It was a wide-angle forward bend. A simple pose. A simple pose with reverberating results.

I was in yoga class, of course. A great way to start my Monday morning and my week overall. We came to the “forward bend of our choice” portion of our practice, and as I leaned forward and looked through my legs, there I was in the mirror, looking back at me.

An opportunity to judge my pose. Absolutely. An opportunity to surreptitiously look around the room, with no one being the wiser. Absolutely again. But I didn’t do either of those. I did something radical instead.

I looked at myself, caught my eye, and smiled. A huge smile. A “great job in yoga” smile. An “I love you” smile. An “I will always love you” smile. And then I smiled back.

Because while I maybe could have used a bit of tweaking on my pose, and I can always learn from others in my yoga class (when I forget to stay on my own mat and I look around the room), my smile of love was all I needed. And wanted. A sign of support and of care from the person from whom I should, and do, want it most.

Wouldn’t it be nice if I could always, or at least more often, give myself that smile? Wouldn’t it be nice if I remembered to shower myself with love and compassion, whenever (or whether or not) I catch myself in the mirror?

It would be nice and I think it’s possible.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, and please share this post with others if it resonates with you!