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Lovenotes Returns!

Lovenotes RETURN!!     September 2018
 
Dear Yogi friends,
I was asked today by a friend, what happened to Love Notes?!  It has been a while since I have sent these. I admit that I drifted!  I have been doing a lot of travel, working and thinking. It has been fun.  My writing shifted off tech. No computer. Yes, that’s right….I still wrote over the summer but it has involved paper, markers, gel pens, magazine collage and little tokens of my day to day life - tickets, all collected in a notebook that is fun to go back and look at.  Neat little reminders of the summer days past.

And through it all I have been aware, breathing, living, loving, and now I realize I miss connecting with you, my yoga friend!  I took the summer off from teaching yoga classes with the exception of just a few specialty workshops. I did yoga on the beach.  I did yoga at a few new studios. I hugged Redwood trees. I hiked. I biked. It felt good to shake it up. Try new things. Do more things outside.
 
Now let’s talk about mindfulness and yoga!!  Here are some questions I shared with some lunch friends today.
Q & A  Thursday 
Q: How often do you practice mindfulness and/or yoga?
A: For me it is a flow.  Sometimes during the year, I practice more, other times not as much.  There is definitely a seasonal aspect to my practice. I do a lot of mindfulness and yoga in the winter.  It is very healing for me as that is a busy time of the year for me working in a school system. As the warmer weather comes around, I find I want to be outside more so I like to find and give outdoor yoga classes when it is nice out.  The more I do it, the better I feel. Stressors of everyday life that get me jacked up and anxious are counter balanced when I take deep breaths, move my body and practice being present to this very moment. I practice about 5 days per week.  That can be a mindfulness activity such as meditating, mindfulness in motion - walking and being mindful of each step, yoga or just sitting quietly in my backyard listening to nature around me.
All these things heal my soul.  I don’t take their benefits lightly!

Q: I am busy working mom with  a little one and family to take care of.  I am not sure how to fit yoga and meditation into my daily life.  What should I do?
First off I want to thank you for being a mama to little ones.  This is one of the most fantastic and yet really hard jobs anyone can do.  It never ends. You are always tending to others at this busy phase of your life.  So of course you are exhausted and wonder how you are going to fit self care in. But this I know:  Self care is a critical gift that you give to yourself AND those around you.  When you take time to take care for yourself, it makes you a better person. You then can give wholeheartedly to your family.
So the logistical answer to this is you have to investigate where you can fit it in.  
  • Are you a morning person?  Can you get up a little earlier to sit for 20 minutes and meditate?
  • Do you wake up in the middle of the night and toss and turn for a period of time?  Put in a guided meditation and lay on your bed. Embrace the awakeness!
  • Are you a night owl?  Roll out your mat when you get into your jammies and do 15 minutes of sun salutations or gentle stretches.
  • Try a yoga video.
  • Get a book of yoga poses at the library and sit down with it and commit to doing 4 - 5 of them each day.
  • Sign up for a class and schedule it into your week.
     
Perhaps some of these ideas seem too short or not dedicated enough.  
Forgive yourself and do what you can anyway!! This is your life and your practice.
This parenting adventure you are on is a marathon, not a sprint.  Things will change down the road. But right now, you don’t have time to mess around.  You have to do what works with your life. If that is 10 minutes one day, and 45 minutes another day and a nap on yet another day then that is your mindfulness work.  Good for you for showing up at all! You did it!
With Love and Peace,
Namaste,
Jean
Please email me  if you have questions you would like me to answer here.  I love hearing from you!
My wish for you today is health in your body, peace in your mind and love in your heart.