The Yoga of Everyday Life

I try my best to keep in mind that for me the most important part of my practice happens off the mat a lot of the time. Our friends Katie and Nick, who live right in our neighborhood, had a little heating disaster in the last few days -- their furnace gave out and while they were waiting for everything to be righted, Rudy and I hustled over to help them with some wood for the fireplace and a couple of small heaters. The fireplace had a weird grate with a rather yucky blower thing in it that basically seemed to prevent making a decent fire and so Rudy pulled it out and gave them an extra grate that we had and then we all sat around the fire and had some wine and cider and talked about how sometimes really irritating events suddenly take a turn and blossom into something good. And it made me remember how our lives intertwine in wonderful ways with others and that the most important part of yoga is staying open to the present as it unfolds.