Take a deep breath. Concentrate. Move forward. Trust your strength. Engage everything. Gaze ahead. Be mindful of your neighbors. Move with grace. Imagine that it’s possible. Relax. Relax. Relax.

Wait, was that my yoga teacher or my life coach?

It took me a long time to realize that they’re the same person. That was quite a lightbulb that went off and it brightened every corner of my life: everything I ever needed to know, I learned on my yoga mat.

Of course, the tricky part is having the presence of mind to be able to actually translate life on the mat to life in this world. That’s the focus of my yoga practice right now: to bring that same disciple I have on the mat into my relationships at work and at home. In class, I’m always able to muster that last bit of strength to sink deeper into a pose. Now, the challenge is to bring that same strength and that same breath into difficult situations off the mat.

And maybe I’ll find that the peace I find in headstand will allow me to have peace in my mind and heart when the world is upside down.