Listening to My Body…

I, like many women, push myself through all kinds of ailments, from the common cold to aching muscles, headaches to morning sickness, shortness of breath to melancholic depression.

When I worked as a manager at Ticketmaster, who else would do my job?

As a Mum how would the household function without my ever present presence?

As a homeschooler what would my children do all day if I didn’t get up?

As a volunteer at the theatre how would the show go on without my direction?

Now my empty nester chatterbox asks how will,

My book ever get finished,

My furniture be lovingly oiled,

My cat get fed,

My body remain toned,

The back 40 be cleared,

The house undergo slow re-decoration,

The old truck start running,

My soul be nourished,

My adult children be encouraged,

My Hubs enjoy my cherishing company?

and so the list goes on…

Nap time?  Pshaw…heck no!

I get up earlier, I go to bed later and I wonder why sometimes all I want to do is curl up on the cool concrete slab in my garden room

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and close my eyes for a year or two.

Instead I make a list to go grocery shopping, or paint my toe nails,

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or color-code my closet, or make gluten free granola, or repot my herbs…

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Enough already!

Hands up those of you who feel if you flag, for even a moment, all is lost…you will never again be the productive person God created you to be?

Yes!  Me too!

This week something happened to help me re-think my ingrained habit of carrying on regardless.

I actually heard my yoga teacher tell me to listen to my body.

“I drink water, I eat well,

Kale & Squash lightly fried in coconut oil, cod in lemon butter, baked potato, mushrooms & avocado

Kale & Squash lightly fried in coconut oil, cod in lemon butter, baked potato, mushrooms & avocado

“I sleep 8 hours a night….” I told my favorite teacher as I mentally checked my list, “and now I’m going to work out,” I added as I flopped down on my yoga mat and began in my favorite pose, happy baby.

I started feeling nauseous right off with gentle spinal twists and by the time she had me slowly going through standing poses …I realized I was not being fed by her banter, her original construction and graceful flow patterns.

I was feeling sick, sick, sick until finally, with pounding head and churning stomach I turned her usually fabulous 90 minute class off,  laid back down and closed my eyes.

As it turned out I wasn’t well all day but I still pushed myself to write, clean, cook, walk, eat, chat and read.

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“I was disappointed that I couldn’t finish my yoga class this morning,” I told Hubs when we went to bed still fixating on the chink in my resilience armor.

“You’ll be better in the morning….”

Judging by the way I felt as my head hit the pillow, I sorely doubted it.

As a new mother I had been convinced that if I took my infant out during his nap time he would forget his routine and never sleep again!

But as one baby became four I discovered I was wrong…

And I was wrong about my ideas on wimping out on a yoga class…

The following morning I dutifully laid out my mat and somewhat hesitantly clicked on the interrupted class.

All my enthusiasm and energy were back!

I finished an hour later with a headstand and felt euphoric and not a little surprise by my complete change of attitude!

I was relieved.

By listening to my body for one day (at least where my yoga class was concerned) I had not jeopardized my rigorous regimen for keeping healthy and strong.

I wasn’t being a flake after all if I skipped out on some of the chaturangas!

Now I know that if my body calls a halt then I should heed it, because all will be well on the morrow, or the next morrow!

I think I’ve just discovered mood swings!

 

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