Day 16 | Believe It or Not

Back in 2009, I was practicing Ashtanga yoga—a physically demanding style that some scoffed was really designed for nine-year-old boys. It required a lot of strength, flexibility, and dedication. The current of ujjayi breath would fill the room, creating a beautiful, grounding practice space.

I was doing a Mysore style at a studio in Silverlake, where there were no cues being called. You arrived anytime between 6 and 10 a.m. and just started. It was like row, row, row your boat—but with yoga. In that practice, I discovered something profound: the asana practice—the poses themselves—were not the ultimate goal. They were designed to prepare us to sit and meditate.

This brings us to two of the oldest teachings in yoga, the first two sutras of Patanjali, dating back to around 200 BCE. The first sutra says simply: “Yoga is now.” It’s an invitation to be present, right here, right now.

The second sutra says: “Yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind.” Even thousands of years ago, humans wrestled with mental chatter—long before Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg came on the scene with their smartphones and social media, stirring up the waves of our minds.

We as humans, naturally create patterns, beliefs, and stories—many rooted in negativity. But the good news? Our brains have neuroplasticity — we are not so fixed as it sometimes seems. With meditation, journaling, and gratitude, we can recognize these patterns, release what no longer serves us, and actively choose how we experience life.

JOURNAL

  • What is the dominant narrative you currently tell yourself about your life?

  • In what ways has this narrative shaped your beliefs and actions?

  • If you released this belief, what might you gain—or lose?

  • How can you see a challenging experience from a new perspective?

  • What strengths and lessons have come from your setbacks?

MEDITATE

  • Join me on Insight Timer! Here you will find ‘Breath of Gratitude’ - A guided meditation to help anchor you to gratitude in a visceral way. I will be posting more meditations here soon!

I love you, Keep going!

Alex

p.s. Tomorrow’s Practice - Wednesday 9:00am - Tapping into your Intuition in Flow - this is definitely the most important class to come to, y’all!