Slowing down to speed up

I’m a napper. I like naps. Through periods of my life I have terrible insomnia and napping is a way to continue working, raise kids and have some semblance of a life. Right now I’m sleeping pretty well and life has a better balance. I still like naps.

In the past few months I’ve updated on FB that I’m about to take a nap. Or that I need a nap. Or that I just had the best nap-you get the idea. The response I get is just amazing to me. I can’t believe

that people have such strong reactions to the idea that I’m actually resting in the middle of my day.

I’ll admit my first reaction is often to justify. To explain that I teach early morning classes or that I teach a lot or that when I cook it means being on my feet and working long, hard hours. Or that I don’t really have a day off. I have flexibility, but I work on some level every day. But that’s really more about me than them and the point is that we all need to slow down, no matter how busy our lives are.

Slowing down to speed up is one of the best lessons I’ve learned as a yogini, a mom and a business owner. I know it sounds silly to some, but if you can take some time just for yourself you will be a more productive and happy person. When I take time to just breathe or to rejuvenate or to let my mind be quiet I am so much better at being Melissa than when I wake up at 5am and go full blast until I can’t stand up anymore or bedtime comes, whichever is first. When I create space in my life I feel spacious and open and gracious and loving.  And I’m a better mom, wife and teacher for it.

I won’t deny that I went through my prideful Martha Stewart phase,

Yogini or Goddess?

I often lead just a little bit of yoga in some unexpected places. I’m asked to warm people up at conferences, classes or even in church to open up the creative juices, get ready for meditation or get the blood flowing in the late afternoon.

So I lead them these mostly non-yogis through a short bit of circling arms, belly breathing and basic sun salutation that only involves Tadasana, Uttanasana Arha Uttanasana, which is standing, bending

and then bending half-way down before standing again. People invariably let me know how wonderful it is and I’m floored that they respond so enthusiastically to such a small amount of movement. This is when i feel the urge to recruit.

I constantly struggle with the question of exactly what am I supposed to be doing as a yoga teacher. Am I teaching poses? Am I leading a yoga session? Am I just creating space and time for students to get quiet and listen. But more and more I’m feeling like I’m some kind of motivational/inspirational yoga bullhorn.

And the more I start preaching, the more I have to remind myself to be gentle with people and treat them like sweet children. Because, really, people know what they need. They know what they’re not doing and they know what they should be doing. At least the people who are brave enough to chat with the yoga teacher after ten minutes of movement. Those are the people, I finally realize, that are just looking for a little encouragement. They’re ready to start taking those little baby steps. Their shaky smiles and shy glances are a way of connecting with yoga, even if it is just to acquaint themselves with a yoga teacher.