Over the years when I've found time for yoga in my home or in our studio, where each breath and movement is an important step on my journey of self-discovery, I've noticed a perspective shift that I want to share with you: I no longer do yoga. To do yoga is to check a task off a list. It's something we can do for awhile, and then stop doing. But yoga isn't just something we do on our mats. When we think of yoga in this way, with a start and an end, we are missing so many deep lessons that yoga gives us the opportunity to take into all areas of our lives.

Instead of doing yoga, I've been embracing words like play, practice, and explore to describe my relationship with yoga. These words inject an ongoing sense of presence into the practice, transforming yoga from a discrete action I perform to something that I live, and that lives in me. Practicing yoga, like we practice soccer or calligraphy, acknowledges that we're on an ongoing journey, always learning, always evolving. When we play at yoga, the same way we play tag or at make believe, we give ourselves permission to experiment, to chuckle at our wobbles (on the mat and in life), and to celebrate our progress. Finally, to explore yoga is to dive deeply into the essence of our being, uncovering new layers of ourselves with each mindful breath and each mindful moment we come back to the present moment.

This shift in language isn't just about words; it's about approaching your practice with an open heart and an acknowledgment that yoga isn't something you do; it's something you live. It's about recognizing that yoga isn't a destination or an activity, but a winding path, unique for each of us. As we journey together, I invite you to contemplate what yoga means to you. This is an invitation to deepen your practice and to discover the boundless possibilities within.