Where Has My Yoga Gone?

If you haven’t noticed, I’m finding it really difficult lately to find time to write my blog. I’m finding it difficult lately to find time for myself. Life is incredibly busy and hectic right now.

Have you ever noticed that, when life gets busy or things get tough, your well-being is the first thing to go? As soon as life demands more than what we’re used to, we tend to automatically drop things that are important to us but that we consider to be secondary, to make up for the change. I went from practicing yoga almost everyday to maybe once a week. I’ve been eating out of a box for the past few weeks (or extending the indulgence of Easter weekend into Easter week).

Guess what happened? I got sick! My daughter caught a cold from God knows where and I was next in line. I’m not saying that if I had been exercising and eating well I wouldn’t have gotten sick - I’m not invincible. But I have been fighting this bug for over a week, and am just today starting to feel better. I know that if I had been taking better care of myself, this cold would have been gone days ago.

It is easy to get mad at myself too. If I wasn’t so distracted all the time, maybe I would plan a healthier meal instead of throwing some crap together last minute. If I made time for my yoga, I wouldn’t be so sick. Well, what’s done is done. Getting down on myself will only make things worse.

So I am trying to get back on track. I’ve practiced yoga every day this week, albeit they were fairly restorative practices considering how I’ve been feeling. I only got halfway through my practice today when some unexpected visitors arrived. I haven’t done great with the eating part, but better. I’ve made a hearty stew for tonight, full of nutritious veggies and lean beef. I will attend yoga practice at the studio tomorrow for the first time in weeks.

When you slip, it’s easy to just say “Fuck it” and give up on what you are working on. Instead, just say “Yup, that happened”, forgive yourself, then get back on track. If it’s important enough to you, a healthy lifestyle will naturally come back to you.

The Very Best Home For Me

In a little more than two weeks we will be leaving the home we’ve been in for the last 3 years and moving back to our hometown (well, pretty close anyways). While trying to sell our home, I had begun to feel a certain resentment towards it, blaming it for all of my stress and the reason why our family isn’t all living together right now. Now that we have sold our house (pending removal of conditions!), I know I will start looking at it with a reflective mind and will probably weep daily at the idea of leaving a place where we have formed so many wonderful (and heartbreaking) memories.

There are many things I will miss about our home and the city. To name a few:

- My BFFs. Though I will take them with me in my heart, I will sure as hell be missing drinks at the Cornerstone, Splurge nights and intimate coffee dates with you bitches.
- Safeway and Wal-Mart. I’m not much for shopping, but I will miss the convenience of being able to go grab whatever I need, whenever I need it.
- My yoga studio. Though I don’t know a lot of the yoginis I practice with, I will miss the community we form together and my instructor Tracy.
- The restaurants. I love dining out. Though our current hometown doesn’t really have top-notch food, I will miss having a choice of places to go out.

There are so many things I look forward to when thinking of our move back home:

- Being closer to family. Both sets of grandparents will only be 10 minutes away, which is so wonderful for our kids (and pretty sweet for the occasional babysitter!).
- Living in a community where everyone knows you. Yup, people will surely somehow know things about my life I prefer they didn’t. But they will also be like family and have your back in a heartbeat.
- Freedom. Being away from the city life. The loud traffic, the busy streets, so many people. I can’t wait to sit in my backyard and hear nothing.
- Starting a new job. I will be working for the first time in seven years, doing what I do best - taking care of kids and running the show!

Soon we will move in with my parents until our new home will be ready for us. Again, there will be a mixture of joy and resentment, a sense of adventure. But mostly just gratitude towards our parents and the Universe for everything falling into place so seamlessly. In the end, I know I’ve always been right where I belong. Home truly is where the heart is, and with my husband and two girls beside me, I know I already have found the very best home for me.

Yogahhhhhh

I am sitting in a coffee shop right now sipping on the newest hot drink, having some "me" time. If it was up to me, I would be at home doing one of the million things I need to get done before the long weekend. Pack our bags, clean the house some more, do some food prep for the holiday. But our Realtor is having a Realtor's Open House in our home right now, so I have been forced out. So here I am, being forced to relax and enjoy myself, and finding time to write my blog.

Life has been pretty crazy lately. If my head wasn't screwed on I'm sure I would have lost it weeks ago. Last night my youngest had an "accident" on the couch. She's still in diapers, well Pull-ups (same thing). But it turns out that if you don't change it for the entire day, they eventually reach capacity and begin to leak. My poor kids. They think Mommy has gone crazy with my obsession with keeping my house clean. I can't seem to focus on anything else.

They miss their Dad too. So do I. Being a "single parent" blows. I don't know how people do it. I miss his company more than anything, but am realizing how much easier life is when you have a partner to help you wash the dishes, walk the dog and play Mouse Trap with the kids (that game will be the death of me).

After another very full day yesterday, I was wiped out, exhausted. With another two hours before bed time, I decided the best thing for everyone would be a movie. I sat the girls in front of Lady and the Tramp. As much as I love the classic Disney movies though, I needed to step away. So I stepped onto my mat. Being so tired, I had a hard time convincing myself that exercise is what I needed. The beauty about yogaglo.com is that you can choose the perfect class to fit your mood. I chose a class by Elena Brower made specifically for your tired feet. Perfect. I felt so much better afterwards. Just enough energy to get my girls ready for and into bed, and to settle into a mindless TV show myself.

After sitting here for a while sipping my African Nectar Fog, I am feeling much more put together too. Ready to take on the day and whatever it throws at me. And tonight I will settle into another relaxing yogahhhhhh practice.

I got this.