It’s so easy this time of year to get caught up in kids’ activities that we often place our own health & care at the bottom of the priority list.  How many of you at the end of the summer can’t wait to get the kids back in school to have more routine in your life? I’m imagining the hands going up right now, so thanks for playing along;).  But how has that routine benefited you?  Do you actually have more time for yourself? Or are you now just running your kids from one thing to another & attending their events before and after work hours, but at least have the relief that you know where they are and what they are doing during the day?

I could be wrong, but my guess is that you are now consumed with their activities or other community obligations that have picked back up that the time you intended to carve out for yourself just isn’t there. You are struggling to find 10 minutes in your day to collect your thoughts and mentally take a break.  And most of the time, that little bit of peace comes at night just before you hit the hay (which is probably later than you intended as well). It’s time to get real, folks.  Life isn’t slowing down.

Unless you create the opportunity for it to do so.

In the meantime, perhaps you choose to ACCEPT that life is always going to be filled with things to do, other people to care for, and a community to contribute to.  There won’t be a shortage of ways you can keep yourself busy if you want to. But how are you going to do all of this without burning yourself out?

Enter, your yoga practice.

What if you made your practice such a priority that you scheduled life around it? That it wasn’t an option whether you practiced or not? What if you chose not to make commitments that conflicted with giving yourself the kindness you would give a dear friend you haven’t seen in a long time? What would that look like?

It could mean making decisions based on how it would affect your practice. For instance, deciding to attend Guided Self-Practice, then preparing everything you need to make that happen the night before i.e. laying out clothes, asking for support from other family members, setting alarm a little bit earlier, and the big one…going to bed early enough to get a good night’s sleep. Or it could mean asking for help from others in your personal “village” to help with duties in the morning to see that you, too, are a priority.  It could also mean eating a healthy meal in the evening that will sustain you until after your practice in the morning so you sleep well & are fueled for peak performance. And one of the hardest things, it could mean you have to NOT use the excuse of needing sleep to miss out on your practice for the day.

Again, I could be wrong, but you’re not going to regret practicing once you’re finished.

Those other things on your “to-do list” that get in your way of practicing are always going to be there. Trust me.  They will be.  And I can guarantee that you’ll be more successful and productive in getting them done if you give yourself the time of day to practice yoga.

So what are you waiting for?  Stop “shoulding” on yourself, and choose to take action to care for your well-being with kindness and love. Accept who you are as a person through your yoga practice. And fall in love with your practice.

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