I have personally never minded the arrival of Aunt Flow and all her crazy quirks. Usually, I embrace them, try to find the time to get enough sleep (even if that means skipping a workout or two), and pull on the sweats as soon as I get the chance. Not typically a complainer, I’m grateful that I do get a period – a signal that my body is functioning properly – but this month I’m feeling particularly tired, edgy, and like I just want to swaddle myself in a big blanket, pop some M+Ms, and watch Keeping Up With The Kardashians all day long. Does that make you hate me? (Because it kind of makes me hate myself.) Basically, this period thing is kind of an extra pain in the A this month.
Because what I want to want to be doing is curl up with a book on Buddhist philosophy that my friend recommended to me, wash my windows and floors, make a rhubarb crumble, and take a hike in the woods. I want to have the energy to do all of these things, but I have a feeling that none of them are likely to happen between now and Monday, and you know what? I’m telling myself that’s okay, and I'm surprisingly not even feeling guilty about it.
I remember reading last year in The Four Agreements that you should “Always do your best.” In the book, Don Miguel Ruiz explained that doing your personal best is different at different times – sometimes you’ll have greater capacity, sometimes you’ll have less, but always do your personal best at that given moment.
I’m not sure if popping candy and watching the Kardashians is anyone’s personal best at any given time, but perhaps not feeling guilty about getting some extra R&R this weekend is practicing my personal best at the present time. That’s what I’m going to tell myself anyway.
3 comments:
Ack! I was trying to comment, it duplicated, then deleted. Okay. Trying again. It's true--we really should rest during our cycle. In Kundalini yoga, we learn that we shouldn't even do yoga during this time. We should show up to class and just rest on the mat, soaking in the good vibes (you haven't lived, btw, until an ageing male hippie yoga teacher lets the rest of the class know that you'll be resting because you have your 'moon cycle'...). Our egos are way too hard on us.
I love how the practice of yoga emphasizes the importance and necessity of resting during this time. It's all about being in tune and listening to your body -- because it definitely speaks to us even when we're not listening.
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