Take time for two things today

I was thinking about everything that has changed, all that we've lost, and the progress we are working towards. Lately, it's been challenging to keep going. But I recognize the beauty of being anchored, and the practices that hold me.

This morning I led a meditation about breath as a vital part of the ecosystem that sustains us and all living things. How the moment we are born, people are anxious to see us breathe. At the moment of our first breath there is celebration and joy and love. So why then, as we grow and age, are so many of us are robbed of that once-celebrated breath? I have theories and teachings to explain why. But none of this knowledge makes the reality any better, any lighter.

So I ask you to commit to two things today:

1. Breathe for more than yourself today. Dedicate your breath to someone who needs it. Someone near to you or a complete stranger.

2. Take time for your personal reflection on the state of things if you feel resilient enough to do this. Sit with the feelings that arise, and breathe a little deeper.

This time last summer, we were planning on meeting at the park. We were even several weeks into our Yoga in The Battery sessions. It was our sixth summer of meeting there in the green grass, overlooking the water's edge at the tip of Manhattan.

This time last summer, we were coming and going just as we pleased. We were worried about showing up a few minutes late, we were annoyed that we forgot to bring a mat that day, we were slick with sweat from the pre-yoga jog around The Battery.

I miss this time last summer. And much has changed since this time last summer.

As a gift to you, to find a bit of nostalgia and to explore a new setting for your practice, I invite you to join me just as you did last summer, in a yoga practice. Choose either the Wednesday evening option or the Weekend On-Demand option and use code YITB-TY for half off. Reserve your space.

I spent time in my neighborhood in Maria Hernandez Park on Saturday. It felt fortifying and nourishing to lay on a blanket, drink cha, eat tamales, and play chess. I offer you this gift in the hopes that you can also go outside for practices that feel both refreshing and new andreminiscent of this time last summer.

Warmly,

x

Tejal

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