Today has been a mix of emotions. Driving in for the early a.m. practice, I listened to some of the tributes of 9/11. Although that day is 10 years past, I can still remember the feeling, the horror, and complete sadness of it. One particular visceral image that will stay in my heart, I imagine forever, is the sight of my son, on his 1st birthday, "navigating" through all the balloons for his birthday party - getting tangled up in them, tripping and giggling with delight, and in the background, the TV broadcasting the burning towers while my mother and I watched the events unfold wondering where my husband was (he was boarding a plane at the time.)

A complete mix of emotions for me; pure joy and delight and gratitude on one hand, mixed with heartbreak, fear, and horror...and...confusion on the other. How was this happening even possible? I know this is nothing compared to what others went through on this day, nothing. But it is that mix of emotions I can tap into instantaneously that brings me back to the surreal-ness of 9/11. It is that mix of emotions that brings up tears of gratitude, sadness, and heartache all over again. It's also this mix of emotions which had me pretty raw for class today and gifted me 3 predominant awarenesses...

1st Awareness - Remembering, honoring, and celebrating: Remembering 9/11 (or any sad event for that matter), honoring those who were lost and those who were so heavily impacted, and not only celebrating the lives of these people, but celebrating our own lives and all we have to be grateful. What I was aware of this a.m. was the flag for me to check in with myself in living the life I want, having the impact I want to have with that life, and for me, today, putting an extra important point on nurturing my relationships. It's unfortunately awful things that happen that can remind us of how important it is to live each day fully, contribute to life positively, appreciate the little things, and basically to not "sweat the small stuff." Of course, this is common sense right? I think the question, and art, comes in how often we truly engage with this idea - and act upon it. I know this is true for me.

2nd Awareness - Staying: Most of the postures in Bikram Yoga are "compression postures" which most often means you're tucking your chin deep into your neck/chest. There's one in particular today that I found myself saying "no, I'm done, I don't want to tuck it in anymore, I can't breathe, it hurts, I'm dizzy, I'm done" (and we were only on the first set of the first side.) Moment of truth - stop, untuck, give up...or stay, tuck in more, push through. I chose the later - which I'm glad for, and in that moment of staying, I had the recognition of how much that is like business and life. Where are you being asked to "tuck the chin and hold the posture" in service of growing your business, a relationship, or your life? It's easy to stop/give up when it gets uncomfortable, but if we stay and push through, the impact can be that we get further faster and work through whatever "comfort zone" had us stopping in the first place. *Quick little disclaimer note here: Of course I share these things/aha's with you knowing that you will be responsible for your own health, get medical clearance before you embark on an exercise program, and listen to your own body and wisdom and business knowledge as you work your own "practice" (whether that practice is in business/life/health/etc.) After all, sometimes it's time to stop, take a pause, and take care of yourself - and sometimes it's right to push through...Use your own wisdom, after all, you are your best guru.

3rd Awareness - Authentic Emotion: The power and importance of authentic emotion. Not a lot to say here, just a fine point on how key it is to allow ourselves to fully experience the emotions we experience - no matter what they are, how old they are, or how pretty or ugly they are. For that is how we fully process and experience our lives, and that is how we go to the next level.

Have a beautiful Sunday.