Find Your Edge and Relax

So in yoga, I often hear this phrase, "Find your edge, and relax."

My personal translation of that line is,  "This is going to be challenging or difficult or uncomfortable.  I will probably want to quit.  I definitely will not want to relax and breath!"

We just got new copy machines at our school yesterday.  {Aren't we so fortunate--especially in the age of cut backs in everything?!}

We're all just learning how to use them.
I've heard lots of complaining.
It's new and different.
We're pushed to a little edge.

Have you ever noticed how we, as teachers, are the worst at being open to the challenging of finding our edge?  {Not going over the edge--that's different!!}  Of learning something new. Of doing the stuff we ask our students to do EVERY day.

And we can completely forget about the relax part--especially in the midst of a challenge or finding our edge.

Today I invite you to join me.  I'm going to find my edge--accept it for what it is.  I'm going to try to relax and take a few cleansing breaths.  It's going to feel good and be good.

It's All About Perspective

The universe is conspiring in my favor.

(It's conspiring in your favor, too--even if it doesn't seem like it right now!)

Expect the Unexpected

This week started out with me thinking that there were just a couple weeks of school left. I was hoping that it would be as gentle and smooth as the ending of a school year can be. By midweek I knew that I should have expected the unexpected.

Our family's two year old was getting breathing treatments every four hours. Did he have viral pneumonia or asthma or an infection? Was he going to get worse or better? Two doctor's appointments and a trip to the hospital in less than 24 hours. Expect the unexpected.

I feel like I'm coming apart around the edges. I just wanted to finish up some year end assessments and read a novel and play some math games with my students. And frantically rush through all the year end stuff related to school. Instead it's been expect the unexpected.

There is a life lesson in all of this. I'm sure. But I think I need a little more sleep and some time to finish grading papers before I can wrap my head around that. At this moment I am grateful that this is not the normal week in my life, that I have a generally very healthy child, that I don't have to do this alone (God bless single parents) and that there is an end in sight.

Brave Enough To Just Go

In the spirit of bravery and enoughness, I had a funny thing happen today. Since the holidays my yoga class has been on hiatus. Today was my chance to go--except I forgot money and my yoga mat.

I quickly thought I could just take a blanket from my classroom and just go. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to talk myself out of it. I would look foolish. It wasn't meant to be. I could just get work done in my classroom, and so on.

In the end I was brave enough to just go. To just show up. To just be honest. To just relax. To just breath.

Where are you brave enough to just go today?