Harmony - A Practice On and Off the Mat

Sometimes we trip up. We fall out of sync. We lose our sense of balance because we’re not here in the now - present and focused. We’re distracted - attached to memories that can’t rewrite our histories, or thinking ahead about what’s going to happen that won’t secure our futures. Sometimes we take the wrong next step. Life is a practice toward living in harmony with what was, what is, and what’s hoped for.

Yoga is a practice where sometimes we trip up attempting to position our bodies. We fall out of sync with the flow. We lose our sense of balance while holding our Eagle Pose or Dancer Pose for one more breath cycle because it’s uncomfortable to be tangled, stretched, and wobbly. We lose our focus or “drishti” to flow and embrace the present challenge. Sometimes we take the wrong next step because we get distracted and didn’t hear the instructor’s cues or just chose not to listen.

Falling in and out of balance is my life’s experience. I’m wired for discovery and my curiosity can often get the best of me, AND also be the best for me. I know this is why teaching and practicing yoga is my passion. I crave inner harmony to keep me on course when my creative spirit for “more,” takes me on a scenic detour. I like Oprah Winfrey’s statement, “Mistakes are God’s way of saying, ‘EXCUSE ME. You’re moving in the wrong direction.’” Living in harmony in theory is simple - avoid anything that betrays who you are.

Yoga is a slice-of-life practice toward living in harmony with what was, what is, and what’s hoped for. That slice? Your 3’ x 6’ mat where you get to practice how to control and harness your energy to remain on course with your True North. There’s a lot going on energetically in your Mountain Pose if you surrender to its intention for you. As in life, yoga poses challenges that can help you feel balanced by perfecting your wobble, feel stronger by discovering your edge, and can help define what you believe about who you are, what you think about your present situation, and what you can change to achieve what you want as you strive for more.

Really? Yoga can help me think better? My answer - Downward Facing Dog. Stop thinking with your @$$! This pose can help clarify your mind. By positioning the root and primal base of your spine higher than your more evolved energy centers along your central nervous system, impulsive and reactive behaviors become refined, tempered, thoughtful and inspired.

Every cell of our composition holds energy and information. Every cell contains our histories - experiences, feelings, recorded by our 5 senses and scripted through our central nervous system since conception. When we move and breathe in a yoga practice, we generate and flow this energy awakening our life force known as “prana.”

Karen Cutrona Turner Yoga Harmony Flow

The stuff of my life moves me both in and out of sync. I am informed on so many levels by my yoga practice. I once heard my first yoga mentor, Deva Parnell say, “Your yoga mat mirrors your life.” What??! Well, many years have since passed and I’ve practiced yoga long enough now to understand and reap the value of this statement. Yoga provides a way for the language in your body to communicate authentically with your mind and spirit. Sometimes this body-mind-spirit communication is in harmony. Sometimes it isn’t. Either way, there’s value derived from that time spent on your mat in knowing when you’re in sync, and when you’re not. We only know, appreciate and can restore our sense of balance when we’ve fallen out of it.

This holiday season, take time to be still. Feel grounded. Rather than growing your to-do list, ask yourself what you want from your next 60-minute investment. Listen for your cues. Then employ your intentions. Will them to work for you on your yoga mat which is a great test pad for taking productive actions that will ignite your mind, body and spirit and fuel your personal and professional life.

“The two most important days in your life -

the day you were born and the day you discovered why.”

Steve Harvey

While I’m all about inspiring others to keep moving and breathing, it’s the practice of stillness and inner inquiry that makes moving and breathing on your yoga mat, and in your day-to-day life, all the more valuable.

Enjoy creating harmonious and valuable moments alone, and with loved ones this holiday season.