I arrived home from the beach on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. By 7 p.m. I was on a rooftop preparing to practice yoga to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House.

My yoga practices have been few and far between lately and this one felt good…and right. I wasn’t even planning on attending the event but I saw a Facebook message that there were spots available because people were canceling due to the heat. I am so happy that I decided on a whim to go.

(photo – Wanda Koch)

We started the practice by laying on our back with one hand on our heart and one hand on our stomach while staring up at the sky. In that moment I felt a calm that I haven’t experienced in quite some time. I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude to be in Charlotte, to be a part of the yoga and fitness community and for the opportunities that have come my way. I had a glimpse of, “I’m okay with where I am in this moment.”

(photo – Wanda Koch)

Given that Saturday was blazing hot with temperatures well over 100 degrees, I expected rooftop yoga to be a major sweat fest. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was actually very nice out. We were in the shade, the sun was setting and there was a breeze.

A big, big thank you to Adam Whiting for leading us through practice. Adam and I completed teacher training together and he has gone on to become an integral part of yoga in Charlotte. He is a natural and talented teacher and truly speaks and teaches from his heart. If you’re in the Charlotte area, check out his class. And thank you to Lululemon for hosting the event. It was wonderful and just what I needed coming off of a crazy beach trip.

Sullie has also been in recovery mode from our trip. It’s been so hot and she’s so tired that I’m having trouble getting her to even eat.

Since returning home I’ve been eating a lot of salads.

Back on the yogurt and fruit breakfast routine.

Fajitas for Sunday night dinner.

Changing topics. I was subbing a yoga class (I miss it so much I can’t even talk about it) and I talked to the class about how I always view the beginning of a new month as a fresh start. July brings not only a fresh start but also the halfway mark of 2012. Six months behind us, six more to go. I encouraged my students to think about how their year was going. Where they thought they would be by this point? What’s going right? What needs to change? How can that happen? I reminded them that they are in control of their lives and to take action. I didn’t even care that they weren’t my regular students and didn’t know me. When I have something to say and it doesn’t feel forced, then I simply have to say it. They’ll just know me as the kind of intense and hard yoga teacher who popped in to teach their class out of nowhere. 😉