That Certainly Hasn't Happened In A Long Time... And Neither Has That! (Tears and Goosebumps)

Two separate things I would like to share today. The first is not super-positive but still positive in a way, and the second is super-positive. 

Today, I went to yoga at lunch time for an hour-long practice. I was feeling pretty apprehensive since it was my favorite teacher teaching. (I know, that sounds backward, but it's true!) I told him so when I saw him outside the yoga studio and he asked me how I was. "Apprehensive." lol

Okay! Long story short, I made it through practice alive, although I did have to stand in mountain pose a few times while the others actually followed the teachers instructions. :p We did quite a few heart-opening poses and, although we didn't do the camel, which is usually my downfall, we did enough other stress-releasing poses that after the practice the dam broke and I started crying. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I used to do this all the time at the end of Greg's classes, but that was three years ago, when my troubles were tenfold what they are now. I am no longer agonizing about my kids, who at the time were kidnapped by their father. I am also feeling a lot safer than in 2009, when the police came looking for me to warn me that my husband was looking to have me killed. Understandably, I had a lot on my plate. Now, I still have a lot of stress factors, but nothing as bad as that. I mean, I have my three kids. The rest is just details, right? :o)

Actually, I feel really good now. The way I see it, I have let some of the stress out, so now I'm not so full of it any more. So I would like to recommend to everyone who is stressed to do some yoga, especially poses that open the abdominal area below the navel. People tend to keep stress in that area and it is good to stretch it and release the tension. The camel pose is a very good pose for that. Here's what it looks like:

If you can't lean on the soles of your feet, you can just put hour hands on your lower back. I find that actually helps the stretch because then I can push out on my abdomen from behind. Try it! :o)

The second thing that happened to me today was that I put some music on as I was working and I got goosebumps. lol It may not seem like a big thing to you guys, but when something moves me I get goosebumps. Be it a touching scene in a movie or the sound of an instrument or a certain lyric, I get goosebumps on my arms when I feel the... passion. (for want of a better word) So this afternoon I was open enough to let the good stuff in and I thoroughly enjoyed the music. (It was the Hawksley Workman song Ice Age. I am listening to the The Battle of 77 by the Sunparlour Players right now.)

It feels so good to let the music wash over me. I am happy. I wonder if I would have this reaction if I hadn't had my yoga practice earlier...

Yoga... aaah!

I finally got back to doing yoga today, after waaaaay too long. I think the last time I went was on my birthday, (Prana Shanti gives you a free yoga class on your birthday), but that was just one class. Before that, I don't think I've been since last fall.

Today I eased into it with a Kundalini And Meditation class. I freely admit that I mostly went for the meditation. I have taken this class before and I must say, there is nothing like meditating to a gong. Its vibrations fill up the spaces inside you and allow you to completely surrender to nothingness. It is such an amazing experience. There are no grocery lists being written in my head when I meditate to a gong, that's for sure! And to think that I almost didn't go!

A already canceled yoga with my sister yesterday, and this morning I was fairly certain that I would do the same today. I woke up with a throat ache that made it painful to swallow. I was tired, grumpy and very pessimistic. I was in an "I hate life and life hates me" sort of mood. To tell you the truth, I don't even know why I ended up going. I have no clue at all...

When I did show up for class, I was feeling very apprehensive. I was feeling heavy and sluggish and basically too fat to get off my butt and do anything. Well, for a person who was feeling apprehensive, pessimistic and grumpy, I was feeling energized, (relieved!) and determined by the end of class. I am now determined to go back, and to make a habit of yoga instead of slipping back down into inertia's clutches.

The lucky thing about this class was that it moved at a good pace. We moved from one exercise to the next at just the right rhythm.  More than once, I was just about to give up because my muscles couldn't take it any more, when the teacher moved us on to another exercise. It was perfect. I did feel some muscle pain, but managed to keep up.

It feels like a big accomplishment to have gone today. I went with my sister, and we have promised each other that we would go again. Also, I am determined to get back into regular practice, and that includes practicing at home. I am putting it in writing here to force myself not to back out. It's official.

Another possible benefit of having gone today is that I might repeat one of the meditations we did, Sat (truth) Nam (self), with First Son. It is a silent meditation. You inhale on the Sat (say it in your head) and exhale on the Nam. It is such a relaxing exercise, I think it might help him go to sleep at night. I'm glad I went to yoga, for First Son, and also for me as a nice time out from the endless worries of life.

So, what are you going to do for yourself today? :o)

Crazy Day Today

We are leaving tonight for a friend's cottage on the Bonnechere River near Eganville, Ontario. We'll spend 3 nights and 3 days there, hopefully relaxing. :o)

The crazy part, of course, is getting ready to go. We have to get packed.

Show of hands: How many of you have tackled the task of packing for four people while the two youngest of your brood unpack every bag to see if they can find their pocket knives?

Anyone?

Anyone...?

Well, I seem to be alone in my predicament. That's too bad. I was hoping for some advice.

The only way I can cope with the frustration is to take a time out and write today's blog post.

The pocket knives were souvenirs from Québec City last year. They are like swiss army knives, with different tools in them like scissors and screw drivers. They will be handy for sharpening sticks to roast marshmallows and hot dogs on, but I do not want the boys playing with them in the house. The reason I hid them in the first place was that they became weapons when the boys got in an argument. At that point, I decided they were not mature enough to have them.

This weekend, I will try to let them have the pocket knives and see if they can be responsible with them. The problem is, First Son asked me to pack them for the trip and as soon as I said that I already had, both boys started looking for them. That is very annoying, when everything in the bags was nicely folded and rolled. To my credit, though, they have not managed to unearth the knives. I hid them that well. *smug smile*

We still have to eat lunch, take Second Son to gymnastics, during which I have to do groceries, then we have to have supper, pack the car, go to cake decorating class (a special class for the boys to decorate Easter cakes), and we leave for the cottage from there. Somewhere between all of that I have to fit in the time to go get the cottage keys. Oh, and I also may get a call from the person who wants to buy our spare blue Nintendo for $100. Like I said, Crazy Day. I had better get back to it.

I'm sorry that today's post is so short. I don't know if I will have time to get online before next Wednesday, so I would like to wish everyone a very happy Easter if you celebrate it, and a lovely weekend to all even if you don't.

Take care,

Enikő
xxx