Yoga, Chai Tea & Me

Finding time for ourselves is probably one of life’s most difficult challenges.  Especially, living in Los Angeles where the pace is probably faster than everywhere else in the country (with the exception of maybe New York, D.C. or Chicago).  We rush.  That’s what we do.  We rush from here to there, from the times our eyes open to the time they close for the night, we are busy trying to get through our checklist of 1,001 things we need to do that day.

Looking at my calendar today, I realized there is no break.  Every moment from 7am (when I began washing clothes) to 9:30pm (when I pick up my niece for a long awaited “sleepover with Auntie Fawn”) is taken.  I have four conference calls with the first one beginning in an hour and as soon as the last conference call ends, I have a short period of time to make some preparations for everything else I need to do for the remainder of the day.  Lord, can I please have an extra hour or two or three today?

I can ask God for extra hours or days all I want but the reality is I’ve been given 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.  For Keith and me, 24 of those hours each week (sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday) are reserved for the Sabbath so that gives us 6 days to get everything done and at some point we need to sleep.  That’s why I cherish my yoga time each day and a fantastic cup of tea.

When I sit with my morning cup of tea, I can push “pause” on life for just a moment and take in the beautiful day and all the many blessings of life.  Spending time with God, my husband while sipping on a hot cup of tea is my favorite way to start the day.  But that’s not the only time I press pause.  I’ve learned to stop and reflect on the beauty of life even midday.

With rare exceptions (like today), I stop in the middle of the day to practice yoga.  I am fortunate to be able to work from home most of the time so at some point between the time I begin working in the morning and the time I conclude in the evening, I pull myself away from the computer, pop in one of my favorite yoga videos and get to work.  This is some of my most cherished “me time” each day.

I love yoga for a number of reasons.  One is it reminds me to remain focused on what is most important in my life, God and family, and it requires that I place my mind on pause for at least the present moment.  It reminds me of what is needed if I’m going to gain or maintain balance in my life.  I must focus on what is important and allow the rest of the world to spin around me; creating my still point in a turning world.

I mentioned this in a post last week about balance.  Anyone who practices yoga knows one thing about balance: if you lose focus, you’ll lose balance.  If you’ve ever seen a yogi perfectly balanced on one leg with hands outstretched or reaching toward heaven, you’ve witnessed something the majority of the world cannot accomplish.  Balancing with our own body.  But I’ll tell you the secret to what they’re doing and anyone who desires can do it.  The secret is simply to pick a focus point and do not take your eyes off of whatever you’ve chosen to fix your gaze.

It’s that simple.  One of my favorite yoga poses is the tree pose because it was such a difficult pose for me during the first five or six years I practiced yoga.  I could not keep balanced.  I’d wobble all over the place and then finally I’d just drop the other leg so both feet could be squarely rooted on the earth.  But I was determined to get it so I’d try and try and try.  Finally, I figured it out and that’s why I love it so much.  The key to the pose, as is the case with every pose, is simply to find a focus point and not to shift my eyes.  Now, I can stay in this pose for longer than I could ever imagine without even the slightest wobble.

When practicing yoga, balancing always reminds me of the necessity to maintain focus.  I cannot experience a balanced life without maintaining focus.  For me, that means keeping God first, my hubby right behind and then our family and friends.  Although work and the overall busyness of life can sometimes seem all-consuming, finding time in the day to stop, reflect, pray and gain perspective always helps me to live a balanced life.  I might wish for another hour or two here and there but who doesn’t?  

Making the most of my brief time on earth and cherishing every moment of it is my goal each day and if that is how I measure success, I will always be a successful woman.  

I’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s post.  Please comment below and we’ll continue the chat.  Looking forward to it.

Until Monday…make it a great weekend!

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Fawn Weaver

Founder at Happy Wives Club

Fawn Weaver is the USA Today® and New York Times® bestselling author of Happy Wives Club: One Woman's Worldwide Search for the Secrets of a Great Marriage, adopting the same name as the Club she founded in 2010. The Happy Wives Club community has grown to include more than 900,000 women in over 110 countries around the world. When she’s not blogging or working on her next project, she's happily doting over her husband of nearly eleven years, Keith.

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