It is easy to spot the conventionally beautiful: a stunning sunset, the film star on the red carpet, a grand and snow-capped mountain peak. More challenging, and possibly far more rewarding, is to be awakened and awed by wherever we cast our gaze: a scattering of pebbles catching the morning light on the driveway, the way the grocery employee carefully stacked the red peppers, the homemade protest poster proclaiming the dignity of all human beings, or the bright bold yellow dandelion in a field mix of grass and clover.
A contemplative yoga practice is an ideal training ground to discover unconventional beauty and appreciation for the vast array of everydayness, because it is fundamentally a practice in how to pay attention. Anyone can step their feet wide or reach their arms high, but it's the yogis who do so while noticing the glorious flow of breath and pulse of energy that enliven the experience, reminding us that beauty abounds when we make room in the mind to see it.
~ Annie Moyer