It is AMAZING how your personal practice can change throughout your life. Six years ago, I practiced about four hours a day, probably six days per week. Three years ago, I practiced maybe once a month. This time last year, depending on the weather, an hour and a half per day either inside or on the back deck, rocking to some good tunes.
Today, I think I began my practice at about noon and just finished around 3:15 p.m.
While it might not have been the longest practice in actual time, it was only supposed to be a 30 minute practice. Today was the first time I’ve been back on my mat since the week before Ewan was born. It felt SO good and I felt SO stiff, but minute by minute those aches and pains began to fall away and I could feel my muscles remembering how to give a little more, and a little more.
My mind wandered to those crumbs I could see on the kitchen floor (didn’t I just sweep those up yesterday?!), Ewan beginning to stretch and wake up in his swing, Holden (my preschooler) yelling at me from his room to see if he could get up from rest time. And there’s the cat at the front door, meowing loudly to come in for a snack, and our yellow lab at the patio door with a soggy tennis ball in his mouth, staring me down.
This was all in the first 10 minutes of practice.
I stopped to nurse Ewan. I let the cat in and fed him (vile thing that he is – he sneezed all over me, yuk). I stared back at the dog. I told Holden that rest time was NOT over. I put Ewan down on my mat so that I could practice over him and and he could play. Didn’t work; had to nurse him some more. Told Holden he could get up. Let the cat out to play with the dog. Ten more minutes of practice had gone by.
Looked at Holden, who had bags under his eyes from NOT sleeping. Still nursing Ewan. Put Holden to sleep in our room repeating, “Keep your eyes closed, keep your eyes closed.” He was snoring in five minutes. Ewan’s eyes were swimming, so I put him down for his fourth nap of the day. Dog and cat are playing outside. Back to my practice.
Doorbell rings. Solicitor. No thanks. Back to my practice.
Maybe this IS my yoga practice. Breathe. 
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