And what can feel tricky is that of course there are yoga poses and things and people in this life that really aren't the best fit for us. But when you stay plugged into your intuition about what really feels right for you, when you stay open enough to be willing to try out just this one little shift…you can have those breakthroughs. You don't need to wait for some gigantic shift in outer circumstances to break through your inner barriers.

But there's an alternative to this stress-inducing, actually counter-productive type of "time management": To tune into your inner energy in a given moment and let it guide you in the most appropriate-for-this-moment action to take next.

But when we stop taking our "small s self" so seriously, our "capital S Self” reminds us it's been there all along. And the (capital S) Self is constant. It's whole and centered and perfect and at ease, and its wholeness depends not one ounce on concepts or circumstances. It just is.

Our tendency is generally to try to "fix" our way back into balance once we realize we've fallen out (and we of course have to be fortunate/willing enough to have the awareness to notice that we've wandered from center ground to even do that). But balance is actually our natural resting place.

With too little awareness and intention, we stay stuck in the same place. With too much force, we bulldoze right past the present moment. But when you hit it just right, you get to hang in that ease-y space, where it feels like you're being magically supported. You know when you've hit that sweet spot because the effort suddenly doesn't feel like work.

The ability of a consistent mindfulness practice to enhance our physical and emotional wellbeing, among a long list of other benefits, is truly profound. And ultimately most profound in its ability to open us up to the reality of how inextricably interconnected all beings are, and the love and compassion that gets uncorked with that clear seeing.