358: sunday morning

30 minutes: vinyasa flow

i had high hopes of practicing for an hour this morning, but two active children, snow falling from the sky and blueberry pancakes shortened my window.

i browsed through the 30 minute practices on yogaglo and found one that looked promising. i actually really liked it. the instructor eased me into sun salutations and we did some good standing and seated poses before finishing up seated. perfect for me.

you can find them here

then, my kids fell into the room like a tornado. we pulled out the kids yoga deck and they did a couple more poses with me before i finally rolled up my mat.

i love practicing with my girls. it was a nice way to round out the morning.

360 + 359: my little home practice

360: meditation before bed

photo credit: balanced yoga

yesterday, i was in a foul mood. i had spent the entire day in the car and my cold was hanging on for dear life. i took myself upstairs at 9pm, but rather than just lay down and read, i sat and meditated for a little while. remarkably, i felt much calmer and more settled.

359: my little home practice - 25 minutes

this afternoon, i took my youngest upstairs to nap and figured i'd fit a little practice in while she slept. i wasn't sure how long i would really have since she sang to herself literally the entire time i practiced so i decided to go through a vinyasa series of my favorite poses. i also have a giant knot on one side of my lower back so i wanted to be as aligned as possible through my practice.

1. 3 sun salutations (a)
2. 2 standing forward bends
3. mountain
4. warrior 2, side angle pose (i did the bind!!), reverse warrior and triangle (first on one side, then the other)
5. wide legged forward bend
6. squat with prayer hands
7. pigeon pose
8. some seated poses i don't know the names of
9. tall seat

i feel more balanced and totally glad i didn't wait for my little one to fall asleep before i took advantage of my moment. i will say, i had a harder time focusing on my breath since i had one ear trained on listening for my girl to climb out of the bed.

361: in like a lion, out like a lamb

stupid cold.

i had such a wonderful plan to go to a drumming and yoga workshop this evening. i had signed up and paid and arranged a lift with a girlfriend to carpool together. ultimately, around 1pm when i realized i couldn't really breathe or concentrate or have any energy to spare, i cancelled.

i ate dinner. i put my kids to bed. and finally, i sat quietly by myself for a spell.

my intention this evening is to take care of myself. i took care of my kids and my husband. now, i will take some night-time cold medicine and see you in the morning.

here's hoping i'll be back to the practice in my 365 days of yoga.

362: my sphere of influence

last night, i set my alarm for 5am. when it went off this morning, i discovered that i have come down with the same sickness my husband has. it's not fun doing yoga when i can't breathe through my nose. i'm (literally) sick of this winter!

instead, i went back to bed.

i received a lovely email from a close friend yesterday who suggested focusing on the things i can control in my life as a way of dealing with the millions of things i cannot control. this evening, for my mediation, my intention will be to focus on my sphere of influence. i'll remind myself that i can be powerful and calm with the things within my realm.

i found this article on mind body green this afternoon with 10 empowering quotes for anyone who wants to be happy. i don't necessarily cleave to all 10, but some certainly serve as reminders for a way to move forward and grow.

the first one rings true for me today: you can't leave where you are until you decide where you would rather be.

363: meditation

i didn't necessarily plan to pull the meditation card out of my pocket quite so soon into my 365 days of yoga, but i live in the real world.

i've been battling a cold since friday and finally, last night, M succumbed to the awfulness that is being sick. where my cold stayed mostly in my head, he has the whole business: achy body, totally worn out and a stuffy nose to top it off.

i started my day with every intention of going to the studio tonight for a class with one of my favorite instructors. i took my clothes and mat with me all the way to cleveland and back again in hopes of being able to practice tonight. instead, i picked up N, cooked dinner and managed a double bedtime while M rested on the sofa. (it's not like i haven't spent my fair share of time there, too.)

then, i reached a crossroads. i could practice yoga or i could take a shower. and frankly, taking a shower totally won.

i'm going to finish up my little things around the house and take 20 whole minutes of quiet time to myself before i head up to bed. at this time of night, it seems the most appropriate choice. my intention is to be quiet.

it may not seem like much, but with the whirlwind that is my life sometimes, being quiet is a worthy goal.

quietly,
-s-

364: for the ladies

30 minutes: yoga for ladies

i found a 30 minute class on yogaglo designed just for women. she focused on reminding us that we're all sisters and being a warrior is not about fighting, but about listening and uniting.

it was a level 2 class and i couldn't actually do all the poses. i have a hard time straightening my legs and revolving. revolved half moon just isn't in my wheelhouse at the moment.

however, it was a really nice flow and a nice way to start my day. i'm not sleepy and feel centered and ready to begin the day. the girls are still asleep and i'm going to wake them up in a couple minutes. but, i'm hopeful we'll have a pleasant morning with minimal fussing. i'll bring calm back to them.

365 days of yoga: take a tall seat

25 minutes: nice and easy

this morning, i slept a little late and got started a little before 9am. (i have a little cold and i've taken nyquil the past two nights. i slept the sleep of a medicine induced sleep coma.)

i rolled out my mat, took a tall seat and some deep breaths, and started the de-stress practice from this month's yoga journal.

i ended in corpse pose, but rather than stay there and fall asleep (a real possibility this morning), i rolled up to take a tall seat again. i remember when i first started practicing and my instructor would say to imagine a string pulling up from the top of my head and down into the ground. today, i pulled that idea into my practice and sat a little taller. i breathed a little deeper.

it felt wonderfully grounding.

the rest of the day, i've been calmer and more centered. i have hope for my year of daily practice.