i have committed to 40 days of yoga with two yoga teacher pals, lindsay and mary beth. elephant journal also ran lindsay's post on the challenge, and between that and face book, it has been SO cool to see how many folks are joining in. like we're all riding on one big wave together.
at first i thought, i have NO time. i can't do this. this is unrealistic for me. those lucky girls, i thought. i hope they enjoy the FREEDOM of having the time to make this commitment....
and then i got real. and in REALity, i have the time. because i have a husband who is gone so often, a dog, a house, a toddler, it's true that i don't necessarily have the me-time i used to have. i almost cry with longing for the days that i used to attend classes on my way home from work, on a saturday afternoon, at 8pm on a tuesday....
now, my life is a big ol' schedule. and i'm responsible for so much more than just me. my dharma has evolved and expanded, fo shiz.
but. but, then i read the quote (the one i posted earlier today) in an article a few days ago. and i've been thinking about it ever since. i've been thinking about what i "commit" myself to. i certainly have a couple hours each evening, after my son is in bed, of random crap "commitments" (ahem, blogging...?) that i could easily forgo to practice at home for thirty minutes. i could make a better commitment choice there, for sure. and, there is at least one day a week that i could attend a lunch yoga class and i choose not to because i am feeling so drained that i don't feel like booking it to the studio on my lunch hour. there are times when my dream husband* would gladly hold down the fort while i closed our bedroom door or went upstairs and rolled out my mat for half an hour. you have to decide what matters. well, i have to decide what matters.
the truth is, we all live different lives and have our own challenges. we have weather, we have stresses, we have no money, we have no studio nearby, we have children and families and chores and community commitments and crazy bosses and nosey neighbors and bills to pay and traffic to sit in and a MILLION reasons not to do anything. but, this is not something i want to excuse anymore. time for some new commitments.
so.
so i have committed to 40 days of yoga. i'm going to shoot for 30 mins minimum of asana per day, 10 mins of meditation. i will allow my body and breath to take me where it wants (vinyasa, restorative, etc) b/c goodness knows we all need different things at different times. b/c, let's be honest, i DO have such big priorities other than yoga (there is a boy and a dog depending on me daily for sustenance and shelter, for example), i will shoot for one class a week in studio minimum in addition to the daily practice. i can probably make more than that, but don't want to over-commit myself.
here's the coolest thing about this promise to myself: in february i am traveling with eric to costa rica for a wedding and vacation. therefore, my 40 days will overlap this trip. this is a photo of the terrace on the house we'll be sharing with some of our friends. practicing part of my 40 days here on this terrace will be like a dream. like heaven.
wish me luck!
--
*dream husband: yesterday, i had to work late. boo. something like an 11-hour day. and when i came home, eric had taken our dog to and picked our dog up from the vet (he was "fixed" yesterday, poor guy...), had taken our son to and picked our son up from school and bathed him and put him to bed (with bedtime story and all...), cleaned up our entire house, and had dinner in the oven. ladies, seriously-- don't settle until you find someone who is a lover AND a partner. just when i wanted to collapse, he was there with all this done-ness. i am lucky beyond belief.
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