It is Day 28 of the 31 day yoga challenge. I am beginning to gear up for February. Finalizing my idea for the next challenge and thinking about how I can get more people to join me. Go Facebook. Perhaps.

In the meantime, there are only 4 days left of January and I have two missed yogas to "make up". I am determined to wrap up this challenge in the month of January. Neil says I have become a little autistic about it. So true. But in a good way. (I hope.)

Today has been a day of fatigue for me but somehow at about 8 PM, I got a second wind and decide to squeeze in a 30 minute home practice from yoga download.com. My IPhone and yoga mat are all I will need. I search the podcasts and see Gentle. Yes, that will do the trick since it's my second practice today.

I ignore my behind closed door policy. Neil seems very busy and I do not want to ask him to keep an eye on Kyle. That will be my job while I am practicing yoga. An oxymoron, but I am determined to give it a go. My inner critic is frowning and saying this is not "true" yoga because my attention will not be 100% focused. I tell her to hush as tonight I am going for "good enough". Many times in life "good enough" has to be "good enough". And so it will be tonight.

For the first ten minutes, Kyle is in his room, relaxing and listening to his own music. So far, so good. Yoga and Kyle. Piece of cake. After that, Kyle is up and about engaging in his favorite pastime. And that is??? Moving the dining room chairs around the house. Or should I say racing them around the house, sometimes avoiding walls, sometimes not, sometimes taking out a few corners, sometimes not. I put the podcast on pause, redirect Kyle and turn over some of the chairs, hoping this will render them off limits.

Ok, just breathe. Isn't that what yoga is about? Kyle decides to relocate to the living room and therefore so must I. Practicing yoga, will travel. Forget the yoga mat. It's just me and the carpet. I think he is subtly amused by my postures and breathing performance and another ten minutes goes by and all is well.

Next stop, the kitchen table. Water and some fruit for Kyle and I am on to the last third of my yoga. Now Neil has the TV on but my pleading eyes urge him to turn it off. I can't call it yoga if the backdrop is nighttime news. I really can't. Well, maybe with headphones on I can, but I am just not that zen.

Alas, I have completed the practice. Minus savasana. I hope it is still yoga if you skip savasana. I'm thinking just barely. But right now, I am making up the rules. Savasana, corpse pose, final relaxation is said to be the most important part even if it's just brief. But it just wasn't happening tonight. One deep breath, a thank you and my yoga was finished for the evening.

After all that focus, distraction, unfocus, refocus, I still felt the shift. Body and mind, just a little looser and more relaxed. And THAT's what yoga's all about.

THE INVITATION

Please join me for a February challenge. It's going to be a good one. (Announcing soon!) OR, you can make up your own. Challenges are good for your mental and physical health. They make life interesting, are fun and often... well, challenging to maintain. At the end of the month, you will have learned at least one new thing. I promise.