The Mindful Homeschool

“Love is the greatest commandment on which all other commandments are based;  We are here to bring a particular gift of talent into the world, without which the world would be a poorer place;   Time is a gift that is only given to us moment by moment; The gifts of grace, faith, talent, life, nature and breath are free;  All gifts are given to be given away.”  - Esther Armstrong

It was my 4 yo’s birthday about a week ago.  Both of my sons were born in October and it makes for a busy time.  We took him to the zoo which was fun for the whole family.  We saw a Russian Grizzly Coast exhibit and even saw a grizzly bear up close swimming in the water.  We saw very playful sea otters doing somersaults and various back floats up close.  I could have sat there for a long time watching them play in the frigid water. 

My 4 yo son kept saying it was “the lucky day of his life” and he was walking with an extra spring in his step the whole time.  He seems very proud to be four and seems eager to get bigger and older.  My, how quickly this time passes.  Just the other day he was 3 yo and it seemed like that time would always be there for us.

When I snuggle with him at night now, it is with the knowledge that these days are numbered.  That as much as I want him to be small enough to carry and sweet enough to kiss and hug freely without any embarrassment or hesitation, I realize that it will not always be this way.

So this thinking brings me back to the idea of mindful living.  And this blog.  You would think seeing the name, The Mindful Homeschool, every time I log in would make me want to live more mindfully or at least check myself to see if the day has been mindful, or if my thoughts have been mindful.  Or most importantly, perhaps, if my parenting has been mindful.   Or mindless.

When I do sit and think about it, I worry that so much of my life is so mindless!  So much of my time is spent like there will always be a tomorrow, another day, another opportunity to do it right, mend the bad habit, start anew, become the best mom I can be! 

But sadly, it isn’t so.  My mindless habits are getting worse.  I spend way too much time on the computer these days.  Way too much time in front of a screen when I could be reading a book to my kids, or playing with my dc, or tending to the household chores, or sitting in meditation or practicing yoga, or reading a good book and mindfully doing what I want to be doing with my life.  

Even if I live to be 120 (!), life will be too short.  My children will be small children for only so long.  And I will be at the epicenter of their lives for such a limited time. 

It goes back to one of my previous posts where I wondered why is it that we don’t do what we know we should do?  

My yoga teacher has been saying lately that yoga is 99% practice and 1% theory.   I think life is the same.  I can spend all the ”free time” I have reading blogs and reading emails in search of the perfect parenting techniques, the perfect way to manage my homeschool and personal life and balance out all my needs.  But at some point, I have to say, “Enough.”  And start living and being the person I want to be.    The ”goshdarn” reality is that I have to be there, practicing - living my life.  I have to be parenting, not just reading and writing about parenting.  I have to be homeschooling, not just reading and writing about homeschooling. 

For a person like me who loves to read and write, the internet has been a great way for me to gather information and connect with others.  But I cannot mindlessly allow it to dominate my life.  So somehow, I must start living my life.   And I have to start right now.  Because as the quote above so beautifully articulates, 

“Time is a gift that is only given to us moment by moment;  The gifts of grace, faith, talent, life, nature and breath are free;  All gifts are given to be given away.”

Happy Birthday! 

I am always amazed …

… that doing just 10 minutes of yoga stretches and mindful breathing can make me feel so much better.

… how much my 7 yo son loves animals.  (On Friday we saw chickens at a farm we were visiting.  W just adored them.  I guess I am going to have to work on getting him a pet of his own.)

… how much I love to walk on clean floors and how it can truly brighten my day, sometimes my week.

… how a good book can change your life, or at least your perspective on your life.

… how passionately I feel about politics, the issues, and the politicians themselves.

… that I don’t always do all the things I am supposed to do to stay healthy, like eating broccoli (!) and exercising regularly and meditating, etc.,  when I know how good they are for one’s health and well-being.

… how much time I can spend on the computer these days.

… how strong the bond is between a parent and a child and how much I love my children.

“You, just as you are, and your life here, right now, are all there is and all you need to know. You don’t have to do anything special. Mostly, you have to be open to meeting face to face, and even dancing with, the truth that pertains to your life right now. You have to find a way to collect your fractured pieces, examine them, and then accept them as part of who you are. Spiritual practice is about transformation, but it’s also, and more importantly, about working with what is. –Angel Kyodo Williams

I came to the practice of asana with a curvature in my spine. Thousands of hours of my life have been devoted to struggling with the effects of this. On the mat, my lower back became a battleground. I fought and lost, fought and lost. My efforts to heal myself often ended in debilitating back spasms. Over time, though, I began to respect my back. I marveled at its ability to bend backward and forward, to recover from tremendously painful injuries. Eventually I started to befriend my back, and even to see it as something to be admired. I began focusing on what it could do. As this attitude developed, the need to change my back, to fight my reality, lessened and gradually disappeared. The curvature in my back is gone, and I can’t remember exactly when it went away, because when it did, I no longer cared.”

(from Meditations from the Mat by Rolf Gates)

“A hundred times a day I remind myself that my life depends on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give, in measure as I have received, and am still receiving.”

-Albert Einstein (from Meditations from the Mat)

I consider myself very fortunate to have this awesome, talented, and gorgeous yoga instructor teaching at our local fitness club. (26)  She is smart; she is knowledgeable; she is strict; she is beautiful; she is strong and she is one of the best yoga teachers I have ever had.  I have learned so much from her and she has inspired me to take my practice farther and deeper.  She has also encouraged us to practice carefully/mindfully so as to avoid injuring ourselves.  (She told us that she wants us to be able to continue doing yoga with her decades from now!) 

Today I was able to go to one of her classes and I had a great workout. (27)  I even attempted bird-of-paradise and was able to do it rather well. (28)  Not perfectly, not even close, but well enough for Kristina, my teacher, to say, “Gorgeous, Lucy!”  Now I know that you are not going to see me on the cover of Yoga Journal doing bird-of-paradise anytime soon but nonetheless, there is something to be said about being complimented in a class full of other students.  Being acknowledged for attempting the pose and being somewhat successful is a huge day brightener!

I told my dh not too long ago that if it weren’t for yoga, I would not be HSing.  Now I cannot say that with total certainty but I do know that yoga helps me relieve stress.  It helps me stay clear-headed enough to deal with all the extra stressors that parenting and HSing bring on.  I remember that in one of my first classes with Kristina, she complimented me on my practice and my flexibility.  Well, it is true that a good compliment can last a person a week or more.  That compliment was one of the first genuine compliments I had had in months, maybe years.  As a SAHM, and as a HS mom, I find the compliments on my work as a parent and a teacher to be extremely rare.  So hearing those words of praise from this gorgeous instructor made my heart sing and kept me flying high for quite a while.

Yoga seems to be something my body cries out for.  After practicing for about 18 months or so, I can tell when my body needs a good stretch.  Doing sun salutations and other basic poses make me feel so good.  Through my study of yoga, I have learned more about what makes a good teacher.  I have learned about Sanskrit, about what poses are good for what conditions, and how to do certain poses safely.  My children have been learning right along with me.  They know a lot of the poses and they know some of the sanskrit words used to describe certain the different asanas or poses.  They are also learning that the learning you do in life does not stop when you reach a certain age.  Learning is a life-long journey we all need to embark on.  Daily.

I hope that I will never grow tired of yoga.  Studying and practicing yoga has been a life-transforming experience and I hope that my enthusiasm for this ancient practice will inspire others to check it out for themselves.

I am grateful for the opportunity to express myself through the written word. (1)  I am grateful for my physical health and wellbeing. (2)  I am grateful for this free blog! (3)  I am grateful for my mental health. (4)  I am grateful that I have discovered the transformative power of yoga. (5)  I am grateful for my education, something my parents, esp. my mother, sacrificed a great deal to give to me and my siblings. (6)   I am grateful for my life, being given yet another day in which to love and be loved. (7)  I am grateful for my three beautiful children and my loving husband. (8-11)  I am grateful for the sun shining bright and beautiful. (12)   I am grateful for my home. (13)  I am grateful for poetry and poets. (14)  I am grateful for our public library system and our town’s beautiful new library. (15)  I am grateful for running water that is clean and oh-so convenient. (16)  I am grateful for the ability to smell (17).  I am grateful for the health of my children and family. (18)  I am grateful for this time alone and the ability to type without interruptions. (19)  I am grateful for the trees, birds, blue sky and all that nature brings to us on a daily basis.  (20)  I am grateful for the owl hooting outside my window. (21) 

I borrowed this from Everday yogini’s blog.  She has been a great resource for me!  Namaste!

“We rise to the occasion, and the occasion is this life, right now, just as it is. Practicing Yoga does not eliminate life’s challenges, and neither does it provide us with a convenient trap-door to escape from life’s distractions. Instead, Yoga gives us the skills to meet life head-on with dignity and poise.” -Donna Farhi

Well, let’s just say I am not a technophile, if there is such a word.  I was pretty happy with life before computers and Windows and email and all that stuff came into “vogue”.  And it took a while before I was able to understand how truly wonderful the internet is.   So forgive me if it takes me awhile to get this blog looking good.  I apologize.  It (computer stuff) does not come naturally to me.  With that said, I want to let everyone know that although I am reading Meditations from the Mat (and I HIGHLY recommend it) that is not what my kids are reading.  (Although last night H-man did take a look at the book and laughed at the photos of people in yoga poses.) 

We are reading lots of different things.  Pippi Longstocking, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, the D’aulaire books on Benjamin Franklin, Buffalo Bill, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington and Minn of the Mississippi by Holling.  Celia continues to read all sorts of books about fairies in her spare time.

The kids have been playing in the cul de sac by our house a lot lately.  There is a huge pile of snow that they have dug out and made into dens, for lack of a better word.  They are having a ton of fun every day doing this and they spend a lot of time with the neighbor kids working on it together.  This afternoon they are outside taking down icicles by the house and collecting them in a sled for a future use.  Hmmm.  Maybe I need to check on that.

Anyway, I just wanted to clarify that we are doing more than reading daily meditations.  And I will work on getting my blog looking better when I get some free time.  I am really working on practicing yoga daily, meditating, staying in the moment, staying healthy and trying to put together a routine that incorporates a lot of the Charlotte Mason ideas.  Buying healthy food, cooking, cleaning, reading and fostering a learning atmosphere leaves me with little extra time.  Plus, having a three year old in the house and all the clean up and laundry that goes with it makes for a busy day.  I know I need to make a list of what I really want out of this year, this life and spend my time accordingly.  But it is SO much easier said than done.  So with that in my mind, I shall sign off and do a few stretches, maybe write in my journal and hopefully clear my mind.  

Namaste!  

Last week I was complaining of feeling burnt out.  I felt like I really needed a break.  But looking back I realized that if I would have made some adjustments earlier, I would not have felt so crispy.

First of all, I need to get out of the house and into the ”out of doors” for at least a short time each day, frigid weather or not.  Last week, partly because of the weather I did not do that.

Secondly, I need to do yoga (or some other equally good exercise) at least three times a week.  Last week, once again, partly because it was so cold, I did not do that.  I also need to hit the mat regularly, daily, if possible.   And let’s face it, it is possible.  I can find at least a few minutes every day to do some poses.

I need to focus more on getting adequate sleep.  I need say no more.

I need to spend some time each day reading from my meditation book and focusing on my spiritual health, for lack of a better way of saying it.  I need to meditate. 

I need to focus on what is truly important to me right now:  my children, my family, our health and education, and God as I understand God right now.  There are other things that I could add to the list but this will suffice for now.  I need to be mindful of where my time is going and whether or not it is going to the right places.

I need to take time for myself to do the basics to keep myself moving on an even keel.  

I need regular “me” time even if it is only for a short period of time, like 10-15 minutes.

I need to journal, especially when I cannot see things clearly or understand things clearly.

I need to practice being in the moment with my kids and not off somewhere else for at least a few minutes every day. 

I need to discover what brings me joy and avoid what brings me down.

I need to plan fun into my schedule so that there is always something to look forward to.

I need to meet up with other HS people who can share this journey with me.  I need to focus more on making connections with other like-minded parents.  And focus more on connections in general.

I need to practice gratitude and act accordingly.

I need to spend some time each day enjoying a good book.    

And lastly, I need to do all these things because I want to burn brightly but not burn out. 

We read more chapters from The Little Prince tonight and we came upon this gem.  The little prince learns this from the fox he has “tamed”:

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

W had a playdate with a neighborhood friend.  C started working on a latch hook rug and H, Papa and I made brownie biscotti.  I made it to my yoga class and hope to take another class tomorrow.  We watched the Grammy Awards on TV.  Oh, and lest I forget, I heard a great poem on the Writer’s Almanac on NPR while washing the supper dishes.  All in all, a pretty good day.