The Tiny Gifts that Matter

Bikram Hot Yoga Again

Ever had one of those nights where you wake up with a stomach ache and can’t get back to sleep? Mine started at three in the morning and got me out of bed by six. It was Saturday morning and I ALWAYS go to my morning yoga class at eight. Disappointment was how I felt as I started my day off.

I was actually worried I would be sick if I went to yoga. I went anyways. I was dizzy for the first twenty minutes. Then I realized my stomach had quit hurting. Interesting. I did the class and it was not easy. As I lay there having my final rest I was pleasantly surprised to notice my stomach ache was completely gone.

This type of stuff happens all the time. Go to yoga with a headache, come out with a clear head. Go to yoga with a sore neck, come out as limber as a kitten.

Yoga is not a quick fix nor do the benefits last forever. I go twice a week to allow me to be comfortable in my body to do the things I love.

Bikram Hot Yoga More

I’m in class yesterday morning…and my mind is wandering to all of the days’ endless possibilities.  A full day to myself with no work or commitments to attend to. I had one of those amazing yoga classes where your mind wanders so intensely that the class just happened. I left class quite jazzed about my day ahead.

A couple of things came to me:

• You can’t appreciate a day off unless you work. I work a full-time Monday to Friday job and this puts into sharp contrast a day to myself. It is not to be wasted; it is to be cherished.
• My yoga allows me to do the other things that I love:  running, biking, sitting on the beach comfortably, sleeping deeply and peacefully, remaining calm during chaos…this is a never-ending list of possibilities that yoga fosters.
• Ego gets in the way of my progress. I have a hip flexor problem that I’m having trouble healing. Some of the yoga postures make it hurt but I have been powering through them. I have decided to back off on the postures that aggravate this area and see what happens. This is where my head gets in the way. My ego wants to do the postures and to see myself doing the poses…
• When I have an issue with my body I don’t immediately run to a health care professional.  I always try really hard to heal it on my own through my yoga-and that may mean backing off from some postures!

My day turned out to be amazing! Yoga followed by cutting the dead wood out of my hydrangeas, a beach walk with Charlotte my dog

and Kristy my twenty-year old, Harry Potter on the deck in the sun, a bike ride to my town for errands, a picnic on the beach with my 18 year-old and my husband, and finally a hot bath and deep sleep. My idea of a perfect day😌

Bikram Hot Yoga

I have some observations to share about Bikram Hot Yoga. I have been practicing yoga for six years and yet I am still a beginner-it always comes as somewhat of a surprise that each class is so challenging.

I have a love/hate relationship with yoga: I love how it makes me feel (after the class); I hate getting myself there and sometimes even the practice. I often fantasize about leaving the class or not renewing my membership. Read on…it changes.

Here are some things that have happened to me during my six years of practice:

• I used to get chiropractor, physiotherapy and massage treatments on a regular basis-it was part of how I kept my back, neck and shoulders healthy. Now I rarely need to go. I have diagnosed scoliosis…I have been run over by a car…I have broken my leg…I have issues:)
• I used to get migraine headaches a couple times a year. I have had one in six years. Now, if I get a regular headache, I go to yoga and it goes away or is reduced substantially.
• I had a roller blading wipeout recently where I damaged the tendons and ligaments in my hands (I fell backwards and took all my weight on my unprotected hands). I went to yoga and worked through it and have absolutely no lasting immobility or pain.
• Bikram Hot Yoga allows me to run, do my weights and hike…It keeps me pain free.
• I know my body so well because of yoga-I can tell what is going on and better heal myself through my yoga.

Proud Mama

Two wonderful things my 19 year-old daughter did today:

First, she gave blood and convinced two friends to go with her. This is her second time. When I asked her why, she responded, “my blood type is very rare. They need it. I wish I knew who got my blood. It’s too bad they don’t e-mail you and tell you”.

Second, after giving blood, she crawled into bed and said, “there is nothing better than your own bed. It just feels so right”.

She is one smart girl.

 

 

Cleaning the Toilet

It always surprises me what triggers the mood to clean the toilet. I do not have a set schedule for this home care routine…rather the commode sets the time. Sometimes, it is the pink ring in the bowl that suddenly appears, demanding to be removed. I do a quick scrub and move on. A minute at most.

What really strikes me as funny, is when I should be doing something else, there is a deadline in fact…and yet there I am, bent over, meticulously scrubbing every nook and cranny of my toilet. Thoroughly engrossed in the job, twenty minutes has passed and then it occurs to me: I’m supposed to be doing my UBC assignment. Really, I just came in here to use the toilet and now I’ve given it an extreme home makeover. Procrastination at its’ finest. This is the only time my toilet gets a good cleaning-when there is another job even more unpleasant, waiting to be done!

All We Have is Now

So I’m at hot yoga this morning and the instructor says, ‘What are you saving it for? All we have is now’. How did she know I was hoarding some of my energy for later? How do I know there will be a later? I stopped my wandering mind and focused on my yoga poses. I got a really good stretch in my body but more importantly I stayed in the moment.

Going to yoga was the nicest thing I did for myself all week. It was an hour and a half of self care. The body and mind I will have next month will be a result of my lifestyle this month.

Coping

So, what do I do when I have a poor night’s sleep and have a big day? I start my day with a homemade cookie and pay attention to the little things I am thankful for!

• homemade cookies and coffee
• hot shower
• my cat letting me pat her on the head (she’s not very friendly-why we let her take over the dog’s bed-everyone is afraid of her)

Any ideas on how to cope with the ups and downs of life?

Living The Dream?

 

Living the dream…and taking the time to notice and acknowledge your wealth in your daily life. Our 16 year old cat discovered Charlotte’s dog bed and adores it. I realized what a simple pleasure this must be for Tigger. Needless to say Charlotte is not sure how to handle this event.

Life is full of big events, both good and bad. These are markers in your journey but it is your day to day life doing ordinary things that takes up the majority of your time. How do you spend your time? 

Simplicity and balance-at home and at work. Those are words that resonate with me as I strive to find harmony in my life. When I think of simplicity I imagine a closet where there is room for your clothes to breathe. Balance conjures images of a bookshelf that has space to display the front covers of some key reads. Less is definitely more as I remove the weeds from my work library and my home closet.