Yogarific Zazen

Our nights in the new, improved Peters House have been a bit hectic. When I get home I immediately start working on some project to kick the new place in to shape. About 45 minutes later (and usually with crap now strewn about the house in piles), Trent gets home with Lucy and the two of us fix dinner. By the time we’ve all eaten and cleaned up, it’s around 7 p.m. and time to start winding down for Lu to go to bed. That kid needs massive amounts of sleep, so she’s usually conked out by 8 o’clock. Since we are now the proud owners of a DVR system, Lu and I have been curling up in the den with some giant fuzzy blankets and watching recorded episodes of Sesame Street to wind down from the day.

Last night I found myself just too tired to contemplate trucking downstairs with Lu. Instead I laid down on her floor while she played around me. I started stretching and before I knew it I was practicing some random yoga moves I learned from my maternity yoga class three years ago. Lu finally looked up from her baby doll and asked, “Mama, what you doing?” Before I knew it, the two of us were in the middle of her bedroom in downward facing dog pose. We ended up doing a bunch of different moves and she had a blast, giggling manically as we moved from one pose to the next. Not exactly relaxing or meditative yoga, but very fun and good for the soul.

I think I need to spend more time doing things like this. The tension has started to creep up on me, and I’ve noticed myself getting more irritable and cranky. I don’t quite know how to explain the pressure I’m feeling, to be the mom, to be the breadwinnner, to be the wife, to be the homemaker, to be myself, but I can say these types of activities do help quite a bit. It’s so easy to get caught up in making everything perfect, your home, your job, your life…and that can be too much for anyone to handle.

We all need to remember to breathe.