calming my mind.

I'm not much for the yoga selfie. My husband sneakily snapped this photo while we were on a hike...in the beautiful Dades Gorge in Morocco. What you don't see, is what's going on behind me. Both of my kids are climbing up a huge rock with the help of our guide. It's horrifying to me. Truly. I couldn't look...I tried to take some deep breaths...but nothing seemed to help.See...this is them, with Yousef, our guide.Then, I figured that I could do a mini-practice. A few standing poses, and my mind could let go of what my kids were doing, and focus on how my own body could get in to a trikonasana pose. I had a few factors to contend with: large gravel, uneven surface, chilly temperature, jeans (stretchy, but still jeans!), a big unwieldy sweater, a week of not practicing, no sticky mat, and a brain-full of nonsense (ie, "what if they fall", "how is an ambulance going to get up here", "what's the number to the medi vac", "IS there a medi vac?").I found that all I really needed to do was take a posture, focus on my breath, feel the fresh air wash over me, and be completely in the moment...I was in an amazingly beautiful spot, with my wonderful family, and could fit 5 minutes in for yoga. Inhale. Exhale.The "what-ifs" left, my kids made it off the rock just fine, and I could be at ease the rest of our hike. Inhaling. Exhaling.“If you have fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is anything you can do about it. If you can, there is no need to worry about it; if you cannot do anything, then there is also no need to worry.” - His Holiness The Dalai Lama