Yesterday I went to yoga. I hadn’t been there in two or three weeks. Summer’s been busy, I’d been lazy, or just needing a break from weekly yoga, and it was a little hard to convince myself to get my buns in gear and go back, yesterday. My friend Molly had suggested we do the beginner and the intermediate classes back-to-back (we usually just do the intermediate class) and I thought, “Why not! That will be a good way to jump back into it. The beginner class will be like an extended warm-up.”

And it was a good idea, although the beginner class was a bit more involved than I had thought. But all the same, after the two classes my body felt flexed and stretched and happy.

After the first class, a woman who is a rep for an essential oil company passed out cooled cloths with lemongrass oil on them, and rubbing the cloth on my face and arms was a serious, sensual treat. So lovely.

And in between the classes I stepped outside the studio and got some fresh air. It felt really good, to just stand on the sidewalk and look at the traffic on Commercial Street, and up at the sky, before going back inside to stretch and flex some more.

I’m mulling things over to write a post about my new job, but I’m giving it a bit more time — til the end of this week — to really settle. There’s a lot to mull — the Horizon Achievement Centre is a pretty moving and different place to spend my workdays. I’ll share more thoughts soon.

And when I got home last night I heard the news about Robin Williams’ death. That certainly gave me pause for thought and reflection. There is talk that Robin Williams was fighting depression, and that he committed suicide. The pain he must have been in, the pain anyone is in, when suicide becomes an option, it breaks my heart to think about. Treatment of mental health has come a long way, but there is still work to be done, to break apart the stigma, and to allow people with mental health issues to feel welcome and whole in our society. I know this keenly, quite personally, as I’ve fought and sometimes still fight depression and anxiety.

So in the days after Robin Williams’ death, let’s flex and stretch our hearts, and practice open-hearted compassion towards one another. Everyone is fighting some inner battle. Love can do wonders.