wellness .

via nytimes

One of the great things about doing Americorps at Oregon State is that I was given a membership to the school gym, and only had to pay for a pass for unlimited classes. Thus, I have been able to go to a yoga class twice a week after work, and sometimes over my lunch hour on Mondays & Wednesdays.

{ i love it }

When so much of our days surround what has to get done, who you have to call, the email you have still yet to respond to (and on and on the list of things to do goes), it is so wonderful to be able to consciously pause it all. There is a sense of wellness that gets lost in the busyness of the day. The practice of yoga, while being so good for your body in terms of flexibility, strength, posture,  energy, and more, is so complementary to an overall wellness of being. Being able to focus on your breathing (which is completely in tuned to how we carry stress), and to focus on simply being, does so much for the health of the mind. There is a value to the philosophy of being aware of and connected to your body, taking the time to quiet your mind, and focus on a holistic wellness that can be found in yoga. It has become something I really look forward to. It has made me feel so much healthier and stronger, and also rolls into other things like focusing on eating better, as well.

Even if yoga isn't your thing, I find it so beneficial to take a short time out in your day just to still your mind, take notice of appreciation for life and your surroundings, and focus on breathing deeply.
All the craziness can wait, for a bit.

" live quietly in the moment and see the beauty of all before you. the future will 

take care of itself. " -paramahansa yogananda (autobiography of a yogi)