Yoga, Interrupted.

The view from my yoga mat today was....interrupted.  Repeatedly.  By children waking up and requests to help find flip flops, shorts with pockets, the hairbrush, and breakfast.  Oh, man, my mind irritated and grumbling with all of the commotion.  It had been a lovely, quiet morning.  My children were sleeping peacefully and I thought I could "sneak" some yoga in at home before the general madness of family life began, but I was wrong.  Oh, so wrong.  See, unrolling your mat is like an invitation for children to wake from their slumber and approach you for a myriad of things.  Its Murphy's Law in action.

When I began my yoga practice 15 years ago, I didn't have any children.  I would take great measures to prepare my yoga practice time.  I needed to create an atmosphere that would allow me to fully engage my mind on the task at hand.  This is an important aspect of yoga:  home practice.  It was repeatedly brought up in my yoga training:  going to a class is great, but building a home practice is the key to real growth.  

Back in the day I would dim the lights, turn off the phone, smooth out my mat, rub essential oils on my wrists, light a candle or incense and make it a sacred, silent time for 45 minutes to an hour.  I wanted (and needed) it to be a special time, a perfect time -- see, I kind of had to "baby" my mind because it was so agitated and anxiety ridden at the time.  Now, after almost 9 years of being a parent as well as a yogi, I have accepted that getting in 20 minutes of sun salutations in one room of the house without having to intervene in a sibling argument is a good home practice day.  

Don't get me wrong.  Of course, its important to have uninterrupted sacred time; that is why going to a class is fabulous for us householders -- to make sure we are insulated from distractions and truly focus on ourselves to recharge, rejuvenate and return to our lives better, stronger, and more energized to love and care for those around us. But I have come to a great realization recently.  Part of what I wanted for my yoga time was unhealthy; it was a form of wanting "perfection", an idealized notion of what my practice should be each day.  I've realized that what I really need to eradicate is not the interruptions, but my mind grumbling about the interruptions because, truth be told, my body doesn't mind at all if I move away from my mat for 30 seconds to address one of the kids' requests. And if I kept my mind disciplined, the interruptions wouldn't affect it adversely either.  Its not like my children are asking me to stop; so I'm learning to roll with interruptions when they happen.  Dealing with the interruptions in a disciplined, positive way is an important practice all on its own.                 

Namaste~

Tammie