Committed Soul
We make commitments every day with ourselves and others. Sometimes we break them and most of the times we try to keep them, we keep moving ahead with our busy lives. Today I want to share a story which tells about my little boy’s commitment to me.
In 2015, I had decided to take up yoga teaching as my profession for which I had to enroll myself in one month residential teachers training course.
The first step was to convince my 5-year-old boy to stay with his grandma and dad for a month – without me. It was the first time for him to stay without me but he nodded ‘yes’ and came with his dad to drop me at the school with a heavy heart.
They stayed for 2 days with me while I prepared for my class. I was attending the class when they left for home on the first day of my course. I went back to my room and felt emptiness inside my heart. I was not able to attend my evening asana class. I vomited. My body, mind and soul were not ready to accept this separation. I called my boy in the night, but the moment he heard my voice, he started crying loudly like I did.
For a few days I didn’t talk to him because he was trying to adjust without me but would start crying on hearing my voice. I somehow managed without him, though it was not easy but yoga gave me strength and taught me to love my own company.
By the second week, we had started talking to each other over the phone everyday and he used to complain about his Dad and grandma. He would say, “Grandma doesn’t pick me in her arms after my bath, I have to come out walking and daddy doesn’t kiss me when he picks me up from the school.”
At last, the fourth week arrived and I returned home in the afternoon after finishing my training. He had been patiently waiting for me since morning even though I arrived an hour late.
I wanted to go for 1.5 month advanced teachers training course taught in a residential school to pursue teaching. This time my little one gave a big “No!” and said that he will not stay without me for a single day at any cost.
I spoke to the school and they agreed to let him accompany me for the duration of the course. So I chose to go to the school during his summer holidays. I was hoping to enroll him in a music class to keep him busy while I was busy with yoga class but all the music schools were closed for the summer holidays.
Luckily, he found a very loving family near the school where he spent his days playing with children in the neighborhood. Food was never of his choice but he didn’t complain. He used to wake up after I had left for the class at 6.
He washed his clothes during the afternoons and was happy to wash my clothes too. He would attend mantra chanting, philosophy and self practices classes with me and help me prepare my presentation. He would learn mantras and yoga poses from Min Aunty (my Chinese batch mate and the best yoga teacher for children).
This time my experience was much richer as I had my little one’s support and he was even present in my 1.5 hour asana class assessment at the end of the course. During the 1.5 hour class, he occupied himself by doing asana or relaxing in Shavasana while I was teaching asana that was difficult for him to perform.
Everyone noticed that he was so proud of his mom.
On the day of departure, we had to start at 2:00 in the afternoon but due to some confusion, the driver arrived late and we couldn’t start until 6:30 in the evening. He cried hard in front of his friends as he was missing his father, his home, his bed, his room and his toys, but not in front of me.
What makes me so emotional is that when I read out this article to him he doesn’t understand it, yet knows how to honor his commitment.
Moral of the story: As mothers we should not bound ourselves with our responsibilities but spread our wings more vividly as there is ample in store to learn, share and teach. Our adventures will make our little one learn lessons of life in a unique way and growing together once again with our lovelies can give us exotic experience.
By: Sapna Singh
Everyone calls me Sapna Singh. I am a mother of a 7 year old and now teach people yoga. I love to do yoga, learn new things, live life, and explore nature. I like to write what I feel as it helps me to connect to myself!
