Happy Tuesday to all. It’s day two of my 30 day yoga challenge, and as I step onto my mat I’m contemplating perspective. My practice begins with setting intentions, and each day I do 10 sun salutations. Afterwards, I may or may not practice savasana. I’m having issues with my toes, so I cannot roll them as I transition from up dog to down dog. Melissa from Melissa Bender Fitness told me yoga is not about rolling your toes, and for me to personalize and modify my practice to make it my own. 

This brings me to perspective as I muse my bodies strengths and limitations. A year ago I was visiting friends in Los Angeles, and I had lunch with one of my dearest friends. She was in recovery from surgery for a brain tumor. The doctors told her recovery would be weeks, but it was much longer and definitely much more challenging. She’s a dancer and Pilates instructor, and she showed up to physical therapy with self-pity because her life had radically changed. She walks with a cane and her body has spasms and tremors. She looked around physical therapy and realized she was the only person in the room who had all of her limbs, and she told me it taught her perspective. Very deep and enlightening.  I was in awe of her strength and resilience, and the fact she was able to learn something from the terrible ordeal of brain surgery. 

Today another friend of mine posted almost the exact experience, physical therapy after an ankle injury and how she noticed a man with artificial limbs in the room, she even hashtagged the same exact word, perspective.

Her story parallels the story from my other friend, and I realized this is a life lesson. A lot of us go through life, we start our fitness journeys with self loathing, or we are not content where we are in life. We constantly compare our progress to others. We look at others and sometimes we feel inadequate, the comparing game is very dangerous to your own personal fulfillment and happiness. It’s ok to look to others to gain inspiration, but not to make you feel any less. You are more than enough. 

These stories teach us to be happy in the present moment, and to understand our journey is unique to only us. We all should be grateful to be alive and to experience  whatever opportunities we have each and every day as we awaken. The person who doesn’t have limbs may be grateful they lived to see another day, and survived whatever it was that brought them to where they are today. 

Contemplate perspective each and every day and be present in this moment now, setting your intentions beginning with gratitude. It’s definitely very enlightening when we shift our negative thoughts into positive ones, choosing happiness despite the journey of life’s rocky roads. Just be sure to step over the rocks and move forward with perspective and self-love. Happy brand new beginnings to all, after all each day is a brand new beginning.