Namaste

So, I finally took a real yoga class this week.  I’ve been practicing yoga for a couple years now.  And by “practicing”, I mean, "attempting yoga poses through various videos, Wii Fit and P90X".  I actually think I’ve gotten pretty good with the P90X one.  The first time I did it?  I cried at the end.  That was either a good or bad sign.

But, because I never had any formal training, I was afraid I was doing the poses incorrectly (although the computerized Wii Fit trainer told me I did a great job).  So, I’ve always wanted to take a class.  My cousin is a yoga instructor and gave me the name of a woman on my side of town to try. 

2 years ago.

But, because I’m a big baby social, I wanted to take this class with a friend.  I begged pleaded with implored suggested to my friends that they take a class with me.  No one said yes.  Or, rather, they said yes, but never meant it.  Love you guys! 

Finally, FINALLY, I talked a friend into going.  Hooray!  We made a date, she contacted the teacher, we were set.  The class was held at the instructor’s house about 25-30 minutes south of where I live.  It’s a little far for a class, but I was going to get real training!  By an instructor who was recommended to me by another instructor!  It was going to be awesome! 

I passed by the house on my first attempt.  Damn.

  

We all walked into her house, took off our shoes.  Her yoga studio is pretty awesome.  I am not good at describing things, but it was pretty.  Beautiful lightly-stained wood floors, big floor-to-ceiling bay windows that look out onto 8 acres of land.  Through the window, I could see an outdoor area for yoga, but with the mosquito problems we’ve had this summer, we voted to stay indoors. 

There were 11 of us in all in the class.  We began class seated in a circle on the floor.  Went through about 20 minutes of introduction.  Who we are, why we were there.  Then the chanting began.

I knew chanting was a part of it.  In the P90X version I’d done, there are ohms at the end of the video.  And, I did them.  Because, according to Tony, our nervous system needed to be massaged.  Or something.  But, this time, I was afraid I wasn’t going to get through them without laughing.  I mean, I understand the benefits of yoga.  That was the main reason I want to do it.  It just felt… silly.  I had to give it a chance, though.  If I wasn’t going to go all in, there was no point being there. 

So, I faked it chanted. 

And messed up the words.  How do you mess up an ohm?

Eh. 

The poses we did were pretty similar to what I’ve done in the past.  I felt good about my technique.  She only corrected my position once.  Wait, twice.  When she told us to rotate our knees, I had each knee going in the opposite direction of each other (picture 'wax on, wax off').  She then put my knees together and showed me what she meant (both knees going in the 'wax on' direction).

Oh. 

Okay, that part made me laugh out loud.  Was I trying to make it difficult?  Picture you knees rotating in towards each other.  It’s not easy.

And then came the half hour relaxation part.  This was the part I always skipped in my prenatal yoga video.  Who can lie still for that long without being asleep?  Or watching a movie?  Or reading?  And how are you supposed to turn off the outside world?  For as long as I can remember, every time I’ve tried to “tune out”, it has only made me think more obscure thoughts.  

"Did I turn off my curling iron this morning?"
"I should stop and get some milk on my way home."
"Gaaah!  Stop thinking!  Concentrate on not thinking!"
"I should consider getting one of those yoga blankets.  They're cute."
"I wonder how long we have to lie here?"
"Man, I suck at this." 

But, then it got a little easier because she gave us images to think about.

A butterfly.

A sunset over the ocean.
A bottle of ketchup.

I have to admit, I felt pretty great afterward.  Didn't feel like talking much afterward, but I was Chatty Cathy once I got home.  And the euphoria lasted clear through the next day.

This is my kind of exercise.  Namaste!

The dating game (kids version)

So, my soon-to-be-7-year-old started first grade this year.  Unlike Kindergarten, he is in school full-time this year, including lunch.  The start of first grade brought on a whole new set of supplies needed (which I secretly love, by the way):  art box (!), 5 colored folders, hole reinforcers (?), crayons, scissors, pencils, etc., and a lunch box (!).  With that lunch box?  Lunches.  With snacks.  I think that might've been the most important part to him.

I have to admit, I was a little more worried about him at the start of this school year than last.  For one, he's there a full 7 hours instead of 2-1/2 (and yes, Kindergarten was only 2-1/2 hours - how that teacher taught all 28 children to read is a minor miracle).  Secondly, he only knew one kid from Kindergarten that was going to be in his first grade class.  I'll tell you, I was more bummed than he was.  He knew the kids in his Kindergarten class, his cousin was in there, we knew some of the parents already... we were on our way to finding his lifelong BFF.  And then, bam!  Now we had to start all over again.

As a parent, you worry about your child making friends.  Looking back, I don't know how I made my childhood best friend.  I just remember her being my best friend.  I don't remember my mother setting up play dates or even talking to my friends' mothers other than a friendly wave at drop off and pick up.

It's not that way anymore.  Now we set up play dates.  I had had "play dates" before, but those were more my friends and I getting together while our children played with each other's toys.  The real play dates are different.

Personally, I think these play dates are more interviews than anything.  To see if we, the mothers, like each other, which, in turn, makes it okay for our children to hang out.  And, since I'm really not all that good at making friends (the ones I have are the ones I've had practically all my life and I'm happy with that), these interviews are unnerving.  What if they don't like me?  What if I don't like them and my child does?

Over the summer, my soon-to-be-7-year-old played T-ball.  A few of his friends from Kindergarten were on his team.  The other mothers and I slowly got to know each other over the season as we cheered on one another's children.  We were even invited to one of the boys' birthday parties, which then led to a real play date.

I was nervous before the play date.  What's the protocol?  Do you just drop your kid off and pick him up in an hour?  Do you stay to chat while they play?  I ended up staying.  And the mother and I chatted nonstop for 3-1/2 hours.  I LOVED her.  I had visions of her becoming my new bff (lower case - no one could possibly replace my BFF).  She and I were so compatible, it was so easy.

And then, a few weeks later, we learned her son was not in my son's class (bubble bursting).  My son was, however, in the same class as one of the other boys on his T-ball team, so I felt good about that.  He's a nice boy, I like his mother.  We tried to have a play date (ugh, that stupid word) at the zoo the week before school started, but it was packed, so, instead, we went to Chuck E. Cheese's (double ugh).  My almost-7-year-old was happy that this boy was going to be in his class, so I was happy for him.   

(Sidenote:  I saw my bff at meet the teacher night and she swore we would still get together for play dates [fingers crossed]).

In the meantime, I had to move forward.  My son had to meet the new kids in his class.  He kept bringing up one child's name in particular, and, one day, brought home this boy's phone number.  My son wrote his number down and gave it to his new classmate the next day and his mother called us on Friday to set up a play date.

Sigh.  Here we go again.

I had high hopes.  Our first and second attempts at play dates went well, so there was no need to think otherwise.  I honestly don't know how kids make friends.  Is it location?  Is it that like-minded people gravitate towards each other?  I remember my mother telling me once that my second grade teacher told her at a parent-teacher conference that I was with a good group of friends and not to worry about me.  How did I get so lucky?  How did I not end up best friends with the girl across the street who used to smoke at the bus stop?  More importantly, how could I ensure my child wouldn't be friends with the kid who smokes at the bus stop?

So, on Saturday, we had a play date.  It went... okay.  The conversation flowed pretty well, but I didn't get the "we are going to be besties!" feeling from the mother.  She has 2 older children and had some pretty good horror stories about other mothers she's met.  And I wasn't sure how she felt about me.  She mentioned how she watches her son pretty closely, but, at my house, I pretty much let the boys run free.  I know they're safe in our house, so I don't feel I need to constantly be in the same room as them anymore.  I only worry when it's quiet, which usually means they're up to no good (for example, I once caught my 3-year-old drawing on his walls in permanent marker [where'd he find the marker?  and while I should be proud his shapes were perfect, it was permanent marker! on the walls!] or the time my at-the-time-4-year-old stuffing dirty underwear under his dresser).

What was I saying?

Oh right.  So I wasn't sure if she was judging me for letting the kids play unsupervised in our (childproof - except for the kitty litter [which I hope she didn't notice]) basement.  But she seemed nice enough and, while I don't need to be besties with my child's friend's mother, I think she and I will be fine waving to each other at pick ups and drop offs.

Hey, it was good enough for my mother, it's good enough for me.

I'm still holding out for my bff.  Call me!