Release

I slept so much better and woke on my own at 4am, that's not something I ever thought would happen.  Maybe my body is already getting used to waking early.  I do like the general quiet that I am gifted in the mornings. 
Today was day 22 of the Yoga With Adriene "True" 30 day series and the theme was release.  Man did that feel so good!  Every move she did really felt like I was releasing something, like my body was waking cell by cell, and all the burdens were being lifted away.  We did tree pose today, I haven't done it in a while and I was having a tough time with balance, but guess what tomorrow's theme is? Balance! 
I guess the challenge of waking up early to do something good for myself was all in my head.  Sure, I yawn a little more and often doze off in the evening before I am commited to going to bed, but that isn't terribly intrusive in my life, and not too much different than normal!  That being said, I am looking forward to sleeping in the next 3 days before the chaos of school days set in. 
This morning I had another pleasant visit to the past, this time focusing on music; in particular, trying to think of some songs that most remind me of my mom and dad individually.  A flood of funny memories rushed in, the parody's my dad would make while laughing at himself, and my mom finger-dancing to Tom Jones!  I thought about how that love of music enriched me, especially when I was going through emotionally challenging times.  Music was a way to claim my own self-identity, connect with others and ultimately, dance which brings me nearer to bliss than almost anything else.  I'm really happy that I had those few moments to think about that, it really brightened my morning!
As far as the present, I am focusing on my sensory world more.  This morning as I took my first bite of breakfast I got up to get some coffee with the bite in my mouth and for some reason I became much more aware of the taste and texture of the egg and ghee-coated bagel, all the salty, creaminess against the crust of the buttery bagel was like a whole new experience.  I also noticed when I'd eaten half the bagel and just the yolks of the eggs, I was pretty satisfied.  I contemplated stopping eating, but was worried that I would sku my snack times for the day and not have enough food with me.  I do think I will eventually figure these things out.  I realize I don't need a bagel with my breakfast, I actually started the week with 1 slice of whole wheat break, but we ran out of bread and had so many extra bagels that I figured it better to use the bagels before they got stale.  It is more food than I need and my mind was aware of it this morning. Ah well, I don't pretend to have that part perfected.  I will say that I have consistently been eating pretty good for more than a year.  Too bad I am also in perimenopause so where that may have been all I needed to see progress when I was younger, it doesn't show on the outside so much now that I'm getting "older".  Thus, the yoga.  If I am not going to be slender and gorgeous, at least I can hope to be toned better and mobile! Ha ha.  I joke about aging but I do seriously hope to age gracefully, and good balance and core strength will be a part of that grace. 
So that's about all that's on my mind so far today!  Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!