That back from vacation feeling...

Check out the street name.  (I couldn't resist)
Please make note of the pudgy belly
hanging over the waistband of my jeans.
It's not baby #3.  It's "Vacay Overindulgence"!

First, I want to thank those of you who read regularly for your amazing patience.  I am not a frequent blogger, but I do occasionally check my stats and I can see that you are "tuning in" and giving YATS a browse once in a while, and I'm grateful for that.

I'm back from vacation, and it was an amazing 2 weeks in Europe.  I can't say for certain that I'll be blogging with any sort of regularity, though.  You see, I have that "back from vacation" feeling.  


You know what I'm talking about.  The first two days or so of vacation are still a bit of a transition for your mind (and body!)  You can't really believe that your main purpose on this trip away from your regular surroundings is to relax and "do nothing".  Schedules don't really matter on vacation, nor do bedtimes and wake times (unless you are intent on being the first person in line at a museum or sightseeing location).  Heck, as far as I was concerned, neither was a diet:  Hello, baguettes, buttery croissants, full cream cheeses, sauccises, and at least a bottle of wine a day. (Hey, when it's only 5 Euros a bottle, you can't shouldn't resist).  


Anyway, after 2 days, you realize this is "for real", and you really begin to enjoy yourself.  Even more wine, cheese, and bread.  "Exercise" is that walk you take to and from the boulangerie in the morning.  You think about doing yoga, but because the studio's classes that are taught in English are at awkward times (like 10am - perfectly rational when not on vacation, but suddenly 10am seems to be right in the middle of something else important you're doing - like shopping for a bottle of champagne) you ultimately settle for a half-assed stretch on the bedroom rug when you wake up in the morning. 


Eventually, all good vacations must come to an end.  As soon as you're back, you try convincing yourself that it's good to be back to the comforts of home.  You know, those "comforts" like washing the dirty laundry from vacation, clearing away the cobwebs from the spiders who have taken up residence in the last 2 weeks, sorting through soggy newspapers that a kind neighbor has set aside for you, getting to the unpaid bills, and worst of all, being more disciplined with a schedule (and in my case, a DIET!!).


It is really, really nice to sleep in my own bed.  It is really nice to use my soft, clean, normal-sized towels when I step out of the shower.  It's so comforting to know that if the kids break something, it's not coming out of my security deposit.  But it's also hard not to think: "18 hours ago, I was walking to the wine shop across the way".  Or "This time yesterday, I was already walking out of the Metro."  And my favorite, "This time last week, I was thinking that this vacation would last forever (in a good way)".  The deluded thoughts set in: "If we got rid of a lot of crap, I really do think I could live in a three bedroom apartment in Paris...", but you're soon snapped back to reality when your kids tell you "I'm bored", and you have to think up something for them to do (apparently playing with the 1.72 million Legos in the playroom isn't entertainment enough...).


So we are adjusting to our jet lag...we are able to sleep about one hour longer each day, so by tomorrow we'll be able to sleep until 7am!  We are getting back into the groove with our schedules and getting used to doing chores again (somehow, this never seems to take long to do...).  I could get all philosophical and tell you the ways in which returning to a yoga practice will help with all of these things - help reset your internal clock, being more mindful in your daily interactions, and of course help you cope when stressful schedules get in the way.  I know these truths, but I'm not ready to get on my soapbox (just yet).  
I'll be returning to my practice this week (my practice in the last two weeks was pitiful - my Half-moon pose in the picture above was about the extent of it!), and hopefully I'll have the creative energy to blog about it.  Hopefully you'll have the patience to keep reading!


Practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without break and in all earnestness. - Patanjali's Yoga Sutras I.14


**Stay tuned for a "big reveal" later this week...