1. My dog licks my face every time I go into Downward Dog. Or Handstand. Or Headstand. Or Plank. Or Up Dog. I should really put the dog outside before I practice.
2. My 14-month-old daughter climbs onto my back every time I rest in Child’s Pose. (Seriously. I used to think this pose was called Child’s Pose because it’s easy so a child could do it. That makes no sense at all because kids are way better at yoga than adults. So it must be called Child’s Pose because of how fun it is for children to mount their parents like horses when they’re trying to take a breath.. Yep. I think that must be it.)
3. My daughter always wakes up from her nap at exactly the time I”m finishing with a long sequence of standing poses with my right foot back. She screams. I go get her. I have to stop practicing. I walk a little to the left the rest of the day.
4. My husband insists on watching TV, listening to music, or loudly singing and it drowns out my Krishna Das. It also pisses me off when this happens. And being pissed off is an instant home yoga practice killer.
5. When I practice at home my gadgets are a little too accessible. I get Tweets and text messages from friends. My email beckons. Is it my turn on Words with Friends? Must. Resist. Urge. To. Check. Email.
6. The UPS man or the postlady have a knack for ringing my doorbell just as I’ve started to practice. It sends the dog into a frenzy, wakes up the baby, and ruins my day. (Unless the package is something fun for me.. then it only ruins my practice for the day, but the rest of my day is probably pretty awesome because I love new things!)
7. My yoga mat is where a lot of magic happens, and sometimes the flood gates open and creativity comes pouring into my head. As a writer, I know that when inspiration comes I have to stop what I’m doing immediately and write before it goes away. Sadly, this sometimes means I roll my mat back up and plan to come back to it later.
8. Grrrrr… My stomach growls. Hunger is an annoying home practice deterrent.
9. My phone rings. Or, in my case, vibrates (I never have the ringer on).
10. My needy cat tries to force me to pet her. When I ignore her and shoo her away from my mat, she stands on the end tables and starts knocking everything on them to the floor. Crash! Boom! Bang! (See Learning to Purrrr-severe.) What are your most annoying home practice distractions?
What keeps you from your home practice?
I don't know!! But something is stopping me. Long break due to illness and I think I'm afraid to try again because I'll have lost so much. I think. That or I'm lazy! (kids, dogs and husband also interfere on a regular basis 😉 )
parenthood and a full time office job.
I so agree with the dog thing! I stopped practising because my puppy keeps biting my face, my hair, my hands whenever I'm doing yoga. As cute as you are, GO AWAY!