Yoga is a sneaky, demanding teacher

Did you ever stop and wonder how you got here? Not here as in this website, but HERE, this spot in your life? How did I end up in this job? This relationship? How did I put on those extra 10 lbs?
In reflection we see that there were a lot of small choices that were made along the way. We may have had bigger dreams , but in the meantime, the groceries have to be bought, the bills need to be paid.....maybe sometime we'll get to those goals......right?
 But what if I said it's all those little things that where distracting us from our goals? There's always something else that needs doing, some other choice that needs deciding. I'd be willing to say that oftentimes it's the sum of those choices that lead us away from our original intentions. It's easier to do the laundry than it is to make a dream manifest in your lap.
 If we only ever do what's easy, we'll never attain our dreams. Why? Because our dreams are extraordinary. They're BIG!  They require our very best selves and every ounce of what we have to offer. That kind of achievement usually takes sacrifice and discipline, not the kind of half-assed efforts we usually throw out into the world that takes up our time with too much mundane goings on. NO! Our dreams require every ounce of our energy and attention.Without that, we find ourselves in a place we never meant to be because we haven't been living out dharma, or life's purpose. 
Living your dharma is about living authentically with who you are and what you are meant to do with your short time on earth. It's aligning with whatever sets your hair on fire and going for it.That takes trust and fortitude. And the risk of failure. In fact you probably will fail again and again in a million small ways, like a child beginning to walk, as your figuring out how it all works, where it all fits. But someday, with determination, you will get there. It's not about finding the job that is going to give a six-figure income, or about wearing the latest fashions. Dharma is about doing what you love, what you are good at, what you are passionate about, because (and yes I'm going to say it) because that's what god put you here to do.
I never thought learning to touch my toes would actually make me a better person. But it did. You start off just trying to get comfortable. Maybe trying to get in shape. Then before you know it, you're happier. You're kinder. You're more honest in your life, and you have no idea how that happened.  It happened slowly, over time, while you weren't paying attention. Or rather, you were paying deep attention, just not how you think. Yoga is sneaky that way. It changes us before we even notice is has.
The practice of yoga asana begins to help us develop trust in ourselves and to move us into our more authentic selves. If you can look down at your body and say, with all honesty, "this is what I look like. This is what I look like. And it's okay, in fact, it could be awesome" then, only then, are establishing a level of trust and rightness about yourself, your body and your role in this life.  Once you face that honesty, it spills over, like waters over a dam. It can't be held back!   So much of how we interact with other people has to do with our level of comfort with ourselves. Once you feel alright with yourself, other people seem to be alright too.  And wouldn't you know it, we seem to all have the same kinds of problems, fears and insecurities.
You might be saying "whaaaa? I'm just wanting to finally get that handstand, I didn't sign up for this." It's okay. You don't have to sign up for it. But I bet you're going to change anyway. And when you do have that moment, when you realize that all that is holding you back from your dreams is, well, you....I'll be here to give you a high five and cheer you on your way.