“Grace is a wind that is always blowing. If you really want freedom and unbounded happiness in this lifetime, set your sail now! Learn how putting your trust in Yoga’s practical and verifiable science connects you to a wisdom that never disappointments.” ~ Leonard Perlmutter

Who goes to yoga on a Friday night? I do! But Jenn’s class is so much fun–she calls it “Happy Hour” yoga, and you definitely feel more relaxed after her class than you would after a few glasses of wine. 🙂

I have really been enjoying focusing on a phrase as I practice, and for this class, it was the word “grace.” What does it mean to be graceful? For me, it was keeping the breath moving and flowing in the face of my own discomfort. It’s getting back up when falling down, but it’s also not being hard on myself for falling–grace is loving myself, exactly as I am.

But that’s difficult for me to do as I have never really been happy with my body. Overweight for most of my life, I deal with body issues on a daily basis. So when I saw my fat roll smile at me while I was in downward dog, at first, I looked at it with disgust. A few downward dogs later, I didn’t even see it–partly because I was pulling my belly in even more, and partly because I had this realization: What if that roll NEVER goes away? What then? You gotta be happy as you are now, and work towards a healthier you. And, do it with grace.

As in all of Jenn’s classes, we eventually came to navasana. But this time, instead of dreading this pose, I welcomed it; I pulled in and shone out. And you know what? It felt so easy, so effortless, even though I knew I was working. I had embodied grace–elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action.

As Jenn says at the end of Happy Hour, peace out yogis!