Winner, Winner, Vegan Dinner

Inspiration comes in many forms and recently it crossed my path (or computer) in a string of emails that sang out the praises of yoga.  I wasn't prepared for the depth of the comments so I was thrilled I had the wisdom of other yoga students who surround me to help make this call.


The contest called for the best comment to the question, " When did you realize that you were a true yogini?"  In retrospect I would have refrained from using the word best.  What I discovered was there was a comment that spoke to the majority of my team who read them.


The winner was Elizabeth from Prior Lake, MN (added bonus - very close to the new Athleta store opening in the Mall of America next week).  Her comment gave a glance at how she's uses yoga off the mat.  In her case, as a teacher working with middle school students, she shared her understanding of how breath work offsets test anxiety in her classroom.  When I emailed to find out where to send the gift cards, she wrote this: "Middle schoolers are growing and changing fast; they need to learn to manage stress and diffuse anxiety. A quick and easy way to do this is through the breath. My hope is that by teaching them breathing exercises in my class they can adapt to other situations in and out of school."


Thank you Elizabeth for teaching the benefits of yoga to a new generation and thanks to all who commented. In conclusion I have to share my favorite Rumi quote which seems to very applicable to all of the experiences that you shared with us: "Let the beauty of what you love be what you do."

Namaste.