I don’t know about you, but I feel like we just started 2023. It has gone by so quickly. As I age, it seems as if time has increased its pace!

Many of my students and friends have recently expressed negative thoughts about aging. At 54, I have to admit that I have had those thoughts as well. I know...those of you who are in your 70s, 80s, and 90s are probably rolling your eyes when those of us who are younger say we are having a hard time accepting the physical signs of age:)

In Sutra II.6 Patanjali explains that Asmita, the distorted sense of self, is common to everyone if you identify with the parts of yourself that change -- your mind, your body, your profession -- instead of focusing on the quiet place within you that never changes.

According to Patanjali, the more connected we are with the very inner layer of our being, the core of our being, the unchanging Self, the less we suffer from the inevitable changes of the non-Self. This ability to discern what is your true Self from what is not, to connect with that authentic Self, and to act as often as possible from that quiet, knowing place, is the key to feeling better. Yoga practice can help us achieve this.

My yoga practice has given me the tools necessary to focus on my true Self rather than identifying with my changing physical self. This is not always easy, but when I get on my mat, breathe, and stay present, I am able to find the peace and quietude, the Self that is never changing.

Come start your New Year and learn how to accept change and connect with your authentic self!

~ Namaste!