Persevere

To PERSEVERE is to maintain your purpose in spite of difficulty or discouragement. It is easy to get down when things look gray or bleak, but we all have the power to choose our action and reaction to events. To find the positive in the face of adversity or to dwell on the negative. Which do you choose? When life sends you non-stop rain, do you search for the rainbow or just get drenched?

Dead Horse Ranch State Park, Cottonwood, Arizona

"I persevere in the face of adversity."

Yoga Pose: Chair Pose (variation) Utkatasana

Maintain your strength and practice balance as you persevere and master Utkatasana - Chair Pose with a Figure 4 variation.

Foundation. Start in Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Set your intention.

Move. On an exhalation, slightly bend your knees.

Legs. Shift your weight to your left leg. Lift your right leg up with the knee bent to about a 90 degree angle. Cross your right ankle over the lower part of the left thigh. Press the right knee away from the mid-line. Deepen the bend of the left knee. Engage and activate both legs.

Arms. Float your arms up overhead so that your elbows align with your ears. Straighten your elbows and turn your palms to face each other. Spread your fingers and stretch your fingertips toward the sky.

Gaze. Soften your gaze and look slightly forward. Hold for 30-60 seconds. Exhale to come out of the pose by releasing your arms down and setting your right foot on the earth. Return to Tadasana - Mountain Pose.

B R E A T H E

[Repeat on the other side]

Mount Hood Village, Welches, Oregon