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I'm grateful for my new glasses, for my Hogwarts shirt, for my cats, my kids, my home... grateful for so many things.

That doesn’t stop me from having panic attacks on an almost daily basis. But when anxiety overwhelms me, I try not to let it take over all day.

Yoga helps. A lot.

I used to teach yoga, and have been putting some videos together to share this practice that helps us to breathe, to stretch, and to find a sense of calm amidst chaos.

Here are two options for you. The first one you can do right now, at your desk or chair.

7-Minute Yoga Practice

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This first video is a simple, do-anywhere yoga session that takes less than seven minutes.

You don’t even have to get on the floor. No yoga mat required.

I filmed this many years ago, at the height of my teaching career in my favorite studio, wearing my most fun yoga pants ever. Yesterday, I edited the footage into this 7-minute video to make it easy to fit a stretch-and-breathe session into even the busiest day.

Home Yoga Workout – Core Focus

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This video is recent, and is basically my morning routine. It focuses on foundational core stability and body-weight exercises to build strength, as well as offering a deep full-body stretch.

Please modify each pose however you need for your body. I suggest alternative options throughout the session, but always do what feels right for you.

Money, Grief, and Gratitude

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Like many others, my partner was laid off from his job and my family has lost its main source of income.

If you enjoy my yoga videos, please consider donating as you would for a community class. Any amount is appreciated. https://www.paypal.me/katrinaariel

If money is tight, I ask that you pay the kindness forward in some other way, even if it’s just being kind to yourself. That’s super important, too!

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There’s a sense of collective grief right now, and I think it’s important to acknowledge.

I’m grieving for strangers. I’m grieving for the world. I’m grieving the fact that I was hoping to get these videos started in order to raise money to foster or adopt a rescue dog. I had other plans and now everything is on hold. Or cancelled.

And so it is. Yoga is about flow. About doing your best but remembering that the outcome might be different than what you envisioned.

I keep coming back to trusting in the universe, in my soul’s perspective, knowing that this, too, shall pass. Ultimately, I’m not in control.

This added stress of losing our income isn’t awesome, but we’re getting work done on the house and I keep counting my blessings. We live in Canada, and out in the country where there’s plenty of fresh air and space to roam. We have a stocked pantry and a warm house. I have a few seeds planted and am looking forward to making more gardens and cold frames this spring and summer.

I’m grateful for so much. For my family, for my home, for my friends, for my yoga practice that helps me remember to center into the here and now.

Gratitude is a powerful practice. What are you grateful for?

Whatever happens, keep singing your song!

Peace. @katrina-ariel

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Author bio: Katrina Ariel is an old-soul rebel, musician, tree-hugging yogini, and mama bear to twins. Author of Yoga for Dragon Riders (non-fiction) and Wild Horse Heart (romance), she's another free-spirit swimming in the ocean of life. Check out her books and music here: http://www.katrinaariel.com

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