Good morning! Tiki here, this week with a message about how important it is to be patient and compassionate with your own body.

You see, over the weekend my mommy and I were out enjoying a fun game of frisbee (of course, we were using a tiny, Tiki-sized frisbee - you have to know your boundaries!). As I was jumping to make a beautiful catch of the mini-frisbee, I pulled my hamstring. Now this was very frustrating to me because I'm an active little dog, and I'm used to being able to run around as much as I like, and this injury was keeping me from doing that. But I listened to my body and realized that I needed to be patient with myself and give my hamstring some rest so that it could heal.

From all the classes I've observed, I've learned that some of you have injuries that you're working through, too. I understand how frustrating it can be, and how we tend to feel like we're failing at yoga because we're not able to do some of the poses we once could. Even though the injury is temporary, we tend to want to push through it and force it to heal on our own time table. But sometimes we need to ease off, be patient with ourselves, and allow our bodies to heal. I had to take a little break from running and catching frisbees, and when I did give my body that rest and didn't try to push through the pain, my little hamstring started feeling much better.

So this week, remember to have compassion for yourself. Remember to be patient and mindful of your body when you're working through an injury, whether it's a physical injury, or the emotional kind, as well. Remember to listen to your body and not force your yoga practice or your frisbee-catching. Part of the beauty of yoga is learning to let go and completely accept ourselves exactly as we are - there is amazing peace and healing that occurs when we do that. Have a wonderful, compassionate week, and remember to listen to your body so you can allow it to heal on all levels.

Namaste,
Tiki