Ahimsa shows up when I step onto my mat—whether I’m feeling at my best or my worst.

It appears in my practice in moments when I notice it's difficult to breathe, and I take a step back. Typically, this happens in backbends—when I’ve extended much too far, much too quickly.

Lately, it shows up when I feel a pang of pain in my knee, and I choose to let go of a certain posture.

My alarm clock starts gradually increasing in volume as I awaken. Rolling over, I peel my eyes open, turn it off, then begin to sit up in bed. Piper is at my feet, a curled up croissant of a pup, and I give her many morning snuggles and kisses. Another month has gone by. Swinging my feet over to the floor, I say good morning to Ryan across the bed and begin to make my way out of our room and down the hallway to the closet where I grab another pregnancy test and follow the same process as usual. And the same result comes. While hopeful it would be different, it’s nearly always been the same.