Mommoga

"Mountain Pose... Tadasana..."

Those three beautiful words have been echoing in my brain since I last heard them around 4 o'clock this afternoon.

I was, yes, in theory, practicing yoga this afternoon... but, the entire "Hatha Yoga" movement might more aptly be termed "Mommoga" around this place. Downward Dog rather ceases to rejuvenate the body and calm the mind. Instead, it becomes an instant bridge for toddlers to try and (more often that not) successfully knock over. Proud Warrior perhaps ceases to elongate the spine or to strengthen the knees as gracefully as the original Hindu practitioners might have intended, but the pose does do a great service as a blissfully soft jungle gym.

One might assume the circumstances of my at-home yoga practice could be mildly anxiety provoking or simply frustrating, but in fact, it's quite the opposite for this loyal student of "Mommoga." This particular genre of practice seems to offer more of a challenge in developing one's balance & concentration, which, I'm sure, makes up for that whole "peaceful centeredness" thing.

Actually, can we just pretend for a second that that's overrated? No?

Truly, as if all the giggles surrounding Mommoga isn't enough to keep us at it, what I particularly love is when we arrive at "Mountain Pose... Tadasana..." This happens multiple times in a session. The girls suddenly stop their horsing around, stand still, and are centered. Their keen focus & utter intent on what they're doing is beautiful. Legs straight, feet even, hands in prayer position at their hearts. They are grounded for a moment. Rooted and peaceful.

And in a blink, the instructor on the DVD guides us into the next pose, and they're off again. Or, "on" again, as the case may be.

Namaste.