Day 14

Ah, day of blessed rest. Well, I slept 20 minutes later than usual, so that counts for rest. I thought about sleeping in much later and doing my workout in the middle of the day instead, but I wanted to keep to my routine of jumping in the morning to get that extra little fat-blasting power. So, this morning found me in the usual basement spot, just a little bit later than normal.

The forward bend is very challenging for me, physically and mentally. I have little to no flexibility in my hips and hamstrings, so just sitting upright with my legs open is not easy. I find that I have to use my core muscles a lot just to keep from leaning back or from curving my spine. The step-by-step instructions were really helpful. I'm trying to keep my normal "must achieve perfection NOW" schtick from activating and just relax into the stretch. I found myself massaging my quadriceps muscles a bit to get them to settle down a bit as well.

Daily meditation is like greeting an old friend who I haven't seen in a while. I first received meditation instruction probably 15 years ago, and spent a good deal of time training in the Shambhala tradition. When I was in college, I was lucky enough to live near an active Shambhala center that offered lots of classes and programs, plus regular group meditation, so I spent a lot of time there. (My husband and I got married in the backyard of that center.) Once I moved to NYC, I was too far away from the local Shambhala center to get very involved, and here in Louisville there is no Shambhala center. So I'm missing that group practice, encouragement and community that used to be a big part of my life, but in the end, meditation is something you do by yourself -- and the "yourself" part can be the most overwhelming.

I've finally gotten to the point where I don't get frustrated with myself for drifting off and starting to think about other things -- I just calmly and automatically bring myself back to the breath. I think this ability was what helped me get through all those frustrating jump-rope days when I would trip every couple of jumps. No big deal, no need to add to everything by getting upset, just come back and start again.

Frankly, that skill is incredibly useful when dealing with a two-year-old, who is a little chaos generator. One day she loves broccoli, the next day she hates it, and you just have to roll with it. So, I take a deep breath, I come back to the present moment (because that's the only place a little child lives) and I deal with the issue at hand. (Usually.)

It's been a long while since I had a daily practice, though, so I'm happy that meditation is part of this program. Today I'm grateful for a little extra rest, I'm grateful for the delicious lunch I just had, and I'm looking forward to seeing what's ahead for next week.

Happy weekend, everybody!