During the days, months or years of being a mum, many of us know the feeling that we have become so absorbed in the role/label/responsibilities that we have put on ourselves.
We often miss to remind ourselves that we are so much more and potentially forgot who we are.
Of course, we all have challenging times and days as a mother but we cannot take the responsibilities and time of motherhood aside and live a life full of spare time. Downtime and living were almost separate compartments of life before kids.
So my suggestion is we look motherhood straight in the eye, go to a yoga class with/or even without our children and take a break WITHIN ourselves.
Now let’s unroll the Yoga mat and get on with motherhood and its challenges…..
5 Things you’ll love about being on the mat
- It is not all about flexibility and strength
When we step on the mat it’s not about performing another exercise. It is not about looking like a yoga gazelle like we see in the magazines, it is not even about being able to reach our toes, but having an opportunity to come home; Home to our own being. Let flexibility and strength, as well as reduction of aches and pains, be the side effect of your yoga practice.
- Checking in with yourself
How am I? Who am I and what is the best I can do for me right now?
You may rock a pose one day and feel it’s so hard the next. Yoga never fails to show you where, how and who you are if you’re willing to listen.
- Calm in the storm
Coming to the mat means to quieten our body for a few breaths. Essentially as we start moving in sync with our breath and with just the right intensity to invigorate, to stretch and strengthen our body, our breath and our mind, we might just find an answer to so many questions within.
- Body and Mind awareness
Coming to the mat is taking the time to listen to the stories our body tells us. What physical movement is challenging and why is it so? Where am I tight and how is this tightness connected to the rest of my body?
This is the time where we can really listen to our breath. In a yoga class we are being guided to notice and/or evaluate if we’re holding our breath, if we’re giving to much, or if we cannot even take in a full whole hearted breath, because our heart is filled with so much “stuff” already.
When we come to the mat to do yoga we have the opportunity to take time to listen to the stories that we tell ourselves every day. Sometimes we have a voice in our head telling us stories continuously without us being aware or knowing that we are creating beliefs and doubts about ourself or situations, which may not help us to make the best choices of happiness and wellbeing.
When mums come to the mat, it gives us the opportunity to check in who we are in this present moment. To evaluate the stories that we are being told or we are telling ourselves, to find some calmness in the craziness around us and continue to create with goodwill for our body and mind.
- Body benefits
You have heard it a million times, yoga is so good for your physical body too:
As you spend much time every day with baby, you are likely to sit, have baby on one hip and/or spend a lot of time in uncomfortable positions to comfort and feed your baby. We all do!
Maybe you have found yourself hunching/protecting your baby a lot over the last few months, which can lead to neck and lower back tension.
In mums and bubs yoga we target these areas particularly. By mobilizing the areas that have become stiff and strengthening the areas which have become a bit overused and therefore generate discomfort or in the worst scenario pain.
We tailor the program to help you to strengthen core muscles, bringing mindfulness to any potential abdominal separation issue and are always aware of the effect of the pelvic floor of the safety of the overall pose.
In every class you literally get a gentle, yet effective full body workout and stretch.
If that is not enough, enjoy the scientific side benefits of increased flexibility, reduced stress hormones, strength and a more balanced mind.
Feel the what yoga can do for yourself and join a class soon.
We now offer Yoga at Nurtured Fitness for yourself and a safe space to be yourself move, breathe, connect while taking your baby along.
Sometimes you and your baby will love this class and you get to feel the effect of it in every part of your being, and other times you may spend more time with your bubba than actually moving through the sequences.
That is (a mum’s) life.
Jeany Schall
Yoga Instructor at Nurtured Fitness
Need more yoga, calm, good women & direction in your life?? Book in now for our 2018 Mums & Bubs Retreat. Includes Daily Yoga & Kangatraining classes.. plus so much more
CLICK HERE for more info
