My special blog of the day...Day 1...

I decided to begin a personal yoga challenge of my own creation, and I’m calling it #365days of #livingmyyoga. I recognize that there are drawbacks to some Instagram yoga challenges, but I admit that I mostly love participating in them...not as a chance to “show off,” but because, for me, the act of taking the photos and then editing my creations is an expression of art. It’s one of the little things that make me happy. 

Life is full of little, small joys that add up to great happiness, but somehow I’ve managed to forget that. I’ve gotten away from all the little moments of joy and eventually from the bigger things that completely light up my soul. I forgot how to express the things that make me authentically me. And it shows. I have felt like a hollowed out shell walking around in an endless cycle of knee-jerk reactions. The pain of watching loved ones suffer, trying to come to grips with the impending loss of a parent, navigating through injuries and a changing body, relationships that are broken, and lots and lots of transition...well, I just seem to have lost my way in the dark for a time. But I know and am so grateful for the fact that there is always light. And I know how to find my way back. I’m a fighter, but I never realized that or gave myself credit for it until later in life.

I miss my mat. I miss the quiet space where love and purity and compassion and truth speak to me. So I’m re-dedicating myself and starting anew with this personal, daily challenge...one that will challenge me to live my yoga in every aspect of my life, every single day, not just in the asanas (physical postures). The pictures you’ll see me post will encompass hopefully ALL of what yoga is...the physical practice, the quiet reflection and meditation...finding contentment...reveling in the many joys of life...opening my heart to compassion for myself and others...cultivating self study and discipline...finding the spiritual in everyday surroundings and people...and more. I want to be mindful and aware of my inhales, exhales, and all the pauses in between—especially the pauses in between, where I can feel my human heart beating and yet sense the existence of eternity and all the limitless love and possibilities inside me at the same time. 

This is going to be me...raw, real, and honest, while striving to reclaim my life, my power, and my joy. Not to mention fulfilling my need to write and create, which for me gives me so much happiness.

If you’re reading this, thank you, and I hope you’ll stick with me on my journey.  You can follow along on Instagram at texas_yogagirl.

As always, with love...

Tammy