Greetings from a chilly and snowy Calgary! I love Halloween and this turn in the weather is a bit disappointing when I think about all the young trick-or-treaters going out in their snowsuits next Tuesday.

One of the gifts of practicing yoga is that we can develop the tools we need to find equanimity in the midst of disappointments and challenges, whether they be large or small, like the current weather, momentary or ongoing.

Not long after I returned from my trip to Europe, I came down with a doozy of a cold. It hit me hard! I’m glad to be on the other side of it now. But, I’m still struggling with low energy levels and it feels like I’m having a Long Covid crash.

During the worst cold symptoms, it was difficult for me to sit for meditation or do my breath work. I didn’t even have the capacity to open my computer and deal with basic work tasks.

Sometimes setbacks like this allow me to better appreciate when things are going well. Perhaps this is your experience too!

Disappointments and challenges are part of the spectrum of living fully. Just like our experience of a yoga pose is more important than the pose itself, our challenges and disappointments can offer us liminal moments to pause and observe ourselves just as we are. And sometimes the highest skill we can bring to the moment is acceptance.

In yoga, the word Santosha, the second of the five Niyamas, describes acceptance as a virtue.

Santosha helps you develop a better relationship with yourself. By learning to accept and be content with the way you are, rather than making happiness dependent on achieving certain goals, or changing aspects of oneself.

In yoga, santosha can be found through asana, breath and meditation practices; by accepting oneself; and by accepting the body's limitations, rather than striving for more. ~ edited excerpt from yogapedia.com/definition/5167/santosha

Acceptance, to me, is not the same as complacency. It’s more of a reality check; an honest assessment of the current situation. When we are able to bear witness to our experience, we can use this awareness to make conscious decisions to take action or not.

During my journey through Long Covid I’ve been all over the physical and mental wellness map, and what has served me best is comes back to acceptance. Acknowledging my situation allows me to make informed and supportive choices on how to be my best self as I am.

My hope for all of us is that we can find acceptance with “what is” and move forward with an open mind and heart, choosing the path that best supports who we are.

With Kindness and Gratitude,

Nora