Monday, June 2, 2008

Grateful for Yoga, NOT grateful for Yoga+Children

For the past year I have been dabbling in Yoga. It all started with Priscilla Patrick on PBS. Her little 15 minute stretches every morning got me hooked! Then I started doing the Yoga that's on BYU channel in the mornings and began studying yoga and meditation on my own. I used to try to do it after I went jogging or walking but it was taking up too much of my day. I started to do it twice a week but my kids were making it near impossible. Can you imagine me in some weird contorted pose with a 3 year old directly next to (or underneath me) trying to do the same thing, and a 1 year old trying to sit on my head at the same time? Now imagine me trying to do 5 minutes of relaxation after my practice with someone crying in my ear, a high energy 8 year old yelling throughout the house while he chases his screaming sister, and a baby in his high chair making obvious sounds that he is done by the clattering sounds of his bowl on the floor. It usually involves me taking a deep cleansing breath and then yelling so hard my face hurts DO YOU MIND??!! I AM TRYING TO RELAX!!! Let's just say it's not pretty.

I realized that Yoga is scarily bringing more stress to my life. When I am trying to concentrate so hard for these poses and get distracted by these little buggers it raises my stress to levels I didn't know existed! I then decided if I wanted to continue my new hobby I needed to make sacrifices. So....on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have decided to get up at 5:45am to practice Yoga in peace. Wouldn't you know it, at least 2 of them have been getting up at 5:50am since I started this. They pitter patter out, say in loud non-morning voices "Doing your Yoga Mom?!" And then proceed to open all the squeakiest cupboards, or slurp cereal, or dump out legos. If I try to make them stay in their rooms they play which usually ends up in playful screaming (or not so playful) waking up the other half of the kids. Whatever....So much for R&R. I tell you they have some sort of Yoga radar! Anyways, I guess there is a time and a season for everything...I just really wanted this to be my season for Yoga! *Sigh* I'm not giving up yet. I may have to sacrifice some precious evening adult time for Yoga (sorry bout that Jay).

Namaste