Kriyas at 5am

Two days in a row, I've had waking & rising times at 5 am (as instituted by my infant son, Ari). As de rigeur, I started off with a cup of coffee, and tuned into pandora.com on the laptop to check emails, etc. I started a Snatam Kaur Khalsa station to listen to. Bhakti yoga is the yoga of devotion and chanting, and Snatam aligns with the Kundalini practice of chanting so divinely--her voice is so angelic, and is one of my favorite kirtan-ista's. Taken with the fresh snowfall and twinkling star & moonlight shining above our humble abode, I aligned with the Adi mantra; Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo, which translates to ""I call upon Divine Wisdom". I have recently had a lot on my metaphysical plate, so to speak, of the What Color is Your Parachute variety, so when this chant came on the station I listened, and sang along. I was inspired to look into some kriyas and found this on the web: http://www.pinklotus.org/-%20KY%20Kriya%20for%20fifteen%20minutes%20in%20the%20morning.htm

I was invigorated! Kappalabati breath is a tried and true pranayama for firing up and energizing, so coupled with these kriyas (Kriya (in Sanskrit "action, deed, effort") most commonly refers to a "completed action", technique or practice within a yoga discipline meant to achieve a specific result. Types of kriya may vary widely between different schools of yoga. .. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kriya ) I had energy, attention and vigor through the entire day. Pretty tall order for a new mommy who gets two 3 hour spans of sleep throughput the night and requires a nap daily. On my 1st day back to work, I had a similar day, and didn't have time to nap, and I was still feelin' the Kundalini love. Rockin' good findings. Sign me up, Shakti!

http://www.kundaliniyoga.org/mantra.html

Winter Wonderland

Holy crow! We got another foot today! That's 4 storms since Xmas that have yielded at least a foot accumulation... I'm normally a winter lover but this is my 1st winter as a mommy and it's been quite a trip. Haven't been on the mountain snowboarding & have been home from work since August. I also haven't been apt to run out in this weather cuz of the little guy, and I have been such a homebody. I'm a little cabin fevered out! I notice how it has affected my yoga practice. I have been taking a lot of intense, hot yoga or vinyasa classes, seemingly to optimize my time away from home and make my practice "worth it". This may be also residually pent up from when I was pregnant and had to modify my practice to a simpler style... I have developed some pretty crummy bilateral DeQuervain's tendonitis since pregnancy and I definitely feel its impact though, sadly. Icing my wrists, using Traumeel (Thanks Meg!) But it makes me wonder what is the yoga for me? It's amazing to me how yoga means so many different to so many... reading about Tara Stiles in the NYTimes; Bikram, Ashtanga, Kundalini, Anusara.... Researching more and more of Ayurveda, and how we can apply it to ourselves in individual "prescriptions", if you will, has made me realize that this Pitta probably should cool it on the hot practices. But those hot rooms feel fabulous in this weather! At least for the first 20 mins or so... *laughs*

Anyway, I am going into work tomorrow for a short day with mixed emotions, excitement and regret... Bittersweet. This time at home with my newborn son Ari has been a blessing and I am so lucky to have had it. I'm also so thrilled to be able to work part time, so I can still be home with him 4 days of the week. They all say it, but these times do pass so rapidly, and it's so true. I am packing up his newborn jammies to send to my brother who has recently become a new father, and his boy, Rowley will need all the jammies he can get--- I know this to be true.

I do look forward to fulfilling my role as a nurse practitioner again, particularly in women's health, and really look forward to getting my schedule more regulated so I can find the niches for classes that allow me to cool it, and breathe. Namaste.