Step Away From the Machine! A Weekend Off Never Felt So Good.

I took the opportunity to step away from my computer this weekend. I think I'll do it more often and might I suggest, you do too? Instead of furiously trying to keep up with emails and self-imposed schedules, I spent time with my fiance and new puppy decorating for the holidays and enjoying a weekend "off." If you've been following my blog, then you know that the last six months or so have been wrought with many ups and downs, mostly tied to my mom's health and passing. We've been all over the place tending to family matters and keeping up with hectic work schedules and there have been times when I've definitely neglected to take care of myself. It's no wonder that this weekend's respite was such a welcome change.

our new puppy Riley!

I will admit that it was hard at first to settle in to not doing anything structured. Other than teaching my Saturday yoga class, I was completely on my own. It was liberating and to be honest, exactly what I needed.

I think it gets harder as we get older to manage all that is going on in our lives. There seems to be more we feel like we have to do or get done. But aren't we the ones that put those "things" in our lives to begin with? And I don't know about you, but it seems it's more difficult to catch up with people than ever before. Maybe it's because time is moving at a faster pace as Nam Hari mentions here, or maybe, just maybe, we're becoming the victims of our own efficiency. I'd like to believe it's a little bit of both.

My to-do list is long. I have not yet started my holiday shopping, although I have a list of items I wish to purchase. I have 101 things I'd like to accomplish for Capricious Yogi by the end of the year, including getting some videos online. Also, I'm a little embarrassed to say that for someone with an event planning background like me, my wedding is seriously unplanned. Finally, I am busy balancing my new clients needs with my own schedule and yes, I'm honing my personal practice. With all that down in front of me, you'd think I'd be concerned, but I'm not. I know that everything that will get done in time and taking a few extra hours on the weekend to relax is more important right now.

I was reading one of my favorite daily inspirational newsletters today and saw a blog post from another yogini I frequently see around. She's a great inspirational writer and I really like her work. I will be honest that at first I started to feel a little envious reading her article thinking that perhaps if I had just worked a little harder or a bit more over the weekend, my to-do list would be shorter and maybe I'd have the opportunity to share my thoughts and feelings in the same manner as her. But then, I stopped and reminded myself that I am exactly where I need to be, with the people I need in my life and the work I need to be doing. Everything will come in time. More important to me this weekend was spending time with my family and taking care of myself rather than sitting on my computer and ignoring the life that's right in front of me. If my personal time is all the time I have for certain projects, then do I really have the time and my energy for it?

That's my practice in action. What's yours?