Ways to integrate yoga into your daily life when you're a mom
I noticed my yoga practice transitioning into my day-to-day life about 10 years ago. I became less concerned about physically achieving the postures, and instead, more on cultivating a feeling where I felt relaxed & more embodied within myself.
I am a mother of 3 children under the age of 10. Getting up before dawn and practising an invigorating practice (like I used to in my 20s) doesn’t serve me anymore. An early practice personally leaves me feeling depleted, cranky, and exhausted, and I crave a mid-afternoon nap, which is not ideal when my children return home from school.
I began to wonder my reasons why I was practicing yoga early in the morning (especially in the early morning), when it made me feel tired & disgruntled later on in the day.
When I started to think about the jewels of the practice that I have personally experienced, a few things came up:
To have more energy
To be more present with my children and with everyone I see throughout my day, including myself
To be more mindful & feel more balanced in mind & body
To have energy, physical strength, and longevity to keep up with my children
To discover how to listen deeply from the heart
To be in charge of my health and well-being
To feel connected to myself, my loved ones, the earth & all that is
When I recognized and acknowledged WHY I felt called to practice daily, I started to notice a change in how I practiced.
MAKING THE CHANGE
Here are a few things that came up for me.
To show up for ME on my mat daily, even if my practice is short.
Setting a ritual where I roll out my mat, stand on it, take a pause, and breathe has made a significant difference in my day. Yoga practice can range from a pause to an hour.
Doing the practice with 30% energy and 100% energy is still the same practice.
Practising 1 posture with 100% energy to practising 1 Surya namaskara with 30% energy is all the same practice. It's our relationship with our practice & to ourselves that is important. Knowing that we did our best by showing up for ourselves, nurturing where we are, breathing gently, and sitting quietly can cultivate joy, ease, energy, & focus.
To practice holding your day ahead in sight.
Of course, we never truly know what is going to happen throughout our day. However, as a mum, I know the general rhythm of my days. On days when I haven’t had much sleep or I know feels overwhelming, I might choose to take a lighter practice, and that’s ok. I might consider the intention, one pose at a time. Allowing this mantra to guide me can break the expectation to do more than needed. When I feel the signs of tiredness or distraction that take me away from practising yoga, then it can be an indication to close.
Practice can be at any time and anywhere
Yes, ideally I’d like to practice before my day begins, but realistically, some days just don’t work out that way. Striking a pose like Trikonasana while making dinner can be fun for you and your kiddos, and great for energizing the body, getting the blood circulating, and stretching the sides of the waist that can be tight from holding baby.
Maybe practice looks like:
Practicing a mantra that brings inner strength while you sit in traffic with the kiddos
Taking a pause & coming to your breath when the kids are energetic
Resting in a restorative pose like legs up the wall at the end of your day
Lighting a candle in the morning & sitting quietly with a warm drink before starting your day
Moving your body that nourishes you
The beauty of yoga is that it grows with us; it’s not about trying to fill a prescription, but allowing the practice to support us where we are in this very moment.