A 4 Year Old Day
Today has been a 4 year old day. If you don't know what that means it means a rollercoaster of emotions and a struggle to have your individuality and power. We started the morning at swim lessons where The Son is just phenomenal and I'm not so biased, his instructor was just incredulous at his ability to pick up and do zippers. Then The Son's friend showed up and we went outside to play while we waited for said friend's brother's lesson to be over... The 4 year old has a desire to win, to be bigger, faster, longer, whatever "er" is the name of the game... a 4 year old must be "erer" you. So when they decided to do a foot race and The Son announced he'd say "Ready, Set, Go" only to take off on Set and leave his friend behind then proclaim loudly "I WON. I'M FASTER," his friend was understandly upset. Ap'd child that she is she told The Son that she wished for some time alone because she was sad. I watched them wrestle for control of the situation with The Son saying "No, I want you to play," and his friend saying "No, I want time alone." The Son followed, she went. Finally I decided that intervention had to happen because The Son was unable to listen to his friend's pleading for alone time. Talk about a disaster, I ended up with The Daughter in the sling, holding my 4 year old over her as he wriggled and screamed and kicked all the way to the car. *sigh* On the way home I dialed The Husband's cell phone, held it up and let him hear the chorus of screaming and said "Now, you know why I need to go to yoga!" (not that he's ever questioned it).
Finally home, the next crisis sets in.... that we weren't going to playgroup. We needed to you see. In 4 year old land, playgroup was an absolute must at that very moment so we through our beach stuff in the car, jumped on the freeway and I drove to the song "Faster mommy...faster mommy..our friends might be gone..faster mommy..faster." The beach. By Goddess, I love the beach but let me assure you it isn't all that much fun when you have a 1 year old like The Daughter. Let's just say that half the beach comes home with us and keeping up with her does require mommy to go faster. The playgroup crisis was averted however. Mommy scores 1 point today.
Yoga last night was fantastic. Thursday nights is the advanced class and I just love it. I love learning new series postures and I love finding postures that just send me to that spiritual realm inside myself. Last night we did bound lotus forward bend and it was awesome. I just forgot where I was and really was lost in my edge and inside myself. I've decided I should finish every practice with that posture...it was terrific. Thursdays are also special because Barton comes and plays his guitar for the practice. If you've never done a practice to live music, you really ought to try it. The difference is dramatic.
I have, however, discovered that I'm yoga prejudice. In talking with some friends today one of them said "All yoga can't be ashtanga," when I was saying how I hated this one class and didn't deem it yoga but glorified stretching (yes, said Chopra center class). I really like Hatha yoga and I've done synergy yoga but they never appealed to me like asthanga and I've never felt so at home with them both physically and spiritually like I do in an ashtanga practice. I know all types of yoga have benefits and they are all a path to the same place but I am personally prejudiced, I guess. Maybe I just haven't found the peace with slower paced yoga because I'm not there spiritually. Maybe I need to try it more.
Comments
I really like ashtanga, but it becomes a physical release for me, whereas hatha tends to take me *in*. Ashtanga is such a wonderful release. I feel like I've worked, and love that a downward dog becomes a resting pose, especially when I can feel my body working to get the form. But with hatha, I feel each stretch as I hold it, and sometimes, I go past it. I find the pain in the stretch, and breathe into it, and then go further. I'm not explaining it well at all. I just like the time to feel it, I guess.
I am so looking forward to the time that we move from this town. I actually sighed reading about the live music at a session. That would just never happen here, and it sounds divine. A true connection to the music and the movement and the surroundings. Ohm, indeed.
Posted by: Tanya | June 14, 2002 6:59 PM
I can see how that would be... I should try Hatha again now that I'm in a different place when it comes to yoga. I really love the spiritual aspect of the place that I'm practicing too and that probably has something to do with it.
Posted by: Julie | June 14, 2002 7:27 PM
I would absolutely LOVE to take Yoga. I could really use it. (I've never done it before but my strss level keeps rising as does my depression, just the time ALONE would be wonderful.) Unfortunately I don't think it will happen. Maybe someday.
Posted by: Debra | June 17, 2002 12:41 PM
Ah, Debra, is there anyway? Yoga has done wonders for that slump I was in... partly the physical release, partly the spiritual side of it and a lot is just being ALONE! Although, I find shavasana (corpse pose..where you are just laying on your back after a practice) to be <b>incredibly</b> difficult for me. All day I'm saying "If I could just lay down for 5 minutes," and then when I get to shavasana, I feel this overwhelming desire to move my body... like I can't come down. It is definitely the hardest pose for me.
Posted by: Julie | June 17, 2002 1:24 PM