Yoga Lent comes to an end

This morning I did the last class of my 30 day Yoga Challenge. I feel a little sad that it is all over but happy that I have completed it. I feel stronger, more focussed and my body is thanking me for the detox that went along with the yoga.  I am proud to have risen to the challenge, to have dragged my body through the “mud” to show up on the mat and I’m humbled by the many friends who have supported me.

Over the last month I have attended classes by 13 different teachers, been to class morning, noon and night, and experienced Vinyasa Flows, Ashtanga, Pilates Fusion and Hatha Yoga – it has been a veritable smorgasbord from which I have been fortunate to sample.

It feels like each muscle in my body has been acknowledged, and those that complained have been soothed. This last week I have felt so good – full of energy and in that ‘golden space of yoga’ as Melissa calls it. I have been a good enough advert that at least three people are ready to join in next year!

Like many challenges, it seems that it has come to an end so quickly, after the slow grind to the top of the hill or the halfway mark. But once you crest the hill, it’s freewheeling all the way down and you feel the wind in your hair and the smile on your face. 

“For in truth it is life which gives unto life - while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness.”

                                                                                                                                  Kahlil Gibran 

Kahlil Gibran on Giving

Thank you!

to everyone who supported me and encouraged me me on this yoga challenge.

Kahlil Gibran on Giving: 'via Blog this'

Part of the Group

A little while ago I chatted to one of the hockey mums who commented that she did not see me at the matches. My son has been telling me that I didn’t need to come and watch. So off I went a few weeks ago and to my surprise, found a little supporters group of parents who have been valiantly cheering them on all season. (Kind of like the feeling at varsity when everyone assures you that they are not studying and you find them all in the library!).

 It was freezing cold at 800 yesterday morning, watching the last under-14 hockey match of the season, huddled up with other parents on a stand which the sun failed to reach. It was a good game and the opponents were evenly matched.

It felt good to be part of the group as I find that in high school one seems to lose the contact with other parents. I seem to only fetch and drop. It was the same with my daughter, perhaps more difficult since she went to a different high school and he has stayed with the same group of boys from his Prep school.

I am not sure if this is part of his separation from my protective wing, which started with not being kissed goodbye in the mornings, way back in grade 4 or 5. He did the same with the Eisteddfod last term. He was playing his clarinet, and also told me it was not necessary for me to come. I was very glad that I did decide to go and witnessed the atmosphere at the school.  Since he came back from Sweden, I have felt the independence.

Once again I marvel at how differently boys and girls seem to grow up. My daughter has no qualms about kissing me in a busy mall, outside the movies or wherever it is I am dropping her. I hear that it is part of becoming a man and then they come closer again. I guess he is going to have to get used to having me around for another little while longer! I am not quite ready for this empty nest!

New Drugs for TB

I was pleased to read in this weekend’s newspaper that there is new research into a vaccine booster for Tuberculosis (TB) in people with AIDs, in Khayelitsha. South Africa has the second highest rate of TB in the world and in 2008 more than half a million people died of TB here. The disease is exacerbated by the high incidence of HIV/AIDS, of course.

A few years ago I volunteered at the state hospital, Brooklyn Chest. Specifically, I did baby massage and helped with bathing the babies and generally spent time with them. It broke my heart that there were so many children in the hospital, from the poorest social background – single, unmarried mothers, unemployed, AIDS, etc. TB is a preventable disease. It is one of the childhood vaccinations along with measles, mumps, polio and rubella. Yet children are dying or becoming permanently disabled from the effects of the disease.

Some children had had the disease for a while before presenting for treatment and it had spread throughout their bodies and to the brain, resulting in meningitis. I saw children permanently disabled because they had not had the BCG vaccination that all babies have to have.

I discovered that very little research had been done on new medication and the drugs being used were the same ones that had been used for 50 years. It seemed that drug companies had little interest in developing new medication since there was little money to be made. The treatment for TB involves a cocktail of antibiotics which make the patients feel very ill and compliance is poor because of the length of treatment (6-9 months) and is compounded by the poor socio-economic conditions of those affected.

I continued to volunteer for about three years before the scare of the outbreak of drug-resistant TB. I felt that I was putting my own family at risk and it was with a heavy heart that I decided to stop. I hope that this is the start of more research into prevention and treatment of this disease.

  

Almost There - proving our identities

30 days, 30 yogis and 30 sponsors...that was the plan...all very rounded and neat.

But this challenge has taken on a life of its own and has flowed out of any boundaries we may have set. There are certainly more than 30 yogis, some have joined in later and will continue for longer, others have to make up time afterwards due to hectic schedules. Some have been doing yoga in weird and wonderful places.  And many people have way more than 30 sponsors which means we are going to be raising more money for Home from Home than planned.

By all accounts, it has been a hectic journey for many. This morning someone cursed as she unrolled her mat, but she showed up and was a much nicer person at the end. Someone injured her foot on a hike and is now doing a Pilates Challenge instead. And yesterday, I overheard someone say that she was so full of aches and pains but reluctant to say so “because everyone else is lying around looking so happy!”

The challenge has been exactly that – ‘a demanding task or situation, a call to someone to take part in a contest, invite someone to do something difficult’ and I like this one: ‘to call on someone to prove their identity’ (Oxford Dictionary). The contest has been within ourselves, testing the boundaries but at the same time learning to respect our bodies. And I think we have learned more about who we are over the last few weeks than we may think.

This last week I have felt full of the joys of yoga. Something has shifted and the challenge has gone from being hard work to providing a deep sense of satisfaction. It truly has been a gift to me too.

Melissa in the warrior pose
We're all feeling like warriors right now

Day 21: the home stretch

I feel full of the joys of yoga today!  At the end of the class this morning, everyone was beaming and wanting to know when we could do it again. I felt this urge to hand out hugs to all.

I haven’t written a blog about the yoga since day 15 – I was a little shell-shocked about still being so achy and tired last week.  I had to pay the chiropractor and the massage therapist a visit and it felt a little like I was being held together. I have never done such an intensive practice before – and I have only come lately to the style of yoga we are doing.

But today it feels like something magical happened. Perhaps it was all the postures for opening of the heart area we did. Or perhaps it was the music which we encouraged to focus on and use rather than have it provide the background to the practice. Perhaps it was this unassuming man in his grey tracksuit pants and white T-shirt (no vest showing off rippling muscles) who introduced himself to each one with a handshake before he placed us into a circle.

We floated and flowed to the music, tuning in to the rhythm of the breath, so close to each other that we often touched, but each one in their own space. At the end we drew right into ourselves with knees onto forehead in a shoulder stand and glided down into a resting place. Bliss!

If you see someone doing a Charlie Chaplin-type jump in the air  –  look closely, it’s probably me.

Future Choices

It may seem like there is only yoga happening at home at the moment but we are writing Matric, and note I say “we”!  This is such a defining time in a young person’s life and there are so many decisions to be made that will affect their futures. Of course, there is also the pressure of the exams. Our mantra is “a healthy body in a healthy mind” and she has already started to balance the work with yoga, gym and shiatsu.

We hit a little wobbly about a week ago when she was filling in university application forms and realised that maybe what she had been thinking about doing next year was not really what she wanted to do. Problem is she hasn’t thought about anything else and is a little overwhelmed by the choices. There is such a wide range, with degrees that never even existed five years ago, and she is the queen of procrastination.

I find that in our desire to help out and offer advice it so easy to impose our own ideas and desires onto our children. Perhaps we see them in a different space to the one they have in their minds. I was reminded a little while ago about how we sometimes overlook their strengths, because we are so busy trying to make everything perfect.

At a dinner, someone was talking about the reaction we have to a school report where for example the child might be doing really well in History and not so well in Maths. Our first response is that they should get extra Maths, try to get the mark up, etc. What about if we said: “Wow, look at your History – you are really good at that!” and then focussed on giving them more opportunity to develop the very subject that they love.

And that is what they need to learn for themselves too. It is all about learning to play to our strengths - which reminded me about a quote by Albert Einstein, I saw recently:

“...if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

To all the matriculants (and their mothers) – good luck, and may you find your bliss!

Day 15 - halfway there!

Day 15 and halfway there! I can feel my body getting stronger and twice I checked my watch at the end of a class, not believing that the time had gone so quickly. I have 30 sponsors and so now I just have to keep going in honour of all the support.

It has been quite a journey so far. And as I look back over the last two weeks, I recognise the different stages of the journey. There was the enthusiastic beginning. Then moving through resistance and struggle when my body seemed to be in rebellion and for good measure threw a bad cold at me to cope with.

And now here I am in this sweet place, wondering whether I could actually get addicted to all this. I have a sore wrist right now which is serving to remind me to listen to my body and to be true to myself. Yoga is such a personal process, not about impressing anyone – it’s between me and my body. 

Day Nine - Look how far I've come!

Yesterday I was feeling like wounded-man-walking. The night before, I swear that my joints were communicating with each other in some kind of painful Morse code – throb-throb, throb-throb-throb.  Over the weekend we were invited to “the dance between yes and no” – ‘no’ postures close up the body and ‘yes’ postures open up the body to feel joy. It’s all about attitude – posturing yourself the right way; a bit like “fake it till you make it”. The next day I was on the mat opening up my heart to love. All the talk about love and joy distracted me from the hard work – so I was a little surprised that I was so achy. I was glad of the more gentle Hatha class I did yesterday morning.

The great thing about this challenge is the exposure to different teachers. Although I think I am pretty much at the stage where I know who and what I like, it is nice to have a change and get an injection of a fresh point of view.

Last night I was feeling like I was about to succumb to the flu or something so I got into a hot mustard bath and dosed myself with Vitamin C. I still a felt a little delicate this morning but I took myself off to class this morning (showing up on the mat) and I am glad I did. It’s a matter of keeping your eye on the ball, having the end in sight and riding out the rough patches.

This morning I looked back between my legs when I pushed into child’s pose. The sun had made a pattern on my mat as it shone through the shutters. It looked like I was standing on a ladder. It occurred to me that I could either choose to see this journey as: “Yikes! What a long way still to go up!” or as: “Wow! Look how far I have come!” 

Yoga Lent Day 5

This morning I felt like I was moving through mud! My body seemed to not want to take direction from my brain. As I pushed back into downward dog, I wondered what it would be like if my arms and legs simply collapsed and I landed, “splat!” onto the mat. No chance of that though with my new, earth-friendly rubber mat, which made sure that I was going nowhere!

As the class progressed, I could feel myself yielding, and allowing my body to flow through the postures it knows so well.  I think that is part of the journey, pushing through the resistance and onto the other side.

This afternoon I curled up into a little spot of sunshine on the couch of my bedroom and drifted off into a delicious little snooze. As I woke, I twitched my limbs and felt out the muscles which seem to be asserting themselves. All I can think of is that it is going to get better. I just have to show up on the mat.  

Yoga Lent Update

So, it’s day Four of Yoga Lent and 30 days is seeming like a looong time! Today it felt like more of an effort to get to class. Some creaks and cracks have shown themselves this week, in spite of me upping the yoga to four times a week during the last two weeks in preparation for the challenge.

Yesterday I was so tired it felt like I was dragging my body around. All I could think about was how long it was till I could go to bed. I had this slight headache just above my eyes, like my eyebrows had suddenly become heavy ... hmm, maybe I have been fooling myself about how much coffee I drink.

On the plus side though, I feel slightly leaner since I am not eating wheat and I swear my body is already starting to feel toned (even though I can’t see anything – maybe it’s just waking up). I have been detox-ing my environment as well and rearranged and cleaned a few cupboards and shelves. I have been writing quite a bit, and feel like my focus is turning inwards. I am excited at the idea of a stronger body in a more peaceful space. I connected with a varsity friend, who I have not seen for many years. She has been having a tough time – it made me feel thankful for my life. 

Building Cathedrals

This morning I had to remind myself that I was “building cathedrals”. My son has been involved with the school music concert which was held in the City Hall over the last two nights. Including the rehearsal the night before, he has had three long days and late nights. This morning it was a tough job getting him up and off to school – grumpiness all around. Talking to him, I felt like I was on one of those overseas calls where there is a time delay on the response. He seemed to be moving in slow motion.

“Nice mom” was being understanding and trying to make it easy on him by helping to get ready, grabbing the hockey kit, and all but attempting to carry him to the car (yeah, right!). But “bad mom” was thinking that half the school was probably feeling the same and he should just get up and go already! There it is again, trying to find the balance between nurturing and kicking out of the nest, so that they can fly.

But to come back to the cathedrals: a while ago there was an email doing the rounds which compared being a mother to the cathedral-builders of long ago. These people toiled for many years, sometimes working on cathedrals which would only be completed long after they had died. But the attention to detail and the craftsmanship was of a very high standard. Nobody may remember the names of those who did the work, but they laid the foundations for great buildings in the same way that mothers quietly lay the foundations for great lives.

So with Women’s Day coming up, here’s a salute to all the mothers out there. When the going gets tough, think of all the “cathedrals” you are building.