A Week in the Practice of a Budget Yogi- Monday

This post is the first of a short series of posts that documents a week in the life of my Year of Yoga. I call myself a Budget Yogi because I mostly do DVD's at home. DVD's are fine for the most part; I really enjoy the collection I have. Would I like to practice more in a real live studio? Sure, but but it really depends on my bank account on any given day, as well as child care, so mostly it ends up being just me, my cluttered living room, a two year old, a dog or two, a cat, and an onscreen Rodney Yee. Rock on!

Today I came home at lunch to do my yoga for the day. I only work 5 minutes or so away from my house, so sometimes this is a nice option- especially if I know the evening is going to be busy. It's also a nice break from everything to come home to an empty house and to light a candle and mellow out for a half hour in the middle of the day.

The DVD selection for today's practice was Yoga for Stamina- a nice 20 minute flow that includes my favorite Tree Pose. :) My mood for today's practice was half way between 'Totally Distracted Lets Just Do This So I Can Check It Off the List' and 'Totally Blissed Out'. My mind wasn't completely on task, but I wasn't completely unfocused either.

What I have found during this year is that I'm not going to be Totally Blissed Out everyday. Some days it will just be a check off the list- but that's ok. I'm there, I made the effort to pull the mat out and practice, and my body will get the benefit. When I'm conscious of a mindset like that, I try to focus more and be present, but sometimes it just doesn't stick. On days like those, I concentrate on the fact that I made good choices in getting on the mat, even if I wasn't totally present. What matters on those days is that I showed up.

I think life is often like that, no?

Balancing Heavy with Hope

My last post was a downer, I know. The plight of orphans around the world is a downer. To balance out the downerific-ness of it all- today I am going to post about the hope. The hope all those children have to find families.

The most concentrated source of hope, for me anyway, is the 'My Family Found Me' page on the Reece's Rainbow website. That wonderful organization has helped over FIVE HUNDRED orphans worldwide find their forever families. These children have come home, or are on their way home, to families that will love them. To birthday parties and peanut butter sandwiches. To picnics and to building snowmen. Never again will these children suffer days, weeks, months, years within the confines of a crib or single room in an institution.

Children like...

 

Dmitry    

 

Lori

 

Michael

Mason

And don't forget...

KAYLEE!!!

Those are just a few of the children- please go to the actual page to see many more. It is truly a blessing to see their faces. And because people like you and me are aware of the others- orphans not yet with their families have hope too...

...And I think that's pretty awesome. :)

Beyond the Bars

I think of Porter, and by extension all orphans, at random times. Of course I think of them in my prayers and when I'm 'scheduled' to think of them, but they also come to mind when I'm not doing something actively associated. Today my son was having a bit of trouble settling down for a nap so I was sitting in the glider in his room, reading a magazine and waiting for him to settle. He was in his crib, with his back against the bars, reading a book. I glanced over, and all the sudden I was reminded that, whereas my son will take his nap and then get out of his crib to play and be loved in other areas of his own home, so many orphans- especially those outside the U.S. where Porter lives- spend most of their days within the confines of those bars.

That thought, like most of the thoughts I have in regard to Porter, was heavy and tinged with great sadness. No child deserves that.

To counter the sadness, I sent prayers out for all those children spending their time in bleak situations. I can not fix everything, I know that. I also know however, that its important to do what one can. I hope by putting his picture out there and by helping to raise money for his adoption fund, that I can help Porter find his forever family. That he will be saved from the institution that will be his fate if he is not 'rescued' by the age deemed too old for the baby house. I am humbled by that opportunity, but also sobered by its importance.

Thank you so much to all those who are also helping Porter- I am most definitely not alone in my efforts, and I am eternally grateful for that. Please continue to pray and send good thoughts for Porter to find his forever family.

Namaste.

New Beginnings

Hi Everyone!

I have been taking a little break from blogging, it wasn't a conscious decision, I just couldn't think of anything to write. I think I was getting a little emotionally spent thinking about little Porter, and I just didn't know what to write about him. I actually had to limit myself to checking his page on Reece's Rainbow only once a day, because I was checking over and over and making myself sad with his little face. So I took a little time to recenter.

During that time I continued to check in and of course pray for him daily. I also revitalized my yoga practice a little. It had gotten a little mechanical. Put the DVD in, do the poses, on with the day. I definitely needed something to help break the blahs.

So I started to really concentrate on being in each pose and not just moving through one to get to the other. Its been much better. Also, while I do that, I concentrate on really being present in the moment and I send prayers out to Porter at the same time. That has helped me not to get emotionally overwhelmed. I remember that I am not in control and I can't fix everything, but I can do good where I can and pray. Also that God has a plan for everyone, including Porter.

This has helped.

So I have been feeling better and new life has been breathed into my yoga practice (which is especially helpful since my commitment is to do it six days a week- not being present and focused makes every one of those six days hard, and not as beneficial as they could be). Doing yoga mindfully really has an amazing effect. I hope to write more about this.

I hope everyone had been enjoying the warmer weather! Please help me continue to raise funds for Porter's future family- and please join me in praying for his daily well being.

Thank you for continuing to read and support my journey through this year of yoga! 3/4 of a year down, 1/4 to go!!! :) :) :)

Namaste!

Weekly Yoga Breakdown

I haven't posted one of these in awhile, but I've been successfully completing my daily yoga. Here is this past week's breakdown. Not the most varied week ever, but I did what I needed on each day, which this week, meant a lot of relaxing AM Yoga.


Day One- AM Yoga

Day Two-AM Yoga

Day Three- Yoga for Stamina

Day Four-AM Yoga

Day Five- 15 Minute Results Yoga: Upper Body

Day Six- Yoga for Stamina


This makes six months and 2 weeks of yoga 6 days a week. Half way there!

Reece's Rainbow 5/5/5

In the last post I introduced little Porter, the second child in the Yoga for Kaylee project (now that Kaylee found her family- yippee!!!)

In addition to the Yoga for Kaylee project- having people sponsor my Year of Yoga- for Porter, I am also participating in the 5/5/5 Warrior program through Reece's Rainbow. Here is a description of the program from the RR site (I tried to summarize, but their words are better and hold more information):

Our 5/5/5 Warrior Project is new for this year, and specific to 2011 as we celebrate our 5-year anniversary!  
After five years of service and more than 500+ children who are orphans no more, we have much to be grateful for but even more yet to do!   
SIGN UPS OPEN NOW!
From May 5 – July 31, 2011, our 5/5/5 Warrior Project will bring greater awareness and grant funds to all of our 5-year old children, to include those with Down syndrome and our Other Angels. 
 *********Instead of preparing for kindergarten like they should be, these little ones are hidden away and facing life-long suffering in adult mental institutions around the world.  
  Your donations and advocacy efforts truly can bring every one of these children HOME into loving forever families.   They should never have to step foot into a mental institution.  Money is the only thing standing in the way.   They deserve friends, a family, and a future.   Help us raise $5000 or more for each of our 5 year olds to celebrate our 5 year anniversary!
Funds raised during this special warrior project will be HELD for your child until January of 2012, without risk of it being reallocated to the older child pages.    This is a great opportunity to help these kids and make sure your efforts go for them to find a family.

1. View the children who need 5/5/5 Warriors on these links:  BOYS and GIRLS.
2. Sign up to be a 5/5/5 Warrior for a waiting child by contacting Laurie.   (Or write to laurie@reecesrainbow.org) 
3. Use our graphics for Facebook and your blog
4. Purchase 5/5/5 shirts, mugs, and other cool stuff in our store at www.cafepress.com/reecesrainbow so you can share Reece's Rainbow in your community.
5. If you are an RR adoptive family, please join us over the 4th of July weekend for our first reunion! 

So that's the 5/5/5 program that I am working on through the Yoga for Kaylee project. $5,000 is a big number, but little by little we can help Porter's 5/5/5 fund creep upwards toward that goal! Were you blessed with a big tax refund? Consider sending a little bit Porter's way! Good month at work? Pay those blessings forward!

The economy is not good, I do realize this- but I have also found that giving a little to help someone else, even while I am struggling, takes me out of my own worries and helps me to remember that I am very blessed, even in the midst of difficulty. And remember- any amount helps! Even a dollar or $0.50, is a dollar or $0.50 that helps little Porter get closer to finding his family. :)

All children deserve families that love them as the beautiful individuals that they are. Please help me raise the funds so that Porter's future family can bring him home!!

Meet Porter!

I will write more about Porter and what it means that he has a 5/5/5 Warrior (that's me!) tomorrow or Sunday, but in the meantime...I wanted to post his picture to get people thinking of him and praying for his future family to find him soon!

Prayers work people! Kaylee has a family! Let's find little Porter a family too!

For those of you who know me personally, the fact that this child caught my eye is no surprise. For those of you who don't know me, my maiden name is Porter. :)

Quick stats- this picture is old- Porter's birthday is August 10, 2005 which makes him 5 years old now.

As always, thank you for reading, and for your support, and for helping these children find their familys. :)