Yoga: Moving Towards More Than Just Flexibility

Yoga is something that I have danced with, off and on, over the last 5-years, However, it is only in the past five months that I have come to appreciate the balance it offers in my life.

I find that I am more willing to accept the inconsistencies and curve balls thrown my way because I see the benefits in going with the flow rather than obsessing over the details. Even more, the beauty and simplicity of the things around me have become magnified in such a way that it's become impossible for me not to find some level of gratification in even the most mundane moments.

Granted, I still have times where my anger and frustration get the best of me but I feel, for the most part, that I am much more centered and focused on my life as a "work in progress" as opposed to a completed picture with no hope of getting better—I am rediscovering myself as a wife, mother, woman, and friend and enjoying the lessons I'm learning along the way.

I credit yoga for allowing me the avenue to do such things without feeling the pain and disappointment that I might have in the past.

It's as if I have come to accept my bad parts for what they were/are and decided to no longer let them define me. I finally started to realize that the only consistency in this life is that things will always change and my place in that cycle is up to me.

I guess what I'm saying is, the journey does not come in trying to overcome the obstacles that these "changes" represent, but rather in taking those obstacles as symbols of how much stronger your becoming as a person because you have found a way to overcome them on your own.

Yoga has opened up a world within myself that I might otherwise never have found and I am loving it.

Now...if I could just master that darned crane (see photo).

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It's Not Always Easy Remembering To Smile

Recently, I have abandoned my daily yoga routine. I abandoned it not because it's not useful—trust me it is—but because I haven't been able to find the time to fit it into my busy schedule. However, of late, the lack of it has caused me to spiral back into my daily stress-filled ritual of trying to do too much with too little.

One of the basic mantras of the yoga routine I follow is to remember to "smile" and "be grateful for everything the day hath brought". I often forget to actually smile during the course of a normal day—on the inside, not the outside—because I'm so focused on the outward responsibilities that I have yet to complete.

The solution to my problem is easy enough: I'll just have to get back to my morning yoga ritual. I miss that moment of personal reflection and meditative contemplation—breathe in the positive, exhale the negative.

I must get back to that.

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• Know Yoga, Know Peace (bodymindlifestudio.wordpress.com)

BREAKING NEWS for Moms: Drop-Side Cribs Now Outlawed In The U.S.

The details are still in development, but the news is already being spread on the internet: the U.S. Government plans to outlaw all drop-side cribs from this point forward. Don't know what a drop-side crib is? Well, here's a hint, just about every mother with a newborn baby likely has one in her possession.

The drop-side was invented to make lifting and placing your infant/toddler into bed much easier via a lever or foot-controlled mechanism which lowered and lifted the railing. Now, apparently, due to the 30 or so deaths which have resulted from these cribs, manufacturers will no longer be permitted to sell or re-sell these cribs to the consumer.

I must admit, the first question that came to mind—seeing as how I currently own a drop-side crib myself—is what will they do with all the cribs currently on the market? Will there be a sudden recall of all cribs made in this mold? Will current moms-to-be have to scrap their nursery plans?

The drop-side has been around for years and it seems bizarre to imagine what will have to be done in order to completely phase them out of the marketplace. However, over the last couple years, there have been more and more deaths and incidents linked to this particular brand of crib.

Only recently, Bassetbaby issued a recall on all of their drop-sides due to entrapment issues.  This past summer saw Pottery Barn also issuing a recall on over 82,000 of their drop-sides—marking the start of the federal government's crusade to end their sale altogether.

As a mother of a toddler, there is nothing more important to me than the safety of my child. However, I am forced to wonder how this move will impact all the young mothers out there who may, at this time, not have many alternatives to look towards.

What say you about this monumental shift in consumerism?

Related articles

• Gov't to vote on new cribs standards amid deaths (sfgate.com)
• Public input sought on drop-side crib debate (canada.com)
• Government to vote on new cribs standards amid deaths (thenewstribune.com)