is" and begins with a short intro before moving into the meditation itself.  (Even if you aren't into yoga or meditation--I can barely sit still for a full minute--just reading this passage slows my breathing down...)

When you are going through a difficult time, sometimes nothing you do to solve your problems seems to help.  You struggle, but the changes don't come. Can you stop struggling for a moment and recognize the goodness in the life you have right now?  Try this centering practice for 3 to 5 minutes to open to the beauty of your life exactly as it is.

Take a very deep breath in
and a very slow breath out.

Sit up very straight. Notice
that as your spine lengthens,
your heart opens.

Now breathe into the space
of an open heart--feel into
the space of an open heart.

A heart that is empty, a heart
that holds the whole world.

Breathe into a heart that
can hold the whole world.

Feel into a heart that can
hold the whole world.

Breathe into the sweetness
of this moment.

Feel into the sweetness of
this moment.

Allow yourself to be whole-
heartedly alive and well
in the life you have, now.

-Rolf Gates

A few minutes of meditation... calming the body, clearing the mind, breathing into the soul... the words are a mix of prayer and poetry to me (that's why I broke up the meditation into separate lines as it was laid out in the magazine, even if the breaks were not intentional).  I think that's why I love yoga--the words, those spoken aloud and those silently lived out.  Yoga combines the movement of the body and the breath, while tapping into the mind and soul.

Last night, I went to a free Yoga in the Park session in Oz Park, hosted by Lululemon.  It was a beautiful night--the day gradually darkened to dusk as we moved through our practice, grass beneath our mats, our collective gaze looking to the sky.  As summer slowly slips away, last night was a chance to drink it in.  It felt good to live, to love what is.