Sneaking out for a yoga class in the park

I snuck out for a gentle yoga class in the park today.

I woke up a little bit groggy. Perhaps some pollen in my eyes. My husband is in Ottawa for a couple nights and I felt a little out of sorts last night. It’s funny how even a small disruption in our routines can make us retreat to old feelings of anxiety and aloneness. One of the dogs got up at 5:15 to go downstairs and throw up (he’s the especially nervous one, when one of us is not home). I managed to get another 45 minutes of sleep after cleaning up, but was still feeling cloudy.

I wasn’t planning on any intentional movement today as I had two days in a row of strength and conditioning class. Saturday was in the park. Sunday was virtual. My hamstring has been a bit annoyed with me lately and I am trying to give it a bit of a break from long runs (not easy for runners to let go of our regular run days).

Scrolling through my newsfeed, I noticed a “slow flow” yoga class scheduled for the park near me. I knew I had a light meeting day ahead. I calculated in my head, can I walk the dogs, log into work, get a few things done, make it to class and back in a decent amount of time. I figured I could. One of the benefits of working from home, is that if I take some time for me during the day, I can make up for it later on, if necessary. Those nagging minutes that need to be finished can wait.

I got to the park and introduced myself to the instructor. There were only two other women there. They were having a conversation about easing back into things. The ways this can be stressful after closing ourselves off during the pandemic. I know I am trying to manage how much I do as we re-connect. Too much at once doesn’t feel right. But I am grateful for every little thing we can do again. Even doing exercise in park (which wasn’t allowed again in my city until a few weeks ago). In fact, today is 2 weeks post second vaccine. I am so grateful for full immunity. I feel lighter already. Looking forward to lunch, indoors, with family soon. Back to the women in the park, we all agreed it felt too soon to re-schedule cancelled overseas trips.

As I lay down my mat, I noticed how perfect the weather was. Sunny with a bit of shade. Warm, but breezy. I could feel the grass underneath my mat. The instructor took us through some gentle exercises to wake up our toes and feet. This was followed by really gentle movements from head to toe. It was perfect. The clouds had separated. Just what I needed today.

As a bonus, today was the first day of “CampsTO” and there were a few small groups of young campers walking by. One of the kids told us that he too does yoga, in his basement. A dog came by and did shavasana with us. These small, but meaningful signs of the city going back to normal activities after a stressful year, enhanced the lovely escape from the work day.

As I walked back home, I picked up coffee from my favourite place. I enjoyed its subtle taste of walnuts as I appreciated the gorgeous weather, and wished for a moment, that I could stay outside instead of go back to work. But, there’s always part of me that knows that a little taste is often just what you need to appreciate the goodness.

Sneaking out to yoga in the park was a perfect choice. What will you sneak into your day?