#Day1

#30DaysOfGiving

Starting off the 30 Day Challenge today, I decided to take my practice outside near the Observatory at Griffith Park. I hiked up with my yoga mat and found a spot that was a little bit off the path. It was one of those gifts to myself where I wasn’t sure it was really a gift. I mean, it sounds so good in my head, but did I really feel like doing yoga outside on such a beautiful day? The paradox of resisting things that I know will make me feel good still exists so I decided to challenge the resistance and do it anyway. The practice felt amazing. It was surprisingly quiet and the breath re-balanced me in a way I only find when I practice.

And then it happened.

I heard some people gathering around a picnic table nearby. And by people, I mean a family of about thirty. I heard these little voices crying out “yoga!” with an hispanic accent. I also heard them saying they were hungry. Part of me suspected they were not literally hungry for food. So often we reach for food to fill something else, a desire to connect perhaps?

So I ended up doing a little yoga ambush with a bunch of kids from ages 6-13. They don’t have yoga at their schools, but they knew what I was doing. Suddenly, they weren’t so hungry. They just wanted to learn more poses. I taught them tree pose. I taught them triangle. I taught them ujjayi breath. And they could pronounce uddiyana bandha without hesitation. They were hungry for something else. And suddenly I realized what a profound gift I had indeed given to myself.

Join the Challenge! 30 DAYS OF GIVING.

And Then This Happened...