Stretching Session

Ava and I spent nearly an hour stretching together this morning. Sounds boring, I know. And surprising that a five-year-old would be interested for so long. But our stretching session was an active show-and-tell.  I showed her a stretch from my yoga core class, which we both performed. Then, she showed me a stretch from her pre-primary ballet class. We arched our backs like a cat, wagged our "tail," and rested in Child's Pose. We rocked back and forth on our spine, which Ava called "rocking chair," and tried several balancing poses.

When I went out for a run on my own later, up a long, steep hill, I felt great. Nice and loose. 

Stretching is often one of those things that I don't get to often enough and my tight limbs pay. With young kids in the house, I usually dread stretching because I become a human jungle gym. Today was different. My older daughter taught me stretches.  I told her that maybe she could be a dance or yoga instructor someday, that is when she isn't busy being a doctor, cheerleader, or President of the United States.

Yoga Core

Tonight, I went to my second yoga class -- Yoga Core, open level. I was running late (because of a miscommunication with my husband, who had to be home to watch the kids) and when I got to the studio the lights were off.  I could hear the instructor's soothing voice settling the class in to yoga mode. I was ready to head back home, rather than interrupt class, when out came the instructor. She invited me in and gave me her mat. The class was packed. I felt thankful and ashamed. 

The class was amazing. An hour of working the core muscles. Last week, my muscles hurt two days after class, a sure sign that I don't work my core. The other great benefits -- stretching, breathing, improving my posture, and an hour away from my kids at the dinner hour! I'm also getting over my yoga phobia, because in a core class you don't have to link flows, something I have trouble remembering how to do.

The class ends with relaxation, focusing on your whole body. I could feel my shoulders relax and my jaw loosen. At the end, in seated position, we took a moment to think of something we were grateful for on that day. For me, it was the instructor, who welcomed me when she didn't have to. Then as I walked home, slowly, I was thankful for having an hour to be conscious of the connection between my mind and body.