Things I'm doing now:
- I am committing to a daily personal yoga practice. This was not a new years resolution, as I just committed to this on the 18th. I've been doing yoga since 2002 and I have had regular practices off and on since then. Yoga is the one exercise that I miss when I don't practice. I have taken months off at a time during the past 12-13 years, but I hope to never do that again.
- I am also committing to a daily mindfulness meditation practice. This is something I've been working at integrating into my life since I joined the congregation at Wellsprings last March. I have been incorporating mindfulness into my life with greater and greater intention over the past months. Some days my practice was a simple as a few deep breaths during a moment of stress. More often than not, this was as much practice as I'd get. However I have committed myself to a daily seated meditation. I hear Rev. Ken's words "nothing replaces having your tush on the cush," and I am inspired to see just how this practice will change and grow for me this year. I've started the timer at 15 minutes and plan to increase in small increments as the days pass.
- I am also starting yoga teacher training mid-February. I will have my 200 hour certification by mid-November. I hope to start teaching as soon as possible. I'd love to develop a yoga business that serves people of all ages. I'd like to offer classes for kids, adults, mom's to be, new moms, and seniors and anyone else who is interested. Yoga has so many amazing benefits and I'm excited about getting to the place where I can share my yoga with people! ;)
- I hope to be cleaning houses. In the interim between now and when I can begin the yoga thing, I'm going to try to find a couple of houses that I can clean in order to rustle up a little bit of extra cash. I'd like to continue to be home with my Little One as much as possible and my Oldest One is still at home doing cyber school. So this seems like it might be a flexible enough idea to fit the bill. And as strange as it may sound, I love to clean. And as a stay-at-home mom of almost 16 years, I certainly know my way around cleaning supplies! :) Cleaning is sort of a zen thing for me. I can really tune into the process and appreciate the minuteness of the details. And who doesn't love a clean bathroom? I mean come on, a sparkling clean tub just makes everyone feel better. :)
- And finally, I'm learning how to be me. I'm 41 and I'm learning how to be my own person. It's a weird feeling to just be a "me" and not an "us." I was married at 19 and find myself single at 41. My entire adult life has been spent as part of couple and now I'm just me. It's exciting and terrifying all at the same time. I'll be alright, I know that. God is good and I see God's love all around me. However, there are a lot of changes in my life that were unexpected and not exactly what I've spent my adult years planning for. I have opportunities before me that I never imagined. I also have challenges before me that I never imagined too. A large part of me desperately wants to fast forward to the end of 2015 and be able to see how it looks in hindsight. That's where the mindfulness comes back into play. I will sit with each moment in 2015 and do my best to be present in the now. I will get to know me. I will be present for my kids. I will learn what it feels like to be me when I'm excited, anxious, alone, nervous, scared, optimistic, tired, happy, sad, frustrated, joyful and the list goes on and on and on. I will learn to be me. I will learn.
So, that's kinda where I'm at. I'll try to keep y'all posted. It certainly makes for an interesting journey. Feel free to walk along with me. :)
