If someone asked you to name one hundred things in the room that were red, you might start noticing all the little bits of red around you: a lanyard for a convention badge, a DVD box, red binding for a book, the label on a bottle of Tylenol, or the lettering on a textbook. But if you hadn’t been asked to, would you have looked for them, or even noticed them at all? Chances are, you wouldn’t have.

By changing your focus, you can do a lot to alter your perception of what is happening around you. Having a good day – and being happy! – aren’t just about having good relationships with the people around you or successfully finishing a project at work, but also about the attitude that you carry with you. Seeing the silver linings in your day is something that serves you: like a filter, you’re opening yourself up to seeing more of the goodness and positivity that fills your life.

Several weeks ago, I was asked to temporarily move to the graveyard shift at work due to lack of coverage – a change that later became permanent. Though there are some obvious downsides to working odd hours, I determined instead to look for the silver linings: taking yoga classes during the day, being able to fit swimming at the gym into my daily routine, and presenting myself as a positive and hard-working individual in my professional sphere. (Plus, I avoid the commuter traffic, and I can actually make it to the bank on a weekday!)

There will be bad days and changes in your life that are maddening, frustrating, and don’t seem much like anything except the worst possible outcome; but, can changing the lens that you look at your life with help you to see the good in what seems to be a bad situation?

Much Love and Respect,
Yvonne Law

We all have our reasons in why we do Yoga.  What initially brought us to our mat can be a doctor’s order, a Groupon deal or even a friend.  Regardless of how we find ourselves in the class room we continue to practice due to reasons of our own.  I think it is important to know why we are doing something, since making it a conscious thought will help trigger the necessary alignment of our mind, body and spirit.  I have students who tell me they come to class to de-stress, but yet I see them stress over not being able to do a certain pose, or feeling intimated by comparing their own practice with the neighboring Yogis.  “Why do you do Yoga” seems like a simple question, but it goes deep into who we are and what our priorities are.  Our Yoga practice will begin to transform once we align our actions with our intentions.  The answer to the question “why do you do Yoga” is pretty simple for me.  I looked for answers when I discovered I have Rheumatoid Arthritis.  I tried chemo drugs, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, surgery, cortisone and many more.  I found Yoga to be one medicine with absolutely no negative side effects and many positive benefits, and I like that a lot.  I try not to go to my mat for a certain pose or to look a certain way, I strive to go to my mat for good overall health.  So what brings you to your mat?