July 4th - Honor your Independence!

Happy July 4th - America's Independence Day!

How lucky we are for July 4th to land on Friday this year - the perfect day to kick off the weekend - with BBQs, friends and family, perhaps a vacation day from work, and tonight - fireworks!

I'm teaching a yoga class this morning - my only piece of work for the day - Actually, I picked up one of my best friend's at the airport this morning at 5:45 - She flew in from Seattle for the weekend - she's been napping, so I've been enjoying the peace and quiet during the a.m. downtime. We have big plans today to catch up, go to a pool party and have a girls night.

Before all the fun festivities begin, I thought I'd connect the celebration of today with our "self" journey of independence.

Maybe you're just beginning an exercise routine like aerobics, yoga, running, cycling. Maybe you're contemplating adding exercise into your life. Maybe you are a regular practicioner of some sort of mind-body practice. My wish for you today is think about the sense of independence your mind-body practice can give you.

Wherever you are, and I'll use an old yoga philosophy here, start where you are. Again, whether you're an athlete, a yogi, an on-again-off-again exerciser, or a self-described couch potato, start where you are. Know that a mind-body movement practice can help you tune into your sense of autonomy, of wisdom, of intuition.

Think about your movement practice as a channel to dig deeper into your life experience - to become more familiar with recognizing your inner messages - physically, emotionally, spiritually. While this "digging deeper" can be a little scary for some people because it can bring up a flood of buried feelings never touched, the endorphins released from movement will elevate your mood enough, and essentially strengthen you enough, to be able to move forward, to gain a sense of self that wants to explore more, that can handle whatever waves of emotion come your way.

How does this tie into July 4th and Independence Day? Think about independence - what words or feelings pop up? Strong, all-knowing, steady, grounded, wise. At least, those are the words that come to my mind. I hope you can find this sense of strength - to know your heart's desires, your next step, when to say yes and no, when to want more, when to be okay with what you've got, when to bend and flex, when to plant yourself where you are.

While this strength starts from your inner experience, it can also mean inviting others along for the ride. The independence I'm defining here starts with your self, but then the lessons and wisdom you gain from loving yourself will allow you to be with others, to seek guidance from others, to teach others, to love others along your journey.

So, Happy Independence Day - My hope is for us all to continue to dig deeper, to strive for peace, to reach for fun and joy, to move through all the feelings, to honor the connection within your body and soul to live a strong, safe, peaceful, inspiring, deep and truthful life.

Let your light (or fireworks!) shine brightly today!