Stress Relief

I have not been sleeping well lately.  I always have so much going on in my head.  As any multi-tasking mom knows, there are so many things to do and so many things to remember.  Laundry, meal planning, shopping.  Remember lunch boxes, snow pants and boots (for us northerners), fresh water for the pets.  I forgot to close the door to our pantry this morning and the dog helped himself to a box of cereal bars!

Last night I couldn't fall asleep, as usual.  I know it is stress related and I needed some stress relief.  So I got out of bed last night at 12:30 AM and did some yoga.  Not a lot and nothing fancy - child's pose, downward facing dog, cat's pose, triangle.  You may or may not be familiar with the names, but they are all good relaxation stretches.  

Yoga forces you to slow down.  To do the moves correctly you have to think about every part of your body.  Breath slowly, bring your heart rate down.  Stress relief at its best.  I crawled back into bed, laid down on my back, arms by my side and palms up and woke up 5 hours later when my alarm went off.  I was tired but felt good.

So I encourage you all to give yoga a try.  Check out Yoga Tutor.  They have on-line instruction for everyone from beginners to masters.  Breath.  Stretch.  Relax.  Good night....