No time for Yoga. SRSLY

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Help, everyone.

I really really don’t have time to practice and it’s very upsetting.

I have no time during the day: from the moment the kids wake up at about 6:30 until they go to bed, I’m going nonstop.

I had resolved to wake up at 5:15 every morning to practice for just 20 minutes but I’ve been able to do that only about 3-4 times in the past few weeks. I’ve been sleeping poorly due to my illness, my kids’ illness, and my husband snoring (exacerbated by his illness) so I kept choosing the extra bit of sleep.

I was also finding that when I woke up that early in the morning, I wound up getting very tired very early in the evening. The only time my husband and I get together is after 8 or 8:30 when the kids are both in bed. So if I’m falling asleep on the couch at 9, that’s not really a lot of time.

I’m usually the kind of person who needs a lot of sleep - do you think if I practice more regularly in the morning I’ll somehow adapt to less sleep?

I really don’t want to suspend my practice until my kids are older. I miss the old days when I could practice 5 or 6 days a week, for an hour at a time. My body does, too.

What on earth can I do?

#2

I can completely relate to you geekyMary! Its always hard to find a quiet space in my home during the summer holidays to practice. Also getting to the studio I practice at is very difficult. I’ve resolved to simply do a few sun salutations and some of my favorite poses, even if it only takes 5 - 10 minutes and just enjoy that.
Nothing is perfect (including our practice) and just accepting the fact that yoga is always with you , even though it may not be a full practice will hopefully get you through until the time comes where you can pick up where you left off in your practice.
I don’t know much about your illness but perhaps simply incorporating some family walks, or even some Wii fit with the kids will help get some exercise in too.
Best of luck!

#3

Mary, sounds like a busy life

I can tel you from personal experience that if I go to bed with a quieter mind, I sleep better, go deeper faster, and need less sleep. The humming bee breath is taught by many it seems. I have done this exercise myself, I once did 20 minutes a night for a month and I did not toss and turn in my sleep, it also saved me time because I would go to sleep flat on my back and not move the whole night, I would get out of bed and it was almost made, just minor straightening requred :slight_smile: I would also wake up earlier feeling more refreshed. This was my experience, I recomend you try this for 11 minutes a night for a week before bed and see how you feel, but this is your path and my recomendation could always be wrong.
my best to you
Neil

#4

Your sleep needs are often dictated by your ayurvedic constitution. Do you know what your dominant dosha is? I would imagine it unlikely that you’d need less sleep by adapting. Though it’s possible to adapt it is also possible to continue sleep deprivation.

Some gyms offer drop in onsite day care AND yoga classes. Had you thought about such a thing? I think you’re issue is a pragmatic one - getting your husband to take the kids for an hour, scraping enough money for a sitter or nanny, or finding a playdate exchange might work for you to get some practice in. You could of course always put the children to bed earlier and go to sleep earlier yourself thus giving yourself a better chance at a morning practice.

Obviously you’ve accepted the responsibility of marriage and children and the integrity that is honoring those commitments is yoga itself. So there may not be time for an asana practice but there is a full day replete with yoga opportunities.

#5

A suggestion: Buy some books or movies on yoga for children (if you need recommendations I have tons of them), then start showing them. Meditate with them for five minutes when they wake up, practice ten minutes in the evening, or maybe do relaxing yoga poses with them before bed. You will ALL sleep better, you will ALL be better focused, and you’ll have such a great time that you probably won’t even notice that you’ve stopped missing the days when you could practice for an hour every morning. There is a teacher in my life who says often that for every situation we are dealt a poker hand. We can choose to play them all, swap out a few, or fold. Life has dealt you a different hand than you used to have, but you don’t have to fold. If scheduling practice outside of your hectic life isn’t working, then bring it inside.

Good luck!

#6

I would try to incorporate some type of practice with your children. Every Sunday I teach my niece and nephew yoga and I practice with them. I have a very strong practice and let me tell you…working out with kids is well…a workout! It’s fun and it’ll teach your kids great lessons and let them focus their attention on something and you get your asana practice. Win win!

#7

Thanks for all the great responses, everyone. They really helped.

I managed to find about 15 minutes to practice (just a few sun salutations and a little meditation). I also looked up my dosha (vata) and am doing some things to help me get to sleep more easily. This might make getting up earlier a little easier.

I’m also going to talk to my husband to see if I let him sleep in on Saturday, if he will take the kids so I can dash off to the shala on Sunday morning.

But I’m also looking at my time with my kids as practice. We can’t really practice together, as my little guys are too young to focus very well (3 years old and 16 months old), but I can certainly practice awareness.

Thanks so much!

#8

do frog jumps with them and walk around like lions and other animals, make crazy faces and look at them and realize that they are your creation.
just thoughts
Neil

#9

[quote=geekyMary;11971]Thanks for all the great responses, everyone. They really helped.

I managed to find about 15 minutes to practice (just a few sun salutations and a little meditation). I also looked up my dosha (vata) and am doing some things to help me get to sleep more easily. This might make getting up earlier a little easier.

I’m also going to talk to my husband to see if I let him sleep in on Saturday, if he will take the kids so I can dash off to the shala on Sunday morning.

But I’m also looking at my time with my kids as practice. We can’t really practice together, as my little guys are too young to focus very well (3 years old and 16 months old), but I can certainly practice awareness.

Thanks so much![/quote]

Great! You already have the answer :slight_smile: I suggest that you practice some “morning” breathing exercices to get more energy and be more healthy…

Best

#10

Hi There geekyMary,

I too have children, and my youngest is 2. I made exercise part of my routine, and she learned to respect it and from a young age entertained herself while I exercised, and I sometimes do 50 minutes at a time. I tell her it’s time to exercise, and she would say ‘cise’ and get me my DVD (she was not much older than your 16 month old). She sometimes now imitates what she sees on the screen or what I am doing. When my older one was three, she would take my video and pop it in and do the program herself (bellydance not yoga).

As well, I found a couple of gems of books that have short sessions in them that are good for when you are short on time, you stretch out and then go on with your day and then try and fit in shorter sessions more frequently, like a hypoglycemic’s approach to eating - small meals more frequently through the day.

So instead of trying to do one hour and getting frustrated because you can’t, grab 10 minutes here and there throughout the day. If your 16 month old is sleeping, get your 3 year old to have ‘quiet time’ with books on the sofa, while you do yoga. Set a timer, and tell him when the timer goes off, your quiet time is done and so is his.

And the alternate weekend mornings of sleeping in an getting up, is a great idea. It just never worked for us because, well, my husband would never get up and once I am awake I can’t sleep in so, I get up everyday.

#11

I’ve been having some success, particularly when I’m able to work at home. That way, during the time I would have spent commuting, I practice instead. I can’t do that every day, but it helps.

I think it will also get easier when my youngest gets a little older. He’s 17 months now and needs pretty much constant supervision and has the attention span of, well, a toddler.

#12

He won’t be 17 months forever! It is also a matter of thinking outside the box, and you have found a way - during the time you would have spent commuting to work. Some practice is better than no practice! Keep it up, it does get easier as the children get older to get time for YOU!