The Cheap Chick

I’ve been practicing yoga on and off for about 17 years now. I like that feeling of stretching and breathing, being in the moment without being hurried or harried. It’s calming, and yet energizing at the same time. And I love the way I feel after a good session – alive and limber, ready to tackle the day and its tasks. I don’t do the whole meditation, chanting, “ohm” thing. For me, the whole experience is about my body – my being – than it is about inner peace or whatever. Although, I do gain a sense of peace and calm. Go figure.

Anyway, this morning I’m in the middle of my routine and I hit my favorite pose – the warrior asana. Now, I’ve been doing this pose for all 17 years. It was one of the first I learned and I love it. If I need to, I can deepen it – widen my stance or hold it for a little bit longer. This morning, however, I was a bit stiff and cranky, so I wasn’t going for broke, just enjoying the ride, so to speak. And it gave me time to think. (I know, I know, I’m supposed to be in the moment, but occasionally my mind refuses to stay there. It’s alright, it always wanders back eventually.) I started to think about how long I’d actually been practicing the warrior asana and how it still is good for me. How, on days like today, it’s still even a challenge. And how a lot of like is like the warrior – routine, sometimes easy, sometimes challenging, always stretching and pulling us. And always, just when we think we’ve got it down, when it’s becoming too mundane, too easy, it can find ways of surprising us, deepening itself, challenging us with new obstacles, new viewpoints, new demands.

So, here’s the thing for today, the challenge for this week. Examine your life. Step out of the moment and into a bit of reflection. Is there something that has become so routine, so mundane, so everyday, as to be almost boring or unnoticed? Do you do things on autopilot, without really stopping to think about their effect, their impact? Housework can get that way, I know. We can lose sight of the “why” in the midst of all the “whats.” Homeschooling can lose its sparkle and fire, too, especially for many at this time of the year. We get lost in the daily grind, and we let it turn us to dust. What can we do about it?

Go deeper. Stretch a bit. Regain focus and purpose. Just as you can increase the pull of muscles when you lengthen your stride, reach a little higher, or hold a little longer, so you can deepen your life. You can find a deeper meaning, add a little something new, revive a spark that was once a brilliant blaze, answer a higher calling. I like to find new recipes when the dinner menu becomes a chore. I add a new author or a new genre to my reading list when it becomes burdened with the same style of story. I try a new lipstick, or a new color blouse when I feel unhappy or bored with my appearance. I listen to a different radio station as I drive my same old routes on my weekly errands. I buy a new soap or add some new potpourri when the house gets stale in the winter. My point? You don’t have to make major, earth shattering changes. You just have to deepen the experience, add a little life, stretch a little farther. Comfort zones are alright for couches and chairs, not for everyday living.