Namaste, Kiddo

If anyone needs a little Zen in their day, it's at-home parents. Just a few minutes of quiet in the cacophony of daily life. It was easier to do yoga when my son was an infant; I could sneak a little session in while he was napping. To be truthful, though, I always had one ear pointed toward his door on the chance he might wake up and need something. Then came the fateful day when he gave up naps altogether. It's hard to get through a sun salutation when you have a 3 year-old yelling "TUNNEL!" and crawling through every time he sees you in downward dog. Fun, but not quite restful. I spent a couple of years looking for a yoga studio that offered child care, with no success. The answer to my prayers came this past year in the form of Ahimsa Yoga & Fitness. Located just down the road in Sooke, they offer child care during a couple of classes each weekday.

The word "yoga" is roughly translated as "union"; union of body and mind. It gives you a great stretch and a great workout, but with practice, it can be so much more than that. It's meditation; a quieting of the noise inside your head. It's a way to temporarily put aside the self-perpetuating list of things to do and rejuvenate your body, mind and spirit. That way when the phone rings while I'm making lunch and my little helper spills the milk which the dog then runs through and tracks all over the house while bumping the kid into the table which then makes him scream for a band-aid and chase the dog outside somehow in the process letting a bird in the house which immediately proceeds to crap on stuff... I am un-phased. Well, I am less phased. Some people get the same benefit through other things, like going for a run. These days, you won't catch me running unless maybe there's an ice cream truck down the street.

So, bless Ahimsa for their namesake philosophy of non-harm, non-judgment, acceptance and compassion for all. Even boisterous 3 year-olds. The little guy loves it. He runs in the door, kicks off his shoes and heads straight for the playroom at the back. If I dare try to follow him, he shoos me away: "You go, Momma. Go do yoga." I'm definitely not arguing with that. Sure, it may be disconcerting for some to be lying in Savasana and hear an exuberant "E-I-E-I-Ooooo" filtering through the walls of the next room (who's kid is that??). There are plenty of classes, both at Ahimsa and elsewhere, that offer the traditional quietude. To me though, it's the sweet sound of my son having a great time and for the time being needing nothing from me, thus allowing me the freedom to restore what I need for myself. Namaste.