The art of dedication
Sometimes my mind settles on an interesting thought: do I do yoga in spite of the busyness of motherhood, or because of it? There are days that I feel victorious because, in spite of having very little free time, I sometimes find ways to squeeze in some yoga asana. Then there are days that I feel that what I need most, even though I am overwhelmed with the demands on me, is to practice yoga — I need asana and breathing and meditation because I am so busy.
Which mindset do you tend towards more, Yoga Mama?
The former mindset is more akin to that image of the super mom that can do it all, despite her heavy load of responsibilities. The latter is a type of surrender, a point of view where we know that we can’t possibly do it all, but even so, we devote ourselves to the things that matter most (hopefully yoga is one of those things?).
This past new moon, I wrote about renewing our dedication to our yoga practices, and to ourselves. As we approach the full moon, it’s a good time to reflect on if/how we did that. Did we add some yoga practices to our hectic days, or at least commit ourselves to pausing and breathing regularly in order to slow down while still engaged in one of our many tasks or responsibilities?
And if we didn’t do either of those things, can we look back and wonder what that says about our lives and priorities (instead of seeing it as a complete failure?)? This issue will surely come up again and again as we fall off the yoga wagon and get back on again.
Dedication to our practice is what keeps it alive, but that doesn’t mean we will never flake out on ourselves. We will, and that’s human. It also doesn’t mean our practice won’t change over time; actually, it is more likely to change as your kids grow, your lifestyle changes, and you change, too.
Simplify
Perhaps the best way to make yoga most accessible to busy moms is to simplify our practice. I used to love going to hour-long (or longer) yoga classes and leave with that floaty feeling that comes with going really in-depth with postures and breathing. But as a mom of two, I’ve learned that if I wait for that time to do a full yoga session, I might sometimes wait so long that I slip into burnout.
So, the question is, how can I simplify my practice so that I can use it in smaller chunks? A 3-minute or 5-minute yoga session, or even just one pose done with full focus and conscious breathing, can shift me into a better state of body and mind.
What is one or two (or three) poses you can do spontaneously during the day when you need a reset? Alternatively, maybe you can plan a 5-10 minute session into your day, if you’d rather be more organized about it.
For me, standing poses are most adaptable since I might not always have a yoga mat to throw down on the ground. But if I have the option to throw in a variety of poses, it’s nice to have a forward bend, a backward bend, a twist, and a lateral stretch so I can move my spine in all directions. I’ll talk about this in a post later this month.
Or, I just take a moment on hands and knees, do a few rounds of cat-cow, take some time up in downward dog, then rest in child’s pose (see photos throughout this post if you’re not familiar with those). It doesn’t check all the boxes of moving the spine in every direction, but over time, I’ve realized this mini sequence is really satisfying to my body, whether I’m tired or energized.
Sometimes people find it boring to simplify their asana practice. “But wait,” you might say. “I like to sweat and build strength. What about sun salutations and plank pose?” Or you might think, “But I want to work on my flexibility and go deeper into my pigeon pose or camel pose.”
I say, do it! If that’s what your body wants and needs, and what works with the flow of your day. But remember to breathe as you move through and hold poses. That’s how you link body to mind.
Pick a point of focus
Ironically, the best way to stay embodied in a pose is with our minds: focusing on something concrete can help keep our attention on the physical part of ourselves. For instance, let’s say we’re in child’s pose and our mind keeps wandering to our to-do list. Every time that happens, if you gently bring your attention to the way your forehead rests on the ground (or block, or cushion) or focus on the way that your inhale expands into your back, then you practice staying embodied by using your mental focus.
Think of this focus as an anchor: if your mind starts to drift, bring your attention back to that small, physical anchor to keep your attention on your body. Remember: breath, body, attention. Do it over and over again no matter how many times your thoughts wander away from what your body is experiencing.
Details, details
So from this full moon today going forward, let’s keep adding those small yoga sessions to our days, whether it’s a brief pause and a few breaths or 10 minutes of postures on our yoga mat. If you're an experienced yoga practitioner and you know which poses help you most, lean on those. Otherwise, if you’re newer to yoga, my posts in the coming months will give you some detailed instructions to work and play with.
But for now, let’s go back to the question from the beginning of this post: are you finding that you practice yoga even though you’re a busy mom? Or do you do it because you’re a busy mom? Maybe you fluctuate between those two reasons for practice, and honestly, it’s the ultimate form of flexibility to modify your practice according to your needs and priorities.
Here’s to staying more embodied in our yoga practices and in our lives. The world is so full of mental stimulation, let’s give our bodies some yoga love now and then:)
Now that my kids are a bit older I find that I can find the time every day first thing in the morning - after tea of course - to practice a Yoga with Adriene video with a friend over Zoom. Then the rest of my day is filled with random forward folds and mountain poses.