I used spend and hour a day (minimum) dedicated to my yoga practice. Every day I took at least ten minutes for seated meditation too. Then I had another child. My yoga practice slid to the sidelines. At first I was really hard on myself. I became determined to cram yoga in there somewhere but I was tired. My joints were still all weird and loose from breastfeeding and the hormone relaxin. I injured myself. I just rushed into my old practice too soon and had to step back again.
My daughter is two now. I rarely get an hour of solid yoga practice ever these days, unless I am teaching it, which is sort of a different dynamic (try to do yogic breathing and talking at the same time and you will know what I mean). I do yoga all day though… ten minutes here, when the toddler is distracted, ten minutes of yoga meowing like a cat on my knees and barking like a dog in downward dog while the toddler copies me. I run through my planned classes but usually going faster than the actual class would go. I listen to yoga nidra recordings at night before I fall asleep. But things are different.
Sometimes I see people come into my class and they are so serious with their yoga. They are so dedicated. I was feeling like a bit of loser actually claiming to be in any position to teach yoga… but then I realized something. Most people (including myself before my daughter was born) compartmentalize their yoga practice. Time is set aside to do their yoga. Then they leave the practice and return to life. A fundamental shift has happened in my life. My yoga practice is now woven into every part of my life. I do yoga when I walk with my daughter, I do yoga in the bath, I read about yoga, write about yoga, think about yoga… essentially it has seeped beautifully into every corner of my day. I truly feel now that I am living my yoga. It is a wonderful feeling.
