Spreading Peace, Joy and Yoga

After teaching last Sunday (the Sunday before Christmas, mind you) I decided to take my deep breathing and Zen-like mindset and head straight into Costco.

Crazy, right?

The store had only been open an hour and already the parking lot was filled. My minivan was closer to the Econo Lodge than to the front doors of the Costco Warehouse which I must admit, made me a little nervous. How many people were inside? How long would the check out lines be?

Sitting in my car, pulling out my Costco card, I began to reconsider. Did I really want to waste my post-yoga buzz on grocery shopping? Shouldn't I go straight home and be nice to my children? But then I figured, what better time to enter into the epicenter of insanity than after 75 minutes of deep breathing, centering and intention setting?

Honestly, it was surreal. I felt like I was in slow motion. Everyone was zipping by me, yet I didn't feel the need to increase my cart pushing speed. Rather than keeping up with the traffic, I simply moved at fair clip and allowed those in a bigger hurry to pass my by. I carefully moved my cart off to the side to better navigate around people in the meat department. Then I headed toward the cheese display and with laser like focus, found the exact cheese I needed for my recipe then with deft-like grace, maneuvered back around the fruit and vegetable displays before venturing over towards the book and DVD area. Patrons on obvious time crunches, would pick and grab and breathe heavy signs of annoyance while I just stood there steady with my own, deep diaphragmatic breathes.

After only 30 minutes or so (and due to the fact that I had written out a list before arriving) I was in the check-out line. No drama. No cart crashes. No annoyances. Just a regular day of shopping.

I walked the 2 miles (or so it seemed) back to my car. Astonishingly, I was even able to bend deep into my cart and lift the heavy box of items out (thank you yoga for my strong arms and flexible spine). Before I knew it, I was pulling into my driveway, un-frazzeled, calm and relaxed.

It's a crazy week, I know. But if you can find the time to squeeze in a yoga class - it can truly make all the difference. And if you can take your yoga with you when you leave, it can truly make all the difference to others that you come in contact with.

Happy Holidays from the Sol Yoga Family to yours.