Living yoga

I spent most of the day sitting in a cubical in front of a computer.  The only light coming from the fluorescent lights over head and the only air coming from the air conditioner.  My desk is piled high with papers even though we boast about being a "paper-less" office.  After 8 hours my fingers are stiff from being on the computer and my neck hurts from being on the phone. I'll need to remember to do a little chair yoga while I'm on hold.

Upon returning home I'm greeted with "Mom, I'm hungry.  What's for dinner" while my little one cries "I'm so bored.  Can you do something with me."   My head is still reeling from all the work that I wasn't able to get done but I have to put that aside for now and focus on dinner.  Deep breathing is in order while I try to shift gears from work to home.  After a quick dinner, it's time to entertain Jake.

I needed to get  the vegetable garden cleaned up after the bad storms we had earlier in the week but Jake has no interest.  That's boring he tells me.  "Okay, I guess I'll do it myself.  Can you grab those stakes for me?"  Oh.... now I got his attention.   A chance to swing around huge tomato stakes takes working in the garden from boring to exciting!  I work in the garden while he pretends to be a ninja or something.  Eventually he joins me in the garden.  We search for the ripe tomatoes in the huge jungle mess.
 Yes!  we have some ripe ones.  We pick a few.  We have tons of string beans.  We gather a bunch for tomorrow's dinner.  We already roasted some peppers yesterday for dinner.   There is nothing better than eating from your very own yard!

Together we put in some more stakes (leaving just one for my little ninja to play with).  He cuts the twine for me to tie up the fallen tomato plants.  "I love the smell of the tomato plants, mom" Jake says in his robot helper voice.   "Me too, robot helper!" I close my eyes and savor the moment.  Being persent.

The work day far my mind, I look into my little boy's dirty face as he eats the lemon tomato he picked from the garden and my heart is filled with joy.  Freshly roasted peppers, lovely plump tomatoes, the smile on my baby's dirty face...... Aaahhh!   Summer! 

Whether you're buried under a mountain of paperwork at your desk or picking veggies in your garden if you breath deeply, practice one-pointed concentration, and savor each moment of your life, you are living yoga.

Tell me, how do you live yoga??