Yoga is about making friends with life and with yourself. There is no lifestyle, no occupation, no situation that cannot be greatly enhanced by yoga. Yoga is not something that should be set apart from one’s life. Rather it should become the taproot from which the other aspects of your life are nourished and regenerated. ~Godfrey Devereaux

A colleague sent me this quote yesterday and I just love it. I feel like I posted something similar by him before – maybe even the same genius quote. Ah, bears worth repeating!

As the year comes to a close take a moment to practice your yoga off the mat through good ‘ol reflection. Yoga on the mat is powerful. Yoga off the mat is critical. It’s the icing on the cake to an asana practice. Here’s what I hope to do when my day ends in 12 hours:

1. Pull out my journal, have some tea nearby, light a candle, and your favorite tunes playing.

2. Write a “year in review” wrap-up: highlights, lessons learned, disappointments, successes, etc.

3. Write “by this day 2009 I . . .” and list what you hope to have done by this time next year: relationships, home environment, career, creativity, spirituality, exercise, diet, etc.

I find this type of reflection critical for capturing my aspirations of what is to come and honoring what has passed. Yoga off the mat. Namaste.