Where are my keys?!?!

Last week, as I got ready to leave for the studio, when I reached for my keys, they weren't in their "usual" spot.

Hmmm.....

I checked all the alternative spots - not there.

Then the rest of my house got involved in the search.  We checked everywhere that we could think of- no keys.

I decided they had to be in my car from the night before. I said my good-byes, walked to the car - no keys.

Back to to the house!  We looked again.  No keys to be found anywhere.

At this point, I HAD to leave for the studio.  There were going to be students waiting for me for class.  My Mother let me borrow her car.  One problem remained - without my keys, I couldn't get into the building or into the studio.

As I drove to studio, I called my landlord, who put me in touch with another woman who worked in the building - she was able to let me into the building & into the studio.  Class started on time & it was a great morning.

When I returned home, I looked in my car again & there were my keys.  They had fallen down beside the seat.  I had been rushed when I looked previously.

I practiced alot of yoga that morning.  As much as I wanted to get frustrated, angry & throw up my hands in defeat when I couldn't find my keys - I stayed calm, kept breathing, and stayed focused on getting to the studio to teach yoga to a great group of people.  And it was another reminder to slow down & really focus, even when it feels challenging.  (If I had done that, I would have found my keys the first time - no self-judgement, just observation).

When I left the house without my keys, I didn't really have a plan.  But I didn't get worried - with or without keys to the studio, I knew everything would be ok.  And it was.

Later that day, when I told someone what had happened, she said "I guess you had a bad morning".  Funny thing...I didn't have a bad morning.  I simply couldn't find my keys.  It could have been a big deal, but it wasn't.  And I never allowed my mood to be altered by the fact that I couldn't find my keys.  It was what it was.  And everything was ok.

This is yoga, off the mat.  This is why we practice breathing, staying calm & focused as we move in & out of challenging poses.  This is why we practice observing how our bodies & minds behave on our mats.  So that we can take that practice into our everyday lives & feel how a simple thing like loosing our keys doesn't have to turn into having a "bad morning" or "bad day".  And it is empowering to find that other people & events don't have control over how we feel & act - all of that is within our power, with practice.

You can now find my blog at the Register Citizen: http:http://www.registercitizen.com/blogs/life/