Real Life Zen

The subtitle of this blog is very intentional: A Yogi’s Journey Through Diapers, Detentions and Downdogs.  It’s my real life journey in search of yoga bliss. Notice the real life part.

Yes I’m a yoga teacher/yoga student/yoga therapist and my “job” is to help others find both inner and outer peace with themselves. I think sometimes though people look at me and think just because I’m a yoga teacher I’ve got it all together and live a life of nirvana.  Excuse me while I laugh out loud!

This summer I led the pre-race stretch at two local 5k’s. Not only is it a lot of fun, but  the races are always family events that my kids get to participate in as well. And I get to meet all kinds of interesting people who wouldn’t normally try yoga.  After the most recent race, a guy came up to me and said “Hey, it’s pretty funny that the yoga teacher’s kid is wearing a Tap Out shirt”. (For those of you who don’t have teen boys, Tap Out is a clothing line based on UFC wrestling.)

At first I was a little confused. Why wouldn’t my son wear a typical teen t-shirt just because I’m a yoga teacher? Ohh, right, because I’m so darned enlightened that I must be raising six little Buddhas!  I wonder if when the Buddha was a teen he got suspended for earning six dress code violations? Or if a pre-teen Ghandi chased his brother through the house trying to hit him with a shoe?

Another night I was doing a late night grocery shopping trip before a busy weekend of work and trainings. My kids were going to be responsible for themselves most of the weekend, so I was stocking up on easy, convenient (and yes junky) food for them to fix themselves.

Of course, I ran into one of my class regulars who immediately looked in my cart, “Cool, the yoga teacher’s buying donuts and Lunchables!”

Yep, busted. I let my kids eat junk food. Kick me out of the yoga teacher club. While we’re at it, kick me out of the good mom club too!

Just because I place my mat in front of the room, I’m no more enlightened than you are. I don’t have all the answers and sometimes I’m not even sure what the question is!

For those of you wondering how to find your zen, I found this making its way across the internet earlier this year:

If you can live without caffeine or nicotine;

If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains;

If you can resist complaining;

If you can understand when loved ones are too busy to give you any time;

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment;

If you can ignore friends’ limited educations and never correct them;

If you can treat the rich and poor alike;

If you can face the world without lies or deceit;

If you can conquer tension without medical help;

If you can relax without liquor;

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs;

If you can have no prejudice against creed, color, religion, gender, sexual preference or politics –

- then you have almost reached the same level of spiritual development as your dog.