Freaking. Awesome. YOGA! (SoulPose GIVEAWAY!)

Life has been... a little rough lately.  My time in Chicago is drawing to a close, and I am still afraid I will be leaving my heart in Illinois when I finally complete my move.  Some days I don't think I'll be able to make it through to bedtime - and those nights I wonder if I'll be able to get out of bed the next morning.  I keep putting one foot in front of the other, despite withing I didn't have to walk this path, but eventually I'll get where I need to go.

Image source: She Knows.

In the meanwhile, I've once again found myself drawing deeper into the practice of yoga.  Breathing and sinking in to poses has been helping me find some bits of clarity in the mess that remains of my marriage.  Some poses bring more tears to my eyes, others take me to a quiet place inside myself where there's less turmoil.  I'm finding new ways to experience yoga, and finding a bit more balance within myself.  I've even started teaching more yoga classes, though I know I'll have to say goodbye to those classes next week.

I'm also trying to find ways to truly enjoy my last weekend in Chicago.  For example, on Saturday the 28th, I'll be getting dirty at the Dirty Girl mud run, volunteering in the morning then running the event myself later.  But for Sunday the 29th, my last full day in Chicago, I have an even bigger event planned: Soul Pose.

Image Source: Soul Pose

Soul Pose is a yoga festival inspired by The Color Run's new theme "SHINE."  Much like other yoga festivals, this event will bring together yogis from all over Chicagoland to roll out their mats, focus their breathing, and get their bend on!  UNlike other yoga festivals, Soul Pose will also feature an all-day block party, with glitter packets and tribal paint and music and more!  After a great experience with a color run last year, along with a growing passion for yoga practice, I'm pretty excited to see what this fusion festival can offer!

There are a few things I know will be great take-aways before I even attend the event.  Every Soul Pose registration comes with some amazing yoGifts: a beautiful blue yoga mat, a plush yoga towel to match, and after the yoga session, a Soul Pose charm bracelet!  I may save a ton of money by filling my closets with race swag, but these unique swag items are a welcome change to the popular t-shirt/waterbottle giveaways.  Also, I feel like it will encourage an even greater sense of communitas at the event to see so many other yogis and yoginis practicing on the same mat, as if we're all standing on just pieces of the same whole.

Image Source: Soul Pose

All in all, I'm pretty excited for Soul Pose.  The date on the calendar may mark the end of a very meaningful chapter of my life, but the day itself will be far more enjoyabled thanks to the many connections, both within myself and with my fellow participants, that I'll be making on my mat.

Sound like something you could use in your life too?  Then how about I send you a FREE ENTRY to the Soul Pose of your choice?!  Thanks to the wonderful people from The Color Run and Soul Pose, I have one free entry for a Soul Pose yoga festival to giveaway to a lovely reader.  You can come to Chicago's with me, or find a city a little closer to home - Soul Pose is in 14 cities across the US, and adding more constantly!  Use the Rafflecopter below to enter, contest will close at 11:59pm on Wednesday, June 24th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How do you handle rough times in your life?  How do you handle heartbreak?  Any advice?