slowing down

As the end of this pregnancy draws near (5 and 1/2 weeks and counting), I find myself slowing down in my practice. Part of this is circumstantial; I have fewer postures to work with as my growing size makes certain ones impossible. I have more time. But something larger is at work. I've noticed that with both pregnancies, I innately give myself permission to take life a little easier. I nap more. I worry less about getting it all done in one day. In my practice, I commit myself more to experiencing the deeper aspects of the poses I do have to practice, rather than rushing through them in order to fit in my "full" practice in a reasonable amount of time. 


I've learned a lot from deliberately shifting into a lower gear. On the mat, I savor my practice so much more. I am remembering what drew me to yoga in the first place. I am discovering a new sense of ease and steadiness in keeping with Patanjali's prescription for asana practice:


2.46 The posture (asana) for Yoga meditation should be steady, stable, and motionless, as well as comfortable, and this is the third of the eight rungs of Yoga.
(sthira sukham asanam)


What's really remarkable, however, is how this translates to life off the mat. Like so many other areas of growth and development in this yogic life, it all begins in practice. Take today for example, which by no means was a slow day. I spent most of the day in the car, shuffling back and forth from various places with my daughter, mom and four dogs (not all at the same time!) Such hustle and bustle would normally exhaust me both mentally and physically. But I was able to take the day an hour at a time and enjoy each piece of it. The day unfolded gracefully and without tension. 


I found myself NOT worrying about the next three or four things I had to do ahead of me. Instead I just focused on the one task in front of me at that moment. If I found myself getting impatient and stressed because of the thought "I have so much more to do today, let's hurry this up!" I was able to take a deep breath and return to a place of equanimity. What's more, everything got done in a timely fashion. I am home now, enjoying the last few minutes with my daughter before her bedtime, and I am NOT the frazzled, harried woman on the brink of a meltdown that I normally would be without this crucial mental shift. 


Sometimes it's a simple mind adjustment that makes all the difference in our day. I am not very good at implementing a concept like "slowing down" all by myself, however. I can't seem to just decide to slow down and then do it. For me, change seems to initiate in the physical body, on the yoga mat, and percolates up to the mind and heart from there. 


Tonight the dishes will stay in the sink. The bed will remain unmade. I will rock my baby to sleep and then I will snuggle with my husband and our puppies in front of a roaring fire. The dishes can wait. This moment of togetherness, on the other hand, cannot.


Oh, and I want to show you the other thing I've been doing lately: crocheting a "baby" for my daughter. His name is Roosevelt and I have to give a shout out to Craftsy.com for the pattern: