Sunday, March 9, 2014

Live in the moment you are in

I have been practicing yoga almost every week since October. I'm open-minded.  I've read Eat Pray Love. I don't give into bettering self and believing in 'a higher power'.  I personally give that  'higher power' a name and so I can think on such thoughts.  We typically attend church on Saturday nights so Sunday mornings are available to attend yoga.  Now, whatever ideas you have about yoga, until you actual go to a class and enjoy the instructor, you should give it another try.  "The word guru is composed of two Sanskrit syllables. The first means 'darkness', the second means 'light'. Out of darkness and into the light"   page 123 of Eat Pray Love. I know this is Hindu but again I relate the light to be Jesus. We are to put on Christ and take off ourselves. Matthew 5.  Today's class was so fitting.  I am currently listening to God as a recurring theme keeps popping up daily.  'Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.'
I don't get caught up in everything this instructor shares but today she says to the class 'live in the moment you are in now'.  I relate it to what God says in His word.

Matthew 6:34 (NIV) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Then she says, "Don't concentrate on the music. It's a distraction and just look into yourself."  What? She does not know me one bit!  Music is everything to me.  It changes my thinking, my mood, my actions.  Music moves me to run, laugh, cry.  Every week I ask this instructor the name of a song she played so I can go straight to my itunes store and purchase it.  Today that song was Keep Breathing by Ingrid Michaelson.  I'm sitting cross legged with my palms open and resting on my knees.  A posture I find myself sitting in more and more in my free time.  A posture my pastor just asked us to practice in his sermon last night.  A posture that says, 'God I surrender'.  Now one tear streams down my cheek and in the next 5 minutes I'm glad the room is dark and I'm in the front row and we are instructed to close our eyes.  It's just me and God in this moment and he gently reminds me of when He has carried me in my life.  He carried me through high school, through my 22 years of marriage, through my dad's cancer, through our adoption process, to name a few. He is faithful so why do I doubt?  All we can do is keep breathing.
Later in the class, while in child's pose, she plays Dare You To Move by Switchfoot.  I smile again and even lip sync to the song.  Again thankful for the darkened room and praising God a song about Salvation is playing on this fine Sunday morning.  Yoga is awesome! Then a final song comes on while in a 'sleeping' pose and it's country.  AHHH! I hate country with all my being but yoga is the opposite of hate and I pray to relax and NOT concentrate on the song.  I finally find myself relaxing and not worrying or thinking of anything. This hour did the trick.  I'm ready to take on the world again (for at least another week). The instructor talks about taking your practice into everyday life.  So when someone cuts you off in the parking lot don't give into anger and reciprocate the action. Breathe.  I finish a very satisfying hour and glad Scott joined me as he does most weeks.  I roll up my mat (yes I'm a real yogi and have my own mat) and leave to get Zoe from the child care center. I'm thrilled to see she ventured into the climbing maze with tunnels and slides.  This is new for her.  But when she looks into my eyes and hears me calling for her to come down she decides to go further away.  She climbs higher and stares at me.  Ooohhh! She doesn't know I'm not beyond climbing up to get her out myself.  I've been known to jump into germ invested ball pits, that used to amuse the kids at McDonald's, to retrieve my child a time or two. Breathe! She finally submits to my firm calling and instead of laying into her, I uncross my arms and tell her I'm so excited she tried something new.  I then had to insist she use the potty before we leave and she refused and my temperature begins to rise.  I know I'm reaping from a late night and the loss of the dreaded Daylight Savings hour.  She has the gall to ask for a cookie and I promptly say no and she cries. So I'm exiting the gym, passing by the once peaceful room I so enjoyed moments ago and go about my normal life.  God help me!  True story.