Each day we are alive is a new beginning, just as every time we step onto our yoga mat to tune into our self and move through yoga practice is a unique experience. Some days we are very energetic, connected with our breath and our body that it feels wonderful to be right where we are, in the present moment, bringing peace and harmony to our entire being. Does it feel like this every time we practice? To be honest, no! There are those days when we have no interest in doing yoga, believe me I have those kind of days. Let me tell you, it's okay, we are all human and there is no need to feel bad if you have a day or days where you don't practice yoga. Your body lets you know what it needs and the best thing we can do is listen and be open to what is and honor what feels good for you on any given day.

A book that I refer to often and use when I teach yoga class is A Path with Heart, A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life by Jack Kornfield. One of my favorite passages and quotes by Ram Dass as he describes the cycles of spiritual life from his book Be Here Now:

"Practice is like a roller coaster. Each new high is usually followed by a new low. Understanding this, it makes it a bit easier to ride with both phases. . . There is in addition to the up-and-down cycles an in-and-out cycle. That is, there are stages at which you feel pulled into inner work and all you seek is a quiet place to meditate and get on with it, and then there are times when you turn outward and seek to be involved in the marketplace. Both of these parts of the cycle are a part of one's practice, for what happens to you in the marketplace helps in your meditation, and what happens in your meditation helps you to participate in the marketplace without attachment. . . At first you will think of practice as a limited part of your life. In time you will realize that everything you do is part of your practice."

Change comes to our lives not only from shifts in our inner needs, but also from shifts in our external circumstances. The nature of existence, the Buddha taught, is ceaseless transformation. How can we find a way to focus these natural cycles of life in spiritual practice? First, we must respect the changing cycles that life brings us and accept the inner tasks they bring. In this way, our spiritual growth can develop naturally along with them.

"If we have ideas about how our practice should unfold, these will often get in the way, preventing us from honoring the phase that is actually with us."