Inner Peace

My husband forced me to go to yoga today...

I should explain. I have a 6 month old baby, Oliver. I love him to death and anyone else that has children knows that everything you do is for them. Mamas get very little time for themselves. For the past 6 months I have been a slave to my nursing schedule and my changing little man. So when I complained a month and a half ago about not feeling like myself, my husband started digging for a solution. He’s annoyingly good like that.

So for Christmas he bought me classes at my favorite yoga place. Now, I had 2 children within 14 months of each other. I was pregnant basically non-stop for 2 years. It has been a looooong time since I took a yoga class and even though I still dance, yoga intimidates me. I was very appreciative of the classes and the chance to feel like “me” again. But I was nervous!

So in true “me” fashion, I put off going. I had several rotating excuses that got me through a few weeks but he finally put his foot down.

“You’re going to yoga!!”

Mumble, mumble, excuse.
But I put my mom guilt aside, kissed my baby, grabbed my dusty yoga mat, and ran out the door.

And I am so glad I did. Everything felt good. It felt familiar, smelled familiar, sounded familiar. Just those senses brought back a part of me I hadn’t visited in years. Getting through class was less of a struggle than I thought. I didn’t lose as much muscle as I thought and poses, although stiff at first, were manageable and even enjoyable. I tried to hang on to some things the instructor said during class. She mostly focused on finding inner peace, ‘If you find inner peace, outter peace will follow.’ Well, I’m sure going to try!

At home a few hours later - the baby is crying, I tripped over the dog, dishes are piling up - and I try to think back to how peaceful it was in the quiet studio with dimmed lights and soft music. Something else popped into my head. The instructor at one point said, “let this be your hour of peace”. Life is not always peaceful. In fact, my life is usually quite the opposite. But I’m grateful my husband forced me to go and find my inner peace - even if it’s just an hour. He told me I need to take care of myself so I can keep taking care of him and Oliver. So true.

How do you find inner peace? Do you cope well with everyday stresses or let it overwhelm you like me? I’d love to hear your thoughts!