A Hard Week and Why We Practice

There are lots of reasons why you shouldn’t be getting a note from me today.  It has been a week around here.  My daughter is sick - not just a little sick, multiple doctor visits sick.  On top of that I moved out of my yoga space in a flurry of chaos on Sunday then changed my yoga teaching schedule. And there were end of the school year activities.  Not to mention my mother came into town, my husband has been working crazy hours and somehow my hip got messed up for a day.

This week has been a lot.  

It’s not the first time things have gone this way, but it’s the first time I’ve been able to handle it without falling apart.  It’s hard, that’s absolutely true.  But I am staying present through it, which is the best that I can do.  Staying present rather than getting swamped is what helps me make multiple calls to insurance, be energetically available to yoga students, and keep up with my son as he runs around the back yard.  Without that presence I would be a puddle on the floor, unable to do anything.  With it, I’m seeing what needs attention and attending to it.  When life is challenging, that’s what’s needed.

Weeks like this are what we’re practicing for.

Whenever you get centered on your yoga mat, you’re practicing for getting centered when life feels out of hand.  Whenever you allow your emotions to rise and fall without getting attached while you’re sitting for meditation, you’re practicing for dropping attachment when life feels out of control.  When you pause and check with your breath, you practice letting your breath move easily even in hard moments.  All of these things anchor you in the moment and help you stay present through challenges.  

As this week finishes, I’m super grateful for the practices that have carried me though it.  I don’t know what the next few days will bring, but I know that I can meet it, not because I can do a handstand, but because I know how to breathe, find center, and let go of attachment.  

May your practice support you to stay present through whatever life brings.  

Sending love to you all!