Vritti sarupyam-itaratra 1.4
"Otherwise, thoughts take on the forms of the world around us, harden like clay, and presume that they are you."

Unless I sit down every morning and remember that the Universe is Joy, Love, Peace and Truth and that as a part of the Whole I, too, am an expression of Joy, Love, Peace and Truth, I quickly get absorbed in the everyday routine of getting breakfast ready, cleaning the kitchen, and preparing a yoga class. My mind is busy planning and anticipating. 
In that state, I can easily find myself latching onto thoughts of discontentment, disappointment, and detachment. If I allow that to happen, I quickly sing the Winter Blues. 
For me, the one proven way to prevent my thoughts from determining my emotions is to stay in alignment with my connection to God and to practice non-attachment to the thoughts that distract me. This is much easier said than done. A sure fire way to get out of the funk is to take a walk in the woods or to practice yoga. I need to consciously and physically (re)move myself.
In his app Yoga Sutras, author Trip says, "Thoughts are as superfluous as the rain. Just because rain falls on us, doesn't mean we are the rain." We were not our thoughts about our past, or projections of our future. 
So every morning, I sit and contemplate my true essence and how I am part of the Whole and how my thoughts and actions can  serve the world.

As a water bead on a lotus leaf,
as water on a red lily,
does not adhere,
​so the sage does not adhere
to the seen, the heard or the sensed.
(Buddha)

Tada Drashtuh Svarupe Avasthanam 1.3
"Then, the seer becomes established in its true nature."

In order to see ourselves clearly for who we are - with all our perfect imperfections - we first have to still the mind. Otherwise, we tend to identify with the "vrittis", the agitations and fluctuations of the mind. Once the mind is crystal clear, our perception is no longer distorted.

So perhaps yoga's ultimate result is the discovery of our true nature. When we are calm and centered, we can mindfully practice being a silent witness and observe our life as it is happening. We can accept our current situation without judgement or struggle. We can allow feelings to arise without letting them hijack us, and we can notice thoughts as they come without mistaking them for the truth.

Jon Kabat Zin said, "Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience."  

Whether we are on or off the yoga mat, our journey is hard or easy depending on the day, circumstances, and postures we create in our bodies and in our minds. It takes effort to face challenges, to take every obstacle as an opportunity and to keep looking for our true nature.

"Keep knocking
and the joy inside
will eventually
open a window
and look out
to see who's there."
RUMI