I’m not talking about Warrior 3, or am I?
Lately I feel like my life is a constant balancing act.
With a vibrant 3 year old and a not yet sleeping through the night, but wonderfully precious 4 month old, cloth diapers, laundry, laundry, laundry, meals, snacks, dishes, groceries, pre-school running, the garden and subsequent canning marathon, constant runs to the compost, 2 dogs, 9 chickens, a husband and oh yeah there’s me who seems to get left in the dust.
I feel like I’m caught in a bit of a whirlwind and a little off balance these days.
I think most could agree, this is to be expected.
I’ve heard from the generation who has been there done that, and they’ve all survived.
I have great confidence I will too, but how do I feel better in the meantime?
Breathe easier.
Find some PEACE and yes, BALANCE!
I keep coming back to my breath.
To help bring calm, I’ve been practicing ujjayi (oceanic) breathing while closing off my ears with my thumbs, and gently placing my index and middle fingers over my eyes for 30 – 60 seconds (or however long I can get).
This has had profound benefit.
To help fuel me when I need energy after an all-nighter with the baby and now I need to chase my 3 year old, I have been practicing bastrika (bellows) breath, again 30 - 60 seconds seems to be long enough.
Please note, go easy or don’t practice bastrika if you are having problems sleeping at night.
When I first found pranayama (breathing techniques), I got a video from one of my co-workers at the time originally from India. I thought it was kind of a joke, how can all this sitting around breathing give any benefit? I don’t have time for this silliness; I want to build buff arms and a strong core, that’s what I was looking for from my yoga practice at that time in my life. Right now, I need some basic techniques to get through this precious, yet challenging period of my life. I invite you take in what you need in your life at this moment. If you can use any of my above suggestions to help bring more balance into your life, great! If not, find what works for you. As always, this is your body, mind, spirit integration; your yoga. Enjoy!
The Joy in me honors the Joy in you…Namaste,
~Julie
