Being a new mom has been busy. Learning how to manage breastfeeding, taking care of my little one, managing our family business from home, making sure home tasks are caught up with, keeping the romance alive in my relationship, and trying to maintain my own health and wellness (let alone sanity), has been quite the challenge. As I spent time with Reese the other day, I began to photograph the little things I will miss about her being so small. Her little hands, her wiggly toes, her tiny ears, and sweet little nose are all going to be bigger someday soon. Taking time to take these pictures and live in the present moment with my baby was such a high. I laid down next to her and we just stared at each other for a long while. I would make faces at her and she would giggle, which would make me laugh, then she would laugh harder. Everything else put on hold, these are the moments that make life full and beautiful. Stop the hustle and bustle of the day and take time to savor the small things before they are gone.
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Yoga is a practice and to receive the benefits, you must do just that... PRACTICE. We live in a time of busyness and often times pure and utter chaos. You're probably thinking, "I have a job, family, social life, how am I supposed to fit in yoga on a regular basis? Maybe I could commit to once a month..." Even still, fitting something else in to your already crazy schedule just sounds stressful. I know. I STILL have to talk myself into it sometimes. The ironic thing is although it seems more stressful to add something else to your schedule, yoga is what will allow you to manage the stress and make you better equipped to deal with difficult things that come up in your day to day world.
In my physical practice I am focused on strengthening, as I am very flexible in some areas and being too flexible can actually cause injury without a proper balance of strength. Although I have the ability to get into a proper form, holding postures is still very difficult for me. It is taking longer than I thought to build my strength back after the birth of my daughter. The other night in class, the instructor reminded us nothing lasts forever and to come back to our breath. Nothing lasts forever. I have heard this before but in that moment it brought on a new meaning. Practicing what makes me uncomfortable is an important step in my process of becoming stronger both physically and mentally. Am I really able to gain that strength only practicing once a week? Less than that? In order to create the kind of strength I would like my body and mind to attain, I truly must practice everyday. Anytime you start a new routine, there are significant barriers that you have to work around. Some of these barriers are easy to work out, others not so much. Our barriers keep us from attaining our goals. Some common barriers we face are: time, money, and energy. Energy Level: One barrier to practicing yoga regularly is our energy, particularly the lack of it. In the morning it is tough to get out of bed and most people have to rush off to work. When you get home from work, there are home tasks to attend to and by the end of the day we all just want to relax. The great thing about yoga is, depending on the postures you decide to do, you can increase your energy levels or you can help your body and mind relax. Sun salutations and backbends can be very energizing and after a practice focusing on these types of asanas (poses) you will feel a big difference in your ability to move throughout your day alert and energized. After getting home from a long day at work, my go to is to sit in front of the TV in order to shut my brain down. A much healthier and more effective way to do this is to give myself some time in a calming yoga practice (look up yin and restorative yoga). I did this the other night after a long day of running errands with the baby. Before I headed downstairs to greet my husband home from work, I closed the door to our bedroom lit some candles, and moved through some of my favorite asanas focusing on releasing the areas of tension I built up throughout my day. After about 20 minutes of a cooling practice, I felt calm and ready to connect with my partner. We had a great dinner and conversation and didn't even turn the tv on that night. Money: Yoga classes can be expensive if you are wanting an everyday practice. There are so many ways around this barrier. One idea is to purchase packages of classes. Most studios offer a discount when you purchase multiple classes at one time. Spread these classes out. Maybe go to class just once or twice a week in order to make your package last longer, then try and remember some of the poses you do in class and do them at home or at a park. Read books and begin to create sequences on your own. Make sure you are fully aware of how your body is feeling and you only attempt postures you are comfortable with if you are practicing without the aid of an instructor. Find tutorials and classes online. Websites like www.yogaglo.com offer great classes taught by incredible instructors for a nominal fee. Search for free or donation based classes in your area. Many communities have some kind of free class if you take the time to look into it. Time: 20 minutes a day. Start with just 20 minutes a day devoted to your practice. If you can get to a studio and give yourself an hour, fantastic. If you can't, just carve out 20 minutes each day. You will be amazed what 20 minutes can look like and what you can accomplish with consistency even with limited time. You deserve at least 20 minutes a day. Take them and enjoy. We all make excuses not to do things we know are good for us. You can come up with excuses or valid arguments to all the advice I am trying to give, OR you can see what a difference a regular yoga practice can do for you. Make your choice. Namaste. |