Highs & Lows
At the start of this week, I found myself in a conversation with a friend who said, “let’s look at the highs and the lows.” It felt like a simple, honest way to summarize our weekends. From that perspective, I noticed something interesting: the “lows” were tied to bigger, heavier subjects, but they also felt like I could return to them and improve over time. The “highs,” on the other hand, were small pockets of joy, fully rooted in the present moment.
We know life must have highs and lows. However, yoga continually teaches us that suffering – feeling low – often lives in our attachment to the past or our projection into the future. While ease – joy – arises when we are fully present with what is.
The past is complete. The future is not yet determined. What remains is this moment. And when we allow ourselves to arrive here – fully, honestly – we discover that presence itself is a form of happiness.
If you took the time to make a list of the highs and lows of you last few days, would you notice the same? Could you find alignment with joy in your present moments? If not, here’s a few tips on how you can teach yourself to find them:
Finding joy is not always about changing circumstances. We can’t avoid, or quickly change, certain realities in life. What we need to do is reframe how we think about these situations. Take just one minute to repeat a positive piece of the puzzle.
Feel the now. If you feel stuck in reliving the past or predicting the future. Place your feet on the floor and focus on the sensation on the bottom of your feet. That sensation is happening in the moment.
Embrace tiny joyful moments. Don’t dismiss short joyful moments because they are just that – short! Breath them in, and if you feel you want to revisit the past, return to those moments.
Write down one positive thing during your day. One word you heard, one task you completed, one gaze out the window that made you smile. Find just one thing and write it down. I bet before you realize you’ll be writing down more than one!
Join us on the floor.
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Announcing! THE RETURN: A Graduate Immersive Weekend
Are you a graduate of our 200HR Yoga Teacher Training? RETURN and reconnect with practice, community, and purpose. Space to arrive, grow, and remember why you began.
October 17 & 18 in beautiful Bragg Creek! Through workshops, lectures, and shared exploration, we’ll gather in person to reflect, integrate, and deepen the lived experience of yoga – collectively.
Fall dates, a full schedule of events, and registration will be announced soon.
This will be an in-person event, and space will be limited to 18.
Registration will open to our advance interest list by February 18. Don’t miss out and complete this form to be the first to get a chance at a space.
200HR Yoga Teacher Training – Spring 2026
If exploring the practice of yoga has been on your mind our 200HR Yoga Teacher Training is an in-depth way to dive in, explore the practice, explore yourself, and have the certification to teach others to do the same. Reserve Your Spot for the next 200HR Yoga Teacher Training which begins in March 25, 2026. Book a Meet & Greet with Stephanie to learn more!
Questions? Email stephaniepower.ayc@gmail.com.
Let’s grow collectively,
-Stephanie
PS: Our Yoga Inspiration is now bigger and better. Join the Yoga Inspiration Collective! Find us on our new Instagram Channel @yoga_inspiration_collective
What is the Yoga Inspiration Collective? A community that encourages curiosity and education about yoga. We will explore principles that help you move from uncertainty and self-doubt to confidence and clarity. You will be part of a community that helps you become more confident and clearer, grounded and consistent in practice, present on and off your mat, connected in community.