Thank u

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart

If you are a regular reader, you are familiar with the fact I'm a devoted yogi. I've been practicing since I was a teenager and watch yoga morph from somewhat hippie like origins to mainstream. While I love the fact more folks are discovering it, in a lot of cases, it's a lot of women doing it to workout, work within.
Practice should start with an intention. Why are you doing it at that moment? If it's all esoteric, you can say a prayer (my favorite is Make Me a Channel of Your Peace by St. Francis of Assisi) you go through your practice and end with meditation.
Even doing my daily dozen, I start and end that way.
In fact, yoga taught me about meditation, which in turn has deepened my spiritual practices. In fact, praying the rosary is quite a highlight for me (and yes, Episcopalians pray the self same rosary as Catholics do), and the rosary is a form of meditation.
I admit I Use a lot of excuses to not meditate, and when I don't, you can tell. My tolerance level is nil, at best; ballistic as worst. It's been a challenge to make it work since I've been married. My husband & I have completely different spiritual practices, to say the least. I feel funny doing yoga or meditating around him. He has never praticed so he doesn't get it.
Yoga also introduced me to the world of natural medicine (homeopathic, auryvedic, Chinese, etc) which on a lot of levels I've found more beneficial than just popping a pill. It will not, however, cure my recurrent hernia (yes folks, humpy is back). It has helped me manage my asthma & allergies. It also has helped with a lot of other daily issues
Yoga also taught me about eating healthier. Many serious yogis are vegetarian, a lot are vegan. It's not mutually exclusive, but a serious practice lends itself to a more gentle lifestyle. I am married to a serious carnivore, with two meat free children. I am caught between. I love salmon, shrimp & shellfish too much (not to mention my bacon obsession) to completely walk away; but I know I'm the healthiest when I limit my meat intake. I do not enjoy being a short order cook, so I wish we all ate the same thing.
Yoga also taught me to focus on my own mat. It's a hard lesson, and its one I need to work on daily. I tend to look outward for approval, and I like hearing good job every now & then. But I suppose being s wife & mom should be reward enough...it's hard not to compare yourself to others.
I seemed to have it all, and I was looking great not that long ago. Then...well leylts just say I stopped eating right and working out. Around the same time, my hernia came back and I look like I did a year ago only minus my uterus and plus a 17 inch incision.
It's frustrating to say the least. I was enjoying the new me, who very quickly morphed back into the old me (like the who sang: meet the new boss, same as the old boss). I'm looking outward for reassurance (not at my own mat) and becoming frustrated that no one is really digging my scene.
So it's back to yoga 101: focus on your own mat.
Yoga has also taught me about strength and discipline. I've learned to perservere and overcome. Yoga has made me a better person. Yoga has made me, me. And that deserves gratitude.