Cultivating Gratitude: How Unexpected Turns Inspire Yoga Practice On And Off The Mat September 21 2025

Biking on a Better Day!

I shelved another half-written blog after yesterday’s events. I was finishing a bike ride and, on my way to teach a yoga class at Bend Wilcox, I was hit by a truck. The driver was blinded by the sunlight and did not see me, luckily, he was going quite slowly as he turned onto the street and knocked me down. All in all, yesterday was a good experience. What? Did the accident really knock me on the head and make me crazy? Here is why I am grateful for yesterday.

Our country right now is fraught with polarization. I am filled with dismay daily at the vitriol and mean spiritedness that abounds and wonder how this could happen. When I was hit by the truck and lay in the middle of the road, within minutes I was surrounded by passersby who stopped to help. One woman brought me a sleeping bag, others offered to call my husband and son. Most of these people were complete strangers and they showed up, giving their time and their attention. Once the rescue arrived, the medics were kind, solicitous and had good humor. They coaxed me into the rescue truck and deftly checked me over and, while I seemed mostly just banged up, convinced me to go to the hospital. When my son arrived (he is a volunteer fire fighter), he told them he was surprised that they got me into their truck and they said, “yes, and she even climbed right in herself” to which Luke said, “yea, she’s tough”; they all got a good chuckle at my expense.

At the hospital, the staff was efficient, kind and professional. I was grateful for the heated blankets and the light mood. My husband Peter joined me at the hospital and when I went for X-rays, he went off for the most important errand of taking my injured bike to the bike shop (I wanted it to be ready when I am!). When it was determined that I likely did not have a concussion and while bruised and scraped I had not broken anything and my new hip was intact, I went home. Spent the day in bed just thinking mostly about how lucky I am to be alive and relatively unscathed.

So why was this such a good day? At every turn, I encountered kindness from strangers. Not one person that I saw yesterday was cranky or even aloof, without fail, everyone smiled, had a light touch, a kind word and a sense of humor. The young man who hit me (everyone is young compared to me) stayed on the scene until I was leaving in the ambulance. He kept checking on me and continued to apologize. He was blinded by the sunlight and just did not see me. When he came to the rescue to say goodbye and gave me his card, I told him this. When I had an incident 35 years ago colliding with a motorcyclist, I was distraught and self-flagellating for days. My father told me, “This is why this is called an accident, not an on purpose”. That has stayed with me since, and I fervently hope it sticks with him. It was an accident, and we do not need to assign blame for accidents. We accept and move on with grace. I am grateful.

So, this week, obviously, I am focusing on gratitude (and modifications) in our classes which I hope to be back to soon! When we come onto our mat to practice, we acknowledge what our bodies can do with gratitude. As we move through our practice, rather than getting frustrated by physical limitations, let’s marvel at the movements we can do. If we practice outdoors, we can take time to acknowledge mother nature, the sound of the birds, feel the breeze on our skin, notice the flowers and plants around us. When we practice with others we acknowledge our fellow yogis, our community with gratitude for the support and camaraderie they provide. Yoga is so much more than exercise, it is the yoking of the mind, the body and the breath and helps us navigate the world off the mat with just a bit more grace. Perhaps this week we will open our hearts and share this grace with those around us, offering kindness in small ways to those we encounter in our daily lives. I am going to live my yoga off the mat this week reminding myself of the ancient verse “Do to others as you would have them do to you". It may be a challenge, but I am going to try!

Ambulance Ride

Our Practice – Setting Intentions - Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

Cobra Pose (I loved that shirt)

As we incorporate gratitude into our practice, perhaps take a moment at the beginning of class to set an intention. Sometimes our instructors remind us, sometimes they don’t, but we can certainly weave that into our practice ourselves. When we create an intention, and focus on gratitude and expressing it, we deepen our yoga practice.

Yoga poses that can help us invoke gratitude are ones that activate and open our heart and throat chakras, usually upper body opening and back bends. These poses, like cobra, can help relieve stiffness and tension in our back, improve circulation, elevate our mood and reduce fatigue.

How to tips:

• Start in down dog and shift forward into plank, lowering down with chaturanga coming to lying flat with your pubic bone, thighs and tops of your feet are pressing into the ground.

• Slowly start to press down with your hands, straightening your arms as much as is comfortable, lifting your chest and opening your heart, lifting sternum upward.

• Shoulders roll down your back.

From here, I like to move into sphinx pose with forearms on the mat and hold that pose for a few breaths.

Meditation on Gratitude

Gratitude For The World Around Us

“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.” — John Milton, English philosopher

Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude. — A.A. Milne

Gratefulness for what is there is one of the most powerful tools for creating what is not yet there. What does gratefulness mean? It means you appreciate what is. You value, you give attention to, you honor whatever is here at this moment. — Eckhart Tolle

Nurturing with Food - Winter Squash and Apple Soup

When you need a little self care there is nothing better than soup. I did not cook this soup yesterday but we had found it in the freezer and it hit the spot for me. So comforting with its hint of cinnamon and cloves and what better time of year to find apples and winter squash. While I often make it at Thanksgiving, it is good all through the fall and winter.

https://www.rockbriarfarm.com/_files/ugd/892ff9_c9130af416064dcdac39f30c40461a4b.pdf

See you on the mat,

Namaste,

Julia Anne