I've been on this journey toward greater well-being these past few months, enjoying better nutrition and more recess (AKA physical activity, but my friend, fellow author Mary Anne Radmacher, thinks recess sounds much more appealing and I couldn't agree more). I top those things off with some mind/body health practices to balance my chaotic schedule (and even more chaotic mind chatter) with a little dose of mindfulness here and there. Yoga is my mind/body practice of choice, and I've been loving a "detox flow yoga" series I'm taking at The Mellow Monkey Yoga Studio here in my hometown.

I have to admit, though, as a working mom, it's been a challenge fitting structured classes into my routine again. A "well-worth-it" challenge, but a challenge none the less. And sometimes it's challenging in more of a comedic than a logistic way, like it was last week.

Hubby was traveling on business and I had a particularly hectic workweek. It was the kind of day that would make it easy to forego the mat that evening, but I held my resolve and headed out the door 10 minutes late. 10 minutes late is really no different than usual for me, except that I HATE feeling rushed when I'm on my way to slow things down. But I guess that's part of the practice, huh?

Anyway, I cruise into my first downward-facing dog, committed to quieting my papanca, or "monkey mind," by silently repeating my personal mantra; "I choose peace in this moment" and by luxuriating in the warmth of this room and the flow of the poses. But my monkey had more moxie than mellow that night, as the following transcript proves:

• "Late again. I hate being late. I hate being rushed when I'm trying to relax and decompress. And I hate the word hate. It's so negative. Sigh."
• "I choose peace in this moment."
• "Holy crap. I'm not wearing a bra. I got so caught up with the kids that I forgot to change into my yoga top. The braless yogi in the back row. Edgy."
• "I choose peace in this moment."
• "What is that smell? It's everywhere. It's infiltrating my pranayama. WHAT THE HELL IS IT? Oh. It's Chex Mix. Note to self: never make Chex Mix for the kids right before yoga. And especially don't mix it with your hands. And particularly one should avoid doing detox yoga in a hot room post-Chex-mix-prep because it perfumes the studio in a rather unproductive way."
• "I choose peace in this moment."
• "Do normal people sweat this much? I wonder if anyone has ever slipped on their own sweat and gone down HARD in yoga. With my track record, I will assuredly be among the first. And someone will have to check to see if I'm ok and they'll see I'm braless and they'll wonder. I don't know what they'll wonder, I just know they will."
• "I choose peace in this moment."
• "A really cold beer would taste amazing right now. OHMYGOSH! You're doing detox yoga, for Pete's sake. FOCUS, girl!"
• "I choose peace in this moment."
• "Yeah. A really cold beer with little ice crystals on the surface. Because it's hot in here. DAMN HOT. Cold beer. Frosted glass. Ice crystals."
• "I choose peace in this moment."
• "Actually, a really cold beer with Chex mix. Yep, that's the ticket."
• "I choose peace in this moment."
• "So much sweat. Too much sweat. Uh oh. That means...HOLY WET T-SHIRTS, BATMAN! Now THAT will make a statement. I don't know what statement, I just know it will be a statement."
• "I choose peace in this moment."

And then it was over. As I rolled up the mat and looked around the room, I toyed with the idea of whether my investment of time and energy this evening had been worth it. My monkey mind, all braless and spritzed with "Eau du Chex mix," fixated on cold beer and tardiness and sweat-related injuries. 

And then it dawned on me. I had my answer. "I choose peace in this moment."