Yoga Man

5:00 A.M. is the best time for my wife and I to have 1-on-1 interaction. While it might sound like a startling conclusion, it actually was seized as an immense opportunity. With our children nestled or wrestling imaginary creatures in their beds, 5:00 A.M exploration was upon us!

Good morning, yoga with Adriene. So technically it is not 1-on-1 time. Since mid-December, my wife and I have turned on our smart TV to rise and shine with Adriene via YouTube. I stumbled upon Adriene after pitching to my wife the idea of living room yoga. We had done yoga together before, sporatically at different spots in Johnstown, but never on the carpet that our kids use as a picnic blanket. There is nothing like pivoting out of Warrior 1 and squashing a blueberry. 

Over a month into the practice, we are reaping the benefits. After one successful 30-day commitment, we have moved on to another yoga journey with Adriene. 5:00 A,M. has never felt so good. I have a friend who lives in Seattle and she recently wrote about her fitness path to explain and inspire. Following her lead, here are some things to think about in whatever 2019 journey you are on.

Open Door, Open Floor

"Yoga is not for me" has been uttered by many before. In all my masculine glory, yoga is for me. The man brain might be stuck on the idea that we must be hunters and gathers and pillage villages. Man do not roll out mat. Man do not Namaste. Man, child posture? Man is man. 

The only way to know if yoga is for you is if you try. While Adriene was not my first instructor, she has a welcoming and sometimes goofy approach to this ancient exercise. Her daily practices are often in the 15 to 30 minute range and run the gamut from calming to activating. On some mornings, when my wife and I chose to delay the 5:00 AM start, our kids joined the practice. A toddler can provide additional resistance when trying to do downward facing dog. Have you ever done a push-up with a 4-year-old on your back? It's exhilarating. Namaste. 

The Jolt

Yoga has provided a mind and muscle jolt that is different than any other exercise I have done. Running, weight lifting, and basketball have been my fitness trinity for most of my life. Now, in the heart of my Dad gauntlet, I imagine those three activities as a power triangle with yoga in the center. That last sentence is my first application of trigonometry since 11th grade. 

In our busy day-to-day challenges, especially for you parents out there, 15 to 30 minutes of mindfullness sounds a bit ludicrous. There have been points in my fatherhood where my mind seems full, bursting with worry and nonsense. I have come to appreciate that 15 to 30 minutes of yoga, combined with a commitment to my spiritual faith, has changed the game. 

The Dinner Dad

Dinner with a 4-year old and 1-year old is my 5th exercise. It does not appear on my triangle diagram because it's sloppy. While having a Looney Tunes supper this week, there was a whole lot of jibber jabber. A little bit of eye-spy. A lot of "I want out". At one point, I was shocked by my own posture. Blocking out all the noise around me, I had anatomical amazement . I was sitting on the edge of my chair in this upright, statuesque position. It was as if I was being added as the 5th man on Mount Rushmore. 

I turned to my wife and had her enter into my revelation. "Let's take a timeout from eye-spy and take a look at Dad's verterbrae" (I did not say this out loud, but I clearly tried to draw attention). I attribute this Dinner Dad moment to yoga. The stretching and bending and building I have done since December led to this January suppertime phenomenon. My girls were not impressed and continued to play suspect eye-spy. 

Accountability 

I have the luxury of having an enthuisastic partner on this yoga quest. There are a lot of hurdles to get over if you are just walking into a public yoga class as a lone wolf. In the comforts of my own home, my wife and I have been able to motivate each other in order to find our way onto the mat. Our only hope is that our daughters form some type of alliance for sleeping like my wife and I have for yoga practice. I think once our youngest turns 2 in March, everything will be sunshine and rainbows. This is what I imagine happening. Remember yoga is all about mindfullness:

4-year-old:  "Sister, now that you are 2, it is time that we commit to a sleeping pattern that centers on structured sleep times that maximizes our ability to play during wakeful hours and helps our parents live more productive and sane lives."

2-year-old:  "Sister, I concur with this strategic plan; however, I believe you have been identified as what I would call the "problem sleeper". I am not trying to place blame and I respect that you are the elder sister, but I want this alliance to be built on honesty and a pure heart."

4-year-old:  "Sister, I want to scream at you right now, but I shall resist. I have been watching my parents do this yoga practice and it has helped me calm my own inner-rage. I do testify to the fact that my sleeping pattern has been divisive. I appreciate your ability to express your feelings."

2-year-old: "Sister, that means a lot coming from you. I'd like you to lead with 'I have an idea' for this strategic plan. You are really good starting out sentences with 'I have an idea'. I'll buy what you are selling."

4-year-old:  "Sister, I have an idea. Let's go up to our rooms at 8PM, obviously without parental instruction, and read books on a nightly basis. Let's go to our separate chambers at 8:30PM, say our prayers, and recovene around 7AM the following morning."

2-year-old:  "Sister, I'm in. May I suggest Berestain Bears?"

4-year-old: "Sister, now you have gone too far. I'll pick the literary work. See you at 8."

Yoga has opened up a new reality in my life and allowed for fantasies such as this. 

Expand your mind and body, Johnstown. Namaste your way through 2019!

A 4-Year Education

Today is a graduation day. My oldest daughter is now 4. Since becoming a Dad, a true freshman, on January 10, 2015, I have learned a lot. There are a lot of crazy parts to parenting, but the craziest thing might be how much inner-change occurs once that baby comes out, looking like something from outer space.

The easiest way to look back on the last four years is through pictures - and we have a boatload of options. As for our second child, there are much less options - because she is our second child. It is not like we love her any less.  It is a natural phenomenon not to take as many pictures during Round 2.

Anywho, my favorite picture of our birthday girl is her gazing deeply at a butterfly. It was taken by her school teachers during her first month of 3-year-old academia. My love of nature and my love for her is captured in a beautiful moment - ambitious, young girl meets awe-inspiring butterfly. It brings a smile to this kid at heart; a message from Mother Nature and a growing girl to be forever young. 

Youth certainly does not last forever; however, kids at heart never graduate. They grow, and with each blessing, bump, and bruise, they grow stronger. And through it all, they take time to stop and appreciate the butterflies. 

It has been a terrific four years. If she was forever a three-year-old, I would be in the loony bin, seeing imaginary butterflies along side my loving wife, who would also be having butterfly hallucinations. 

I can't wait until I have two teenage girls and everything is so much easier.

Dad Movie Review: Malorie vs. Mary Poppins

I ended 2018 by watching two movies with a bombardment of interruptions, distractions, and fatigue. This is how I have watched almost every movie since becoming a father. Alas, here is my jumbled review of Netflix's Bird Box versus Disney's Mary Poppins Returns. 

Both of these films are new releases with established female stars. In this corner, we have Malorie, Sandra Bullock. I've watched her on a speeding bus, in outer space, and now, in apocalyptic terror. In this corner, we have Ms. Poppins, Emily Blunt. I've watched her try to take down the Mexican drug cartel, survive in silence as murderous creatures wander the Earth, and now, in a world of wonderment. 

Both films offer atmospheric phenonema. Malorie can't trust her eyes as sight becomes deadly. Children can't believe their eyes when Mary Poppins floats down from the sky with an umbrella. My children could not keep their eyes open for either film. For Bird Box, they simply were not allowed to view. For Mary Poppins Returns, they entered a world of snooze.

I finished both movies with my youngest daughter in my grasp. Bird Box took multiple viewings stretched over multiple days. In the end, I held her tight as the world looked as if it were coming to an end. For Mary Poppins Returns, I found myself dancing in the dark in the back of Westwood Plaza Theatre. She went from dance to drool as we bobbed around like there was no tomorrow. 

Both films are around 2 hours. Neither needed to be that long. As Malorie was desperately trying to live and Mary was lost in enchantment, I was trying to stay awake, while clinging to my child, and getting sweaty in the process. 

Water plays a big role in both films. Ms. Poppins turns bathtime into an aquatic adventure. Malorie heads toward raging rapids, but there is no singing. Some good old-fashioned yelling and screaming, but no singing. In our house, there is a daily mix of singing, yelling, and screaming.In fact, that's a guarantee. Spend a day with us and you get a musical, a drama, and horror show. 

My wife played a big role in both screenings. She was not featured in either film, however; she gave me time and consideration to watch Bird Box. For Mary Poppins Returns, her children fought over her like raging lunatics. That's when Dad had to swoop in and take the youngest to the back of the theatre. I did not want to upset any of the other theatre goers. "Excuse me sir, your wife is being mauled by your children, would you please save her."  

And finally, motherhood is critical to both plots. Malorie's identity shapes as the world falls apart; critical decisions must be made to protect her kids. Mary Poppins swoops in to help a family who misses Mom yet her spirit lives on. When in doubt, thank Moms. They are magical and make the world go round. 

 Cheers to more movies and mayhem in 2019. Survival of the fittest. 

Editor Note: We have too many umbrellas and none of them allow me to fly.