Mindfully saying yes to too much food

 I was mindful today on this national holiday. The moment fullness set in, I stopped eating and looked at my plate. I then (very intentionally) ignored my stomach's plea for mercy and plowed ahead, finishing the other half of my Thanksgiving dinner. I followed two kinds of stuffing, moist turkey, fluffy mashed and sweet potatoes, silky green bean casserole, fresh rolls, salad and cranberries with a piece of flaky, lovely apple galette I only make during the holidays and a tartly sweet slice of pear cranberry cake baked by my friend and fantastic dinner hostess KGB (best initials ever.)

In case it was somehow unclear, I'm not a vegetarian. Also, I really, really, really like to talk about food. Food and yoga are in a dead heat for the two topics I like to talk about most. You'll probably read a lot of posts about food in the guise of writing about yoga. Like this one. (Pictured below: KGB peeling back the butter-laden cheesecloth from her magnificent turkey.)

 
I also had a few genuine moments of mindfulness today. My favorite way to start off this particular holiday is at the yoga studio with a Thanksgiving morning practice, and not just because I used a stick of butter in the stuffing. There's something extremely soothing about having time during the day to put the food aside for a moment (just a moment) and really consider gratefulness.

My gratitude this year and the opening I feel from following a new yoga path feel so boundless. But if I had to pick a theme for my gratitude, it would be space: my home space, the space to love the people in my life, the space to bring in the practice of yoga and the space I offer as a teacher to students who need a little room in their lives to stretch. I know there are so many people who have done the same for me, and I didn't even know. Thank you.