I began something on a recent I hadn’t done in well over a year- kids yoga in the morning. I did it mainly because the wild energy of Wally (my 5th grader) was driving me crazy. It’s an electric charge that’s always on him, especially in the mornings. He wants to wrestle, he can’t stop chanting, bumping into me and Petra, catapulting from room to room. For the first few years, I just did my best to get him out of the house as early as possible. I think it has always made me feel stressed, but now that he’s older and easier to talk to it suddenly occurred to me that maybe there’s something I could do to address it.
Today I decided to try a kids’ yoga routine. It didn’t help all that much, although Wally was able to stay focused during it (Petra too – for her, it’s never been as hard, she’ll even—drumroll—sleep in on days she doesn’t have to go to school.)
Afterward I asked them how they felt. Neither answered. I asked if they felt calm. Petra didn’t really answer—still practicing downward dog. Wally said he doesn’t like to feel calm, that it makes him feel sad. I suppose that is true for many people. They don’t put it exactly that way. It’s talked about more in terms of staying busy, or being a work-a-holic, or needing constant stimulation and distraction. But the way Wally put it was simple and clear. Perhaps it can made me more flexible, in how I respond to him being always on the move.
—Rachel
The Light Within 
I read this post last night before falling asleep and was struck by this: “Wally said he doesn’t like to feel calm, that it makes him feel sad.”
I’ve been rolling this thought over in my head all day- I’m not sure why, because I know I am the opposite. Or maybe that’s precisely why I keep thinking about it.
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