“When you arise in the morning, think of what a previous privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” ~Marcus Aurelius

My life has been both a dream come true and a living nightmare in recent months: four yoga retreats (three as teacher, one as student) and three bouts of illness, one culminating in surgery.

Mindfulness isn’t exclusive to a cross-legged, seated position. True mindfulness expands to permeate each moment. Simply being aware of and deepening our breath is magic. The dharma (truth) comes through and opens our heart in the most unexpected ways, at the perfect moment.

Let the breath breathe itself in a softening belly.

Soften the belly to receive the breath,

to receive sensation, to experience life in the body.

Today is an ideal day to start birthing something new into the world: a concept, a philosophy, a project, a song. The birth process isn’t always easy, but it is beautiful.

During the last cycle, I wrote about each of the trecenas—including a summary of the energy of each day within them. Each trecena is ruled by the energy of one of the 20 nawales of the sacred Mayan calendar.

Kame represents death, rebirth and transformation and has a deep connection to the ancestors. It is considered an auspicious and positive energy. The energy of Kame encourages us to hold our loved ones on the other side of the veil in our hearts and memories and to let go of our grief.

Put down that bag of potato chips, that white bread, that bottle of pop.
Turn off that cellphone, computer, and remote control.
Open the door, then close it behind you.
Take a breath offered by friendly winds. They travel the earth gathering essences of plants to clean.
Give it back with gratitude.

Aj is the cornstalk. It is one of the most masculine of the nawales, literally meaning “man of” and representing leadership in the realm of home, family and community. According to renowned 19th-century American writer and philosopher Emerson (1 Aj), “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.”