Mantra

“I release what has finished; I welcome what’s new.”
“Inhale courage. Exhale fear.”

The Art of Living Fully, Not Someday, But Now

A Warm Dharma Flow Class by David Scott Yglesias

Opening Reflection – The Seasons of Being Human

Close your eyes and take a slow, steady breath.
Feel the quiet pulse of life moving through you, an ancient rhythm that has carried you through every season of your becoming.

Just like the flame of one candle lighting another,
your light did not begin here.
It has been passed down through countless generations,
from ancestors who breathed, struggled, loved, and dreamed,
each adding their spark to the flame that now lives within you.

There are seasons when that flame burns strong and clear,
and seasons when it flickers low, hidden beneath the winds of change.
Times we protect it, times we share it,
and moments when it transforms everything it touches.

These are the seasons of being human,
each one sacred, each one part of the same eternal rhythm.
Yoga reminds us not to cling to any single moment,
but to stay awake to the flow of life as it moves through us,
ancient, fragile, and endlessly renewed in every breath.

So as you move and breathe today,
honor the lineage of light you carry.
You are not starting a new fire.
You are continuing one that has never gone out.

Topic 1 – Enough Is Enough (Living Now, Not Later)

Metaphor:
Life is like a candle. Each breath consumes a bit of wax; each moment is a flicker that cannot be relit. Too many of us save the flame for later, missing its glow in the present.

Reflection:
The Dalai Lama once said that man “sacrifices his health to make money, then sacrifices money to recuperate his health.” How often do we do the same, burning through life, waiting for the “right” moment to begin living?
Today, let the flame of awareness illuminate this breath, this body, this moment. Your light is meant to shine now, not later.

Quotes:

“The present moment is the only moment available to us, and it is the door to all moments.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” – Buddha

“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” – John Lennon

“Each morning we are born again. What we do today matters most.” – Buddha

Topic 2 – Freedom Through Authenticity

Metaphor:
Imagine a traveler crossing the desert at night. The air is cold, and in the darkness, she wraps herself in layers for protection, a heavy cloak, scarf, and gloves. But as dawn begins to break, the first light spills across the sand, and the warmth slowly returns. She realizes the very layers that kept her safe in the night now weigh her down in the light. One by one, she begins to remove them. Beneath it all, she rediscovers herself, uncovered, unguarded, and free.

Reflection:
We do the same in life. We build layers of protection, habits, masks, and personas, to survive the cold nights of fear and judgment. But when the light of awareness rises, those same layers keep us from feeling the warmth of authenticity.
As you breathe today, notice what still feels heavy or false. With each exhale, let go of one more layer that no longer serves the person you are becoming. Beneath the coverings, there is nothing missing, only the truth of who you are, radiant and whole.

Quotes:

“At the center of your being, you have the answer; you know who you are, and you know what you want.” – Lao Tzu

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” – Anaïs Nin

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“The truly wealthy in this world are not the ones with the most, but the ones that need the least for their happiness.” – David Scott

“Tear off the mask, your face is glorious.” – Rumi

Topic 3 – Expanding the Horizon of Consciousness

Metaphor:
Imagine a young boy raised within the high walls of a castle on a hill. Out of love and protection, he was never permitted to leave the fortress. The world beyond was said to be full of dangers, so he learned to watch it only through his telescope. From his window, he could see the horizon and believed that was where the world ended.

One day, as he grew older and curiosity outshone fear, he found the courage to open the gate. To his surprise, the horizon did not end; it only kept moving farther away. With every step he took, the world grew bigger, more beautiful, and more alive than he had ever imagined from behind his walls.

Reflection:
We are that boy. We build walls of comfort and routine around ourselves, often mistaking their boundaries for the edge of our potential.
Yoga invites us to step beyond those walls, to breathe into the unknown, to stretch the mind as we stretch the body. Every conscious breath expands the horizon of who we believe we are.

Let today’s practice be a journey beyond your own self-imposed castle walls. Each inhale, step forward. Each exhale, release the fear that keeps you inside. The horizon of your potential will always expand with your courage to explore it.

Quotes:

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” – Lao Tzu

“Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” – Carl Jung

“Because you are alive, everything is possible.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

“We can only grow as far as we can see; we are limited by our own self-imposed horizon.” – David Scott

Topic 4 – Sthira and Sukha: Strength and Ease

Metaphor:
Picture an old rope bridge stretching across a wide river. With every step, it creaks and sways beneath your feet, yet somehow, it holds. Its ropes are weathered but strong; its planks worn smooth by countless travelers. The bridge does not fight the wind or the movement, it yields just enough to stay standing.
That balance between firmness and flexibility, that quiet trust in its own resilience, is the essence of Sthira, steadiness, and Sukha, ease.

Reflection:
In yoga, we are the rope bridge, tested by the winds of life, stretched between challenge and release. True strength is not found in rigidity; it is in our willingness to move with grace and stay present when things sway.
As you hold your poses, feel the grounding in your foundation and the fluidity in your breath. You are both anchored and alive, supported and free.

Quotes:

“Yoga is a light, which once lit will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter your flame.” – B.K.S. Iyengar

“Perfect people are not real, and real people are never perfect.” – Unknown

“The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.” – Rumi

“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go.” – Buddha

Topic 5 – Letting Go to Let Grow

Metaphor:
Imagine a gardener tending a thriving vegetable garden at the turn of the season. The plants that once nourished her are now beginning to flower. She knows this means their time has come full circle. When a vegetable begins to bloom, its leaves turn bitter as the plant redirects its energy toward creating seeds for the future.

So, she does not cling to the fading leaves. Instead, she thanks the plant for what it has given and gently clears the space, trusting that in its letting go, it is already preparing for new life to come.

Reflection:
We are much the same. There are moments in our lives, habits, or relationships that have completed their season. What once fed our growth can start to feel bitter when we hold on too long.
Letting go is not rejection; it is participation in the natural rhythm of renewal. With every exhale, release something that has served its purpose. With every inhale, allow new possibilities to root and grow.

Like the wise gardener, trust the intelligence of your own cycles, knowing that even as one chapter ends, another begins to bloom.

Quotes:

“Anything you cannot control in life is teaching you how to let go.” – Jackson Kiddard

“The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let the dead things go.” – Unknown

“Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

“Every next level of your life will demand a different you.” – Unknown

“Every ending is the soil for a new beginning.” – David Scott

Topic 6 – Dancing with Change (The Dance of Shiva)

Metaphor:
In ancient Indian mythology, Lord Shiva is known as Nataraja, the Cosmic Dancer. In his sacred dance, one foot rises to create while the other falls to dissolve. Around him, the universe pulses in rhythm, birth, death, stillness, and motion. His dance symbolizes that all things, joy and sorrow, creation and destruction, are part of one continuous, divine flow.

Dancing Shiva: Parivrtta Hasta Padangusthasana

Reflection:
When life changes, we often cling to the familiar, fearing the unknown. But like Shiva’s dance, change is both creation and release intertwined. It clears space for new beginnings and deeper versions of ourselves to emerge.
As you move through your practice, feel the rhythm of that eternal dance within your own breath, the inhale that creates and the exhale that releases. Every ending carries the seed of a new beginning.
Transformation is not something to survive; it is something to dance with.

Quotes:

“The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky

“Every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind.” – Buddha

“Do not be afraid of death, be afraid of an unlived life.” – Natalie Babbitt

“Change is never painful; only the resistance to change is painful.” – Buddha

Closing Reflection

As we rest in stillness, remember that life is not waiting to begin; it is happening in this very breath.
May you walk beyond the walls of fear, peel away the layers of protection, and meet the vastness of your true horizon with open eyes and an open heart.

The candle burns now. The desert sun has risen. The gate stands open. Step fully into your life.