I am overwhelmed. There is simply too much to do at the moment. After the last of the four foot deep snow melted from our yard and I meandered around reveling in the awakening wonders of nature around me, a list began to form in my head. Trim, mow, weed, rake, pluck, repair. Battle back nature and reclaim the yard. It’s like a commercial from Home Depot is going on in my brain. Of course the more time spent working outside means that the inside of my home has fallen apart. I keep walking over the same sticky spot on the floor. Furry clumps of dog hair roll like tumbleweeds under my tables. And the bathrooms…..well lets not even go there. The laundry is done and the dishes are clean (for now) and I’ve pretty much given up on the rest for now.

The problem with the list in my head is that I don’t really want to do any of it. I have no desire to weed flower beds or haul brush. I don’t want to pick up the rocks that the snow-blower used to decorated my lawn. In the three years we have lived here I have successfully avoided applying a coat of much needed stain to my deck, and it REALLY needs to happen. Mowing the grass I can do. I love mowing the grass. It’s a bit meditative for me. But the rest, pah! I’d rather creep to the edge of the pond and see how long before the frogs hop away. Or, hunt through the woods for interesting rocks to relocate to interesting places. Or, sit on a grassy patch with a good book, feeling the sun and breeze wipe that list of things that need doing from my mind. Or, throw down a mat on the deck that needs staining and get my yoga on.

Spring brings out the anxiety that I work to keep at bay. I grapple with the things that have to be done and the things that I’d rather do. The result is usually doing something in the middle and feeling like I have accomplished nothing. The list of what to do grows longer and I feel like I haven’t done anything enjoyable which does nothing for a positive attitude. Procrastination has always been my nemesis. A few years ago I read an article in a parenting magazine that suggested turning on a kitchen timer for 15 minutes and cleaning like a crazy person until the time beeped and then walking away. It works well. When you remember to do it. A friend of mine recently mentioned using the same method for making time in her day to exercise. Five minutes a pop. Times up and you move on to whatever comes next. The problem is that for some things five or fifteen minutes just doesn’t cut it. You can’t stain a deck in fifteen minutes. And that’s where the feeling of being overwhelmed begins. So instead of doing anything on the list, I, we, do nothing at all. We fall to our time-wasting activities like facebook, television, wandering about the house thinking about all we need to do.

It isn’t a horrible thing to waste time once in awhile. It’s when it begins to feed our anxiety that it begins to pose a problem. When we can’t find our way to the work that needs to be done. When we let all of it get in the way of our relationships with our families, friends, and kids. I know I’m not the only person to procrastinate cleaning my house and then telling my kids I’m too busy to play. We have to come back to the balancing act of it all. For me, getting outside is important in keeping my panic demons at bay. A long walk in the fresh air has a magical effect on the ‘too much to do and not enough time to do it in’ dilemma. It doesn’t diminish my list but it gives me time to re-group before I face it. It gives me time to appreciate the beauty around me and makes me breathe deeply. And sometimes a deep breath is all we need to keep on keeping on. Sometimes an hour spent playing with the kids makes the next hour of work that much more bearable (for everyone).

So, I’m not giving up on my lists. The trimming and raking and weeding and deck staining will happen. The sticky spot will eventually get mopped away and the fur-balls will be rounded up. But before it does, I will take a walk and have a little yoga time outside. I will count the turtles in the pond and eagerly await the opening buds on my tulips. Spring is a blessing. Its our chance to start fresh again. To experience the magic of nature waking up after a long winter’s sleep. No wonder it’s overwhelming.

Soccer, football, field hockey and cheerleading are coming to an end. Hopefully everyone had a great season. As your sport finishes up in the next week or two, consider coming to try a yoga class. We are entering the holiday rush, it gets earlier every year it seems. Halloween drops us right into Thanksgiving and you all know what comes after that. A mad rush into Christmas.
 
While we can all agree that adding to family obligations this time of year is not the best idea, adding yoga can be a blessing. Yoga class can be the time in the week where you let it all go. The crazy planning and shopping, and for kids, the excitement. Excitement is stressful for little people. Think back to your own childhood. The aniticpation for the holidays begins to build as we head into the weeks before Halloween. The promise of buckets of candy followed by weeks of deciding what to ask the man in the red suit to bring lead to high anxiety for kids. High anxiety begins to breed negative behavior because kids don't know what to do with all the excitement in their heads. They bounce about the house, they can't sleep at night, you can feel the energy vibrating out of them.

  This is where yoga comes in. Yoga can be where time slows down for an hour or so a week. Slowing down is a good thing for busy minds. And, while we do celebrate the holidays in our kids yoga classes we do it in a mindful way, using the themes of each holiday to direct our poses, and discussions. Adults need classes just as much as kids do. You won't be asked to pose like a pumpkin or walk like a turkey, but to turn off your brain for an hour instead.  As moms we try to get it all done. And we know that there are a few dads who shoulder this burden, in most cases it is us moms who plan, organize, shop and cook our way to January, where we collapse, exhausted. And then, inevitably get sick. Our immune systems are depleted and when the stress subsides our bodies cave to all the germs our little darlings bring home to share with us. Yoga can be what gets a mom through the holidays in one piece.  Simply learning to breathe deeply can make a huge difference in the weeks of craziness. Things to think on.
In any case, come try a class, or come back to a class if you've been away, We've missed you. If you are a first timer we are offering a discounted, low committment way to try a class. 4 classes for $35 for any newcomer.  Instead of waiting for the new year to make resolutions about exercise, end the year feeling great.