We all have our excuses. Maybe it's an injury. Maybe you had too much to drink last night and couldn't get out of bed. But for fellow yoga teachers and moms, the reason for not practicing is mostly, "Not enough time." Either too busy teaching, or as a mom, having no time to yourself. I've been guilty of using these excuses excessively, being a yoga teacher and a mom (to an adorable perfect little munchkin). So I've come up with a solution: BOUNDARIES. For me, it's encouraging my almost two-year-old towards more independence. You see, since her birth, we've been attached at the boob. Her favorite words are, "mama gi-gi (Korean for boob)" or "cho-cho gi-gi" (which is a combination of Russian and Korean, meaning, "little bit of boob".) She's gotten really good at whining now, especially for mama gi-gi. So I feel fully justified leaving the house to do yoga, which feels infinitely better anywhere else but home. Don't get me wrong. I adore my chubby little monkey. She's the center of my world. But there comes a time when mom has to do her own thing. And the time is now.
I feel almost-transformed-like the moment my husband, Pasha, comes home from work. Lucy knows the routine well. She kisses me good-bye and says, "Mama yoga". I hop into the car, roll down the window and drive down Connecticut Ave. against a setting sun, on my way to what I know will be a well-earned savasana.
My teacher David Life says that "the hardest part of practice is showing up." Yes, how true. But it can also be the most liberating.
What keeps you from your practice?
"Mama yoga." Love it! At my recent MFA residency, a number of my classmates met in the college chapel every morning at 7 am to do yoga. I suspect some of them had imbibed a bit too much the night before, ye they still "showed up." I admired them for that, and, yes, I should have joined them.
ReplyDeletePatrick
Thank you, Patrick! 7 am is a bit too early for me, too. :)
Delete