Beginner's Mind

Beginner’s Mind: Being in the Moment

The most important way we align in life and on our mat is with the breath. For many of us upon walking into our place of Yoga, we notice the breath deepens our shoulders relax and we haven’t even unraveled our mat yet. This is why we go to Yoga. (I have a daily home practice and still I attend classes at my studio and local studios once to two times a week. Always a student, but that is a different theme for another week.) Approaching the breath by simply noticing the sensation of the air at the tip of the nostrils and the expansion of the lungs brings the practitioner out of their mind and into their whole body—all the way down to the ends of the toes.

Which brings me to your feet. Your lovely, adorable, underappreciated feet! Walk on your mat. Do you notice a texture? Does your mat feel cool or hot to the touch? Spread the toes. With the right foot, press down from the big toe mound of your foot to the inner heel of the foot, then from the pinky toe mound to the outer heel. This helps lift the main arch of your foot. Notice the power you created from the ground up. Now do the same with the left foot.

There is so much more to explore with the beginner’s mind and this is exciting. There is so much to know and discover. When we take the time to go into the space on the mat and breath and feel we get to know ourselves better. We leave class and we notice the color of the grass is a deep rich, green. We are less likely to take life for granted and to hurry through. We savor the experience. We taste our food. We celebrate everyday