Week 173: Battling a Stressful Day But Only to Find a Taco Helps

Do you ever have those days when things just don’t go well? I’m sure you do. Mine showed up in the oh-so-welcomed come in threes - not just one thing but three!

#1 - Sick Kid
Unfortunately my youngest was up at 1:30 a.m., 2:30 a.m., and 3 a.m. with cries and whimpers. In the end, Tylenol, cuddles and mom (me) sleeping on his bedroom floor was what soothed him. Poor little man.

#2 - Dead Car Battery
Hard to believe that anything could add to this but taking the oldest one off to pre-school (thank goodness for a loving grandma to stay with the youngest), I put the keys in the ignition and nothing. Not even a murmur. Well, there we have it. A useless car with my useful carseat attached. Quick, grab the hearty stroller and book it with my oldest to preschool (thank goodness we live not too far away from school).

#3 - No Snack
After my dash away, I realized that I forgot my oldest's snack in the useless car. Bah! Mom fail. But of course, thank goodness for an understanding preschool teacher who stashes extra snacks for days when moms just can’t catch a break.

That was all before 9 a.m. in the morning. What else could go wrong?

Well, nothing. And quite frankly, it was annoying and tiring but I had to get to my yoga.

As the dust settled and the kids were napping, I was able to find a simple yogic breathing video by Adriene. As I started, who do I hear but my youngest crying out. Well, I guess he gets to join me with some Taco Breath.

Huh?

Yes. This is why I love Yoga with Adriene so much is her humour and approach to yoga (hopefully I’m as cool of a teacher as she is one day).

Technically, it is Sitali breathing or cooling breath.

This fired up momma needed a cooling off!

My youngest sat peacefully on my lap as I ran through the yogic breathing technique. I have never tried this before and had an interesting time feeling the sensation of air flowing into my mouth like it was going through a straw. It was almost as if the tongue was the gatekeeper of the inhalation as I found it challenging to keep a balanced breath.

With further searching I found that Sitali breathing or pranayama, can improve focus; reduce agitation, anger, and anxiety; and pacify excess heat in the system. It was the yoga elixir that I needed.

My moveBALL challenge was on a recovery/flexibility day so my breath work fit perfectly into the challenge. Thank GOODNESS!

Next time I have a sick kid, a dead car battery and forget snacks, I’ll be sure to turn to my taco breath. And maybe sooner if need be!
LW