Beginning a yoga practice? At first, it is really difficult, really challenging. So much so, that like many new students, I almost gave up. I didn’t want to stretch because I was too tight; I didn't want to open my mind because I didn't want to be wrong. It was frightening to glance through the door of yogic philosophy, to realize that everything I knew, all of the known in my life, was about to change forever. Wonderful and mysterious it beckoned me, this ever-evolving and ever-progressing journey along the unknown path.

Class after class, book after book, article after article, and yes, mat after mat (I would either forget them in class, or give them away), I felt stronger, younger and more powerful, mentally as well as physically. I had discovered a friend, a passion, a release. Then, suddenly, my past life would take me on a swirl, a detour, and I would skip class, feel too tired, or too...something. My body would cry for help, my mind would beg for peace, and the soft souvenir of the blissful sweat, quiet soul and gentle mind would remind me of what could be.

Oh, how it would welcome me back to the fold, envelop and guide me to all that is good, teaching me to recognize and respect the delicate balance of life and Self. This is the magic of yoga...and I am so glad I stuck to it.