If You Are Open To It.....A Hidden Gem In The Most Unlikely Of Spots

75S was bottle necked at its usual 2 spots on Saturday afternoon.  I knew what should've been a 25 minute drive would be about 1 hour, but isn't our destination always worth the sometimes troubled journey?

A quick exit onto Mockingbird had the Parrott girls resting in more weekend traffic.  We were settled right in the middle of prestigious Highland Park.  The sidewalks bustled with bodies!  Citizens of all walks squeezing in a few quick errands,  sharing an afternoon walk hand-in-hand, comrades laughing with over brimming lattes.  

Ahhh.....Saturday in the city.

Almost there when an unexpected treat greets us!  I've never enjoyed the pleasure of having a street named after me.  Just a wild guess, but something tells me this intersection was born in the mid 1970's.  

We exited the car and climbed to the 2nd floor of a vintage building--just recently restored.  The open metal staircase secured with meticulously placed bolts echoed with each step.  If the sun hadn't been reflecting so brightly on this passage I would've sworn I was back in downtown Chicago!  The Windy City  would have you gripping the handrails---holding on for dear life!  Ice and metal are a common combination up North.  Yes, it's April, but check the forecast. Chicago is blanketed in snow this week.

Sophia gently pushed the swinging door and we entered. 

The sand colored hardwood flooring, delicate white curtains sweeping the floor and blue gray walls presented the ideal ambiance for relaxation.

We've arrived. 

Finding a yoga class that invites a  4 -year- old has been a priority since we moved to Dallas.  

In my opinion, there is so much to be said for possessing the ability to calm and center yourself in our tumultuous world.  

Toddlers do not escape anxiety.  

Next time your newborn is screaming, fight nature.  Fight nature hard.... try to turn your body and mind in the direction of your older child.  Seems like an easy request, but once those cries begin our physical and emotional visibility is reduced to zero and the fog descends.

In a split second glance you most likely notice self soothing.  Holding a lovey, sucking their thumb or the most heart wrenching, a pained look in their eyes.

Seems minor in our adult perspective, but this is stress to a child.   

May I so boldly recommend, "Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child" as nightstand reading?  The premise is that an ability to identify, embrace and ultimately control your emotions will take you farther in life than simple academic superiority.

This particular studio was appealing on so many levels.  It is solely donation based.  You give what you can afford.  The instructors firmly believe that the benefits of yoga should be extended to every individual.

Not surprisingly, Sophia was the youngest apprentice.  Ms. Yoss took the children on a physical and spiritual journey guided by the book, "Going on a Bear Hunt."  

Genius, in my humble opinion.

For just a moment, the room was filled with gentle music and scents of lavender.  The children rested silently, palms open to the world.

Ms. Yoss's 6 year old daughter was in the session and got up to whisper a question to her mother.  With obvious ease and calm, her mother softly replied, "Let's keep those thoughts in our head for right now."

I had to stop salivating over this women's immaculate posture for a moment and allow myself to immediately place the heaviest of weight on yoga as a lifestyle. 

 I vowed from that moment to raise Juliet on such inviting language.  

I will hope for the best with Sophia who has heard uncountable renditions of "Honey, please be quiet now."  "Quiet time"  "Sophia, enough please."  SOPHIA...we are in church, PLEASE stop communicating."

My donation just went up.

Sophia is over the moon excited about yoga.  A non competitive, individual contributory "sport" that suits her personality like nothing else.

I descended those metal stairs with a smile.  No camera taking pictures this time, no worries of where I had to be next, just living in the moment.  And in that moment, I discovered a hidden parenting gem that will forever impact our family.