Olivia Newport yoga pose

© 2012 Jasmine Kaloudis, Flickr | CC-BY-ND | via Wylio

Have you ever literally stumbled onto something you didn’t even know you were looking for?

About a year and a half ago I had that experience with yoga, of all things. I attend some regular exercise classes at the local gym. You know: weights, resistance bands, cardio blasts. One day, after missing one class, I walked into the exercise room, and everything had changed. The instructor had quit, and the new one was—you guessed it—a yoga teacher.

I had never seriously considered yoga. But there I was, and there the teacher was, so what did I have to lose? Besides, it was “chair yoga,” meaning that some poses were done while seated, and the chair was always available for balance to anyone who needed it at any time.

You probably see where I’m going. It turns out I like yoga—at least in this form. It’s a good match for some of my physical needs. I know I’ve gotten stronger and have better balance, and the calm atmosphere is a needful break from the pace of my normal life.

You never know what a day will bring. And you never know what you may learn about yourself in the process.

So whether it’s yoga or painting or cooking or learning to play the guitar, walk into what the day brings with your eyes and heart wide open for how it will be part of happier, healthier living.