06/19/2026
These are the moments our practice is truly for. No performance, or punishment, no trying to fix what’s not broken.
I found myself late to a wedding, broken down at a rest stop 170 miles from home with no immediate solution. Tears came, frustration, and frantic hope for an easy fix. Then the practice of gratitude for what had gone right. The people and family who came to our aid, my husband getting us safely into a rest stop before the car completely died, or it being a beautiful sunny day.
Our best solution (thank you father in law!! ❤️) was coming but we’d have 2 hours to wait. Feeling unsure, uprooted, and testy (albeit immensely grateful), I wondered how I could pass the time that wouldn’t involve taking out my frustration on Taylor.
Then I remembered that I always have a yoga mat in my car.
I found the perfect spot underneath this beautiful tree. As I practiced my sun salutations, the wind was quite strong, and I felt myself wobble in mountain pose. I told myself (or the tree told me - whichever you may believe) “be unshakeable.”
At the end of my practice (guided by Adriene Mishler 🙏), I asked myself what else I needed to remind my body and mind of my unshakeable spirit, and that was headstand.
I hadn’t practiced this pose in quite some time, but I felt no ego or self doubt - only my intention: to be unshakeable like the tree. As I prepared to get into the posture, I felt the tree at my back and put all my awareness on embodying that tree.
I noticed that another person had sat down in the grass a little ways away. They began stretching there in the grass, even without a mat. This is the kind of ripple effect we can have on the world, just by showing an example of a different way out of stress.
Afterwards, teary-eyed, I noticed the little leaf barely hanging on and was reminded that it’s okay to let go of the things that aren’t serving us.
Anyway, thanks for reading all of this - and stay tuned for my next outdoor Yoga series at a rest stop near you. JK!! But maybe not 😂😂
