On this particular Monday I got home from work around the time she was finishing bath time with the kids. She asked if she could take a shower before she left for work. In other words – can you put both kids to bed. I was not happy (excuses to follow). I have a cold, again. So I left work early, well not technically early, but earlier than I usually leave. I sat in traffic for an hour and a half, hadn’t eaten anything in a good 7 hours, and as I said, was/am sick. Bottom line, I wasn’t in a place to be present, to be the kind of parent I always want to be.

After a rough start and some help from Melissa, which probably made her late. Elijah went down, and I settled in to focus on Joshua. At first I was just going through the motions. I was focused on finishing up and putting him to sleep as soon as possible. All I could think about was getting some Tylenol and food in my system, changing into PJs, and reading and/or watching TV. I wasn’t present. Then something amazing happened. We were reading a wonderful book which shall be the focus of another blog post, and out of it came a teaching moment. The book talks about how the Earth spins, creating day and night. So we pulled out stuff animals and balls to represent the Earth and Joshua who was wearing bright yellow PJs was the sun. He was asking all the right questions and clearly understood the concept. It was fantastic, I had forgotten the aches and pains, the hunger, the frustrations of the day, and was just there, in the moment.

Afterwards I realized just how rare that is during the work week. If I get home before they are asleep, it is usually just in time for “Books and Bed”. I walk in the door, hungry and needing to decompress from the day and traffic. Melissa wants my help, I want to give it to her. They kids want to see me before they go to sleep and I want to see them. So I try and put aside my stress, hunger and personal needs and be part of the process. The problem is, I don’t succeed, not really. To often during the work week, I am going through the motions. I’m not really present. The moment, the now, is drowned out by the day’s noise still permeating my thoughts and I can’t totally get past the physical uncomfort of my commute, and the need to eat. I want to, I want to be really present for weekday “Books and Bed”, but I don’t know how.

I can’t really control the time I get home, and the kid’s bedtime is pretty much where it needs to be. I don’t see either of those things changing in the near future. So I’m curious what other parents do. Do you have times when you find it challenging to be fully present? How do you handle it, if you have a secret, please share.

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Hello, friends and family!

I am thrilled to announce a new, exciting yoga class that I am beginning on October 7th.

I know some of you don’t live in the DC area and I know some of you haven’t heard from me in a while, but I wanted to spread this news far and wide in case you are available and interested in joining me or if you know people in the DC area who are available and interested in joining me.

Beginning on Thursday, October 7th, I am teaching a Vinyasa Yoga class for ALL LEVELS at Beth Sholom Congregation in Potomac, MD, 9:30-10:30am.  It will be ongoing, each Thursday, except holidays.

For those of you who are a parent in the BSECC, this class is a free offering as part of your Family Benefits Package.

For everyone else, the fee is only $15/class!

I thank you in advance for passing this information along to anyone you know who may be interested.

As always, please contact me if you have any questions regarding this or other classes of mine or if you have questions about my availability for new classes.

Happy Fall!

Namaste,

Melissa
Melissa Feldman - Vinyasa Yoga

Private Sessions, Group Classes, Workshops & Special Events

She is truly a wonderful teacher so if you have any interest, drop her line at melissa@melissafeldman.com to reserve a spot. I am re-posting her email with all of the details below.
__________________________________________________________

Hello, everybody! Hope you had a wonderful summer.

I know I previously sent out this email at a time when you may have been in and out of town and/or not yet thinking about fall yet, so I wanted to remind you of my exciting workshops coming up! So here is the schedule again. Please let me know if you have questions.

~~~

Dear past, present, and future yogis,

I am very happy to announce my new workshop schedule!

Starting in September I will be offering one workshop each month but I will hold that workshop twice – once on a Saturday and once on a Sunday, and on different weekends. This is in effort to accommodate preferences of which day of the weekend you are available to attend, any travels you may have planned, and I am also aiming to avoid holidays.

Here are the topics and dates for 2009:

MEDITATION & BREATH
Sunday, September 13
and
Saturday, September 26

BALANCE
Sunday, October 18
and
Saturday, October 24

HIPS & TWISTS
Saturday, November 7
and
Sunday, November 15

CORE
Saturday, December 12
and
Sunday, December 6

PLEASE NOTE:
All workshops will be held at my house, 12299 Greenleaf Avenue, Potomac, MD 20854.

All workshops will be held in the morning, roughly 9am-12pm, but I will firm up the time for each individual workshop as the date approaches.

You do not need any experience to take part in these workshops; While some intermediate-advanced poses/techniques may be presented, so are the very basics. Workshops are for dissecting our practice and taking time to talk about and understand what we are doing and why. Everyone finds their own edge and works at their own pace.

Space is limited, so please register early!

The fee for each workshop is $50 per person.

TO REGISTER:
1. Please send me an email that you want to come to a particular workshop – don’t forget to indicate the topic AND date. This will temporarily reserve your space.
2. Then, send me a check for the appropriate amount. (My address is listed above.)
3. Once your payment has been received, I will send you a confirmation email and there are no refunds.

Please forward this information to any friends or family who may be interested in and benefit from these teachings.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

I look forward to seeing you!

Namaste,
Melissa