the good day

Thursday I taught a yoga class for the first time since my son was born. I'd been asked a month in advance to sub the morning class. Interestingly, when people asked if I'd gone "back to work" (I use the term loosely because teaching ninety-minute classes here and there is not a huge commitment) I would hem and haw vaguely, putting it off into the future for a few to several months. But when this teacher called and asked me to sub, the words "Sure, I'd love to, let me check my schedule" poured spontaneously out of my mouth. It was sort of an "aha" moment--I guess I really was ready!

The timing was actually perfect, since as detailed here, I'd had a rough day the day before. While I was nervous about forgetting the Bikram sequence or just flubbing my words in general, caring for the babe meant I didn't really have time to worry about it too much in advance. I was very excited. I did bring in a little cheat sheet but didn't think to refer to it until I was mostly through the class. I felt very competent and powerful, feeling my oats, as I taught. I remembered how much I loved teaching. I also remembered how sore my voice was when I first started teaching, and for some reason I used the word "buttocks" 187 times (I couldn't remember what I used to say... it's "glutes!") but I think it went well for the first time back and I look forward to doing it again soon!

With my return to pretty darned optimal mental health, I've decided I can totally slack off on self care. Probably a dumb idea. I need to get back to the checklist--water, protein, fruits & veggies, vitamins, sleep, walk, meditation. Today my son is three months old! We're celebrating with a massage for me, and portraits for the wee lad. I'm looking forward to a long visit with my parents in a town with a hot yoga studio--I'm going to practice as many times as I possibly can!