Perhaps some variation of this 
scenario is familiar to you… on a walk in the woods in early Spring you come across a gently moving brook and decide to capture the sound and image for later. You find just the right spot, you settle in, enjoying the peaceful interlude while you record and…bam…the dog shows up, wanders across the stream, makes noise & ruins your perfect shot. Serenity interrupted. But is it really an interruption or is it just an extension of life, as it naturally exists? How do you respond to such events? Do you keep your cool and find the humor in the situation or does it completely throw you off?
Mindfulness practices like yoga and meditation help us not to avoid these challenges- the unexpected interruptions, the breaks in our plans, the noise in our silence- but to accept them with evenness and as a part of the inescapable, vibrant fabric of life. These practices are designed to help us to cultivate a calm, even mind when we are seated peacefully on a cushion in the corner of a quiet room or poised gracefully on a mat in a sunlit studio AND to allow us to take that sense of equanimity off of the cushion and off our yoga mat out into the world where it is noisy, chaotic and disruptive and sometimes negative and upsetting. Our practice is the dress rehearsal for the main event…life. Every time we find humor in falling out of a yoga pose, gently bring our attention back to the breath when our minds wander and celebrate an unexpected accomplishment in our practice, we are strengthening the pathways within ourselves to handle the unexpected with grace, to show ourselves and others compassion when we wander, and to rejoice in our magnificence. Because the truth is that serenity interrupted and life unfolding often look remarkably similar.
Sign-up today for the Community Library for access to a rotating library of recorded yoga and meditation classes designed to support your desire to live soulfully; always free and open to everyone!