Transform

Have you read THE ISLAND AT THE CENTER OF THE WORLD? It’s a thrill-a-minute history of New York City, and it’s about nothing so much as my adopted hometown’s ability to rebuild itself.

On this day, as I prep for a month there, I’m struck by how it attracts those who wish to transform. Yoga is like that. Never allowing us to forget who we are—we are grounded in these physical bodies and that won’t change—yet urging us to transform. —-

Here is a picture from a workshop I taught at the fabulous @thebodyelectricyoga It’s students in a restorative buddha konasana, and I chose it for two reasons. The first is that it’s also known as butterfly pose, and no creature is more emblematic of change than that.

The second is because it’s a restorative pose. Like the butterfly, we need to pause and reflect in order to move forward. I spent much of 2013 in this mode, ready to go out and give it my all on my book tour. Just when I thought things were about to normalize, mom finally ended her 7 year battle with cancer. The changes, they don’t stop coming. The trick is to learn to be grateful for them.

When I finally started restorative practices, I found I had more to give. When we’re at peace in ourselves, we can ride the waves of transformation instead of getting water stuck in our ears and noses.

Put another way, you know how New York doesn’t apologize for being exactly who it is? Isn’t that kind of your favorite thing about it? You know what, it’s also my favorite thing about you.

#neverforget #restorativeyoga #nyc #inspiration #liveauthentic#radlife #amreading #amwriting #yogallk #butterflypose

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