Why do I feel drawn to yoga? The first time that I went out on the mat at a yoga studio, I felt as if I belonged there. Even though the moves were difficult and it cost me to get into the positions, it felt as though I belonged there. The progression through the moves culminated in an intense ache in my muscles, joints and lungs. I sweated profusely. It cost me dearly to recover from each sequences, and my breathing frequently fell ut of rhythm with the movements. But when I settled into savasana at the end, I felt an overwhelming release, an opening within my torso, my trunk as if a tangle of obstacles had been cleared away by the rush of breath, blood and energy. I lay there on my back and felt a tremor surge up unimpeded from deep inside me. I felt as if I belonged there.

Since then, I have gone back to the yoga studio to find that same feeling. I never have. That's OK. But there has been something new, rewarding, surprising and unique. So I have prepared myself to be open, attentive and receptive to what yoga, my body and spirit reveals to you.

  ¶ 9:40 PM