Going into the beginning of the year always inspires resolutions of getting in shape or losing weight. While this is a goal of mine, I decided to go in a slightly different direction this year. I still wanted to do those things, but I had more immediate problems to deal with — hip pain and stress.
I have a history of sciatica, which happened between kids, and a chiropractor was the only thing that helped. Since then, it had been at bay until the end of last year. I began to feel it again, and I knew that I needed to do something to address that pain instead of focusing so much on losing weight. There were a few things I suspected that brought it back. For one, my 4-year-old son still kind of thinks he's a baby and insists on being carried when he's tired. For another, I tend to sit a lot since I'm a writer. The real problem is that my preferred space to write is on the couch, which is probably not the ideal position to be in for a prolonged period.
Neither of these things is particularly helpful for my alignment, so I knew I needed to make a change.
I decided to do Yoga with Adriene's 30-day program, which started on January 1, after starting to incorporate some during Christmas break. Doing a few sessions helped, and I felt better on the days I did it, so why not do it every day? Making sure to move my body, get off the couch, and stretch make my body and mind both feel better. I've done yoga here and there in the past, but with this problem, I knew it was necessary to help my body and mind.
I finished the 30 days, and although it took me slightly longer because I did skip a few days, this was the most consistent stint of yoga I've done.
I looked forward to it every day. While my hip still hurts here and there, I always feel better after making time for yoga in my day. I find that I do better when I do sit to start writing than I used to. I'm able to sit, and it doesn't hurt as quickly when I make sure to do yoga.
Hitting the mat also has other benefits.
It gives me a chance to take some time for myself. The kids do ABC Mouse while I do yoga. It is time for me, and they are good (for the most part) during this time because I have told them how important it is for me to do this.
Taking the time to slow down, breathe, and clear my head has helped immensely. Instead of getting the cortisol hike I used to get in the mornings, I feel like I'm managing it a bit better now by hitting yoga at that time of day. I am calmer and better able to control my mood with yoga.
Even though I'm done with the 30-day challenge, I will continue to do yoga most days to help keep the benefits.
I'm calmer and more flexible, and my hip and head feel better. There is so much more that goes into yoga than just movement; doing it consistently has shown me that. As moms, we often forget to take time for ourselves, but it can be so helpful.
