Birthday Present

For many years now, I've started off my birthday by doing one sun salute for every year.  Despite the fact that this is getting to be A LOT of sun salutes, I still find the practice to be a nice way to mark the passage of time and reflect as I work my way through each surya namaskar. This past Sunday I was also reminded that doing so many sun salutes safely requires a great deal of mindfulness and body awareness. As a result, it is a wonderful way to be drawn into the current moment—the NOW, where any anxieties about the passage of time or expectations for the future become less important. So, in addition to the increased awareness, not to mention the physical conditioning that yoga provides (and that allows me to keep up with all those sun salutes), I was especially grateful for my birthday PRESENT.