Its Summer. It's hot. It's very hot... This is the best time to enjoy vacations close to or far away from home, it is time to cool off at the ocean or a lake, enjoy some mountain breeze, explore new cities or stay at home on a staycation. It is an Olympic Summer afterall as well... :)
I had a great time this past month enjoying a little bit of staycation with my niece who was visiting from Hungary. Yes, we visited the ocean and NYC as well, but the greatest was to be a tourist again in Washington DC. I knew I love this town with passion... But when you run your day-to-day life, it is sometimes hard to appreciate all that our city can offer. There are the museums, the National Mall, the various neighborhoods, the great restaurants, parks, the shops, and of course the Potomac and the Kennedy Center. And lets not forget about the DC Duck :)
Seeing the city through the eyes of my niece was a wonderful experience. And as I was sitting down to write this August musing, I kept making a comparison of being a tourist in my town, seeing things with fresh eyes to having a beginner's mind on my mat when I practice yoga. For those of us who have been practicing yoga for a long time, we take things for granted at times. My Warrior II is just perfect, I can hold my inversion for minutes, and I can sit in meditation for quiet a while. So what else? But at times it is so wonderful to come to the mat and look at my practice with a beginner's mind. I love taking different level classes, different styles and meet new teachers as I always learn something new. Just like seeing the Capital Building at nite, all angles seem different, I enjoy rediscovering nuances about asanas, sequences or philosophical teachings.
Afterall, our practice is always changing because we change. We are more stressed, less stressed, happy, sad, dealing with an injury, having babies, or simply getting older :)
This August observe and explore something new about yourself and your practice. Keep a beginner's mind when you come to the mat, and even if something is presented to you in a slightly different way than what you are used to, give it a chance to surprise you. Just like seeing our beautiful city from the river from a DC Duck, find lots of twinkles and hidden gems in your Summer practice.
