Mining the Moment

I’m known for making simple poses deep. A student once told me I could make people sweat in Child’s Pose.

This is what I mean by vertical depth in yoga—the kind of advanced practice that has nothing to do with mastering difficult postures and everything to do with exploring the richness of your inner experience. When you show up consistently and mindfully, even the most ordinary poses reveal a profundity that expands as your awareness deepens.

What if we approached gratitude the same way?

We tend to imagine happiness comes from extraordinary events—vacations, celebrations, special nights out. We wait for the big moments. But research tells a different story: regularly noticing and appreciating small, everyday positive experiences has a far greater impact on wellbeing than occasional peak events.

Yoga teaches the same lesson: the benefits come from abhyasa—steady, consistent practice—not occasional intensity.

This changes everything.

Just as you can mine the depth of a simple forward fold and discover unexpected layers of sensation and nuance, you can savor the warmth of water softening your hands as you wash dishes, the way your body releases into the couch as you sip your morning coffee, or the slant of afternoon light across the floorboards.

These aren’t trivial details—they’re the living texture of your life.

This week, I felt the quiet pleasure of lying down on my mat and feeling my breath release—nothing dramatic, just the familiar grounding that arrives in those first moments of practice. It reminded me how often the richness is already there, waiting for me to notice it.

Yoga trains you to recognize the goodness in ordinary moments. Gratitude allows you to magnify and honor it.

Together, they reveal something radical: the sweetness we're seeking isn't waiting for us somewhere else. It's woven into the fabric of what's already here.

The question is—are we paying attention?

This week, I invite you to practice vertical depth in your gratitude. Don't wait for the extraordinary. Sink into what's simple and present. Notice what's already good. Feel it fully.