Day 16: 5 a.m. practice!

Eevory woke up needing a snack at 4:30 a.m. I nursed her back to sleep and saw that it was almost 5 o'clock. As good a time as any, I mused, and quietly slipped out of bed. I lit some incense, fiddled with the lights, turned off the AC, arranged my mat, and when I'd run out of reasons to stall, began my practice.

The last time I had a regular early morning practice was when I was in my Kundalini teacher training. Donya, Melanie and I were the core group, but occasionally other teacher training students would participate. We wanted to practice teaching so we led a free Sadhana every weekday at 6 a.m. open to the public. Not many people showed up and many days it was just the three of us, taking turns teaching each other. Towards the end, though, we had a few regular students showing up every day.

It was as I remembered it. Everything is a little stiffer in the morning. Aches and pains seem a little more bothersome. My left hamstring was bothering me, not to the point that I felt I needed to modify, just as a reminder that my sleepy body wasn't fully awake yet.

I didn't grab my wrist in Mari C, and couldn't bind at all in D on my left side. I got my legs behind my head in supta kurmasana but couldn't keep them there, so I stopped.

And after finishing I did one of my favorite Kundalini meditations. After savasana, I quietly slipped back into the bedroom and found Eevory sitting up and smiling in bed next to a snoring Dada. What a beautiful way to start the day.

The rest of the day seemed calmer. I felt happier and more patient with the kids. I wasn't nearly as frustrated with Mia when I couldn't get her to take a nap. Instead rushing off and leaving her alone for quiet time so that I could do my practice, I rocked her, sang her songs and read her books. She never fell asleep, but I was able to keep her lying down for awhile. She isn't sleeping in this picture, but she's quietly listening as I'm telling her a story.