Breathe in to five, and breathe out to five.

A quick story about how yoga literally made me a better parent in a moment of helplessness.

I mentioned a couple days ago how Number 3 got pretty sick last weekend with a nasty stomach bug.

He spent the day in bed on Sunday and was in and out of the bathroom with bouts of puking.

He slept through the night on Sunday, so I thought the worst of it was behind him,  but Sunday morning I heard him yelling from the bathroom.

I went upstairs and he was in agony. But there was nothing left to come out of him.

He was clutching his stomach and crying and almost inconsolabe.

I got him back into bed, and  he was writhing around in pain.  He was begging me to make it stop, but with a stomach virus there’s not a whole lot you can do.

Those moments as a parent when your kids are suffering and you are feeling totally helpless are the worst.

And then it occurred to me.

Focus on your breath.

So I told him just that.

I told him to focus on his breath.

To breathe in to  the count of five and out to the count of five.

He listened, and immediately he was calmer.

After about three rounds of breathing, his eyelids began to get very heavy.

And within five minutes, he went from screaming in pain, to sleeping.

Literally in five minutes. Just like that.

All because I went back to the most basic lesson I’ve learned from yoga.

Getting him to take the focus off his pain and put it into his breath allowed him to get through the pain and to find comfort.

And I was able to help him learn a skill that he will hopefully remember down the road at another time when he is either in pain or nervous or scared or furious or feeling whatever overwhelming emotion he is feeling at the moment.

We’ll have to practice, of course.

But the foundation is there.

And I owe it all to yoga.

If you are ready to lead a more active lifestyle but could use a little help, my next e-course, starts on Monday, June 6. 

Click here to register ! DAILY YOGA VIDEOS INCLUDED!

 

Please keep voting!