Ukraine is on our minds this week as we watch with horror and heartbreak all that is unfolding. In the midst of crisis, whether near or far, whether personally affected or not, it's important to pay as much attention to the way events lodge inside us as we do to the events themselves. If we ignore the news, we lose the ingredients for caring, but if we consume the information without taking time to process and digest the tension, fear, despair, or anger it may provoke, we risk a level of overwhelm that leaves us unable to respond usefully.

Teacher and scholar Stephen Cope describes the two pillars of yoga as clear seeing and calm abiding. We can use the tools of mindfulness to stay informed, movement to stay grounded, and breath to remind us that we are all profoundly connected. If your heart is breaking, if your gut is clenched in fear, if your thoughts are hot with anger: take some long breaths, lie down on the floor and stretch your body, or stand on your feet and feel your strong roots; take a walk with a friend or come to yoga class. And with every act of self care and outreach, bid a grateful welcome to your beautiful, interconnected soul.