Me in 2013, before I became a mom. I hold this image of my mind for when I need to feel more open and expansive:)
In honor of today’s new moon, I wanted to share an excerpt from a little book I’ve been working on for years. At the moment, I call it my Yoga Mamamanual, but who knows, I might change the title at some point (because it’s not only a how-to but a why-do-yoga sort of volume).
Anyways, the new moon is a great time to get quiet, curl your attention inward, and reflect on what’s important to you right now. It’s a time for setting intentions and starting new things. So, I’m going to pick up this old piece of writing and do something new with it. I’m going to share it with you all to help me remember (and to clarify for you) why I maintain this newsletter here on Substack. It’s more than just about putting yoga inspiration out there, it’s about defining what it means for mamas to craft their own practice.
But first I’d like to know, what kind of support would you need in creating your own yoga practice? Specific guidance on postures and breathing, yoga philosophy for a. more meaningful motherhood, help with making time for yoga, more videos or audio guidance, or something else? Speak to me, mamas!
“It ain’t what they call you, it’s what you answer to.”
-W.C. Fields
Outcome of chapter: define motivations for practicing, yoga mama manifesto of how we are recreating tradition
When you ask yoga practitioners what inspired them to get into yoga, you tend to hear a handful of the same responses: “I wanted to be more flexible,” “It helped me deal with stress,” and “I wanted to be more fit,” are some of the most common reasons. If you ask those same people after a few years of practicing yoga why they kept doing it, you often hear their answers broaden and branch out from their original reason: “I love the community feeling of going to a weekly yoga class (or to a yoga center),” “I feel more clear-minded after class,” or “I feel like I have better perspective on life when I practice regularly.”
Mamas, it might be your aches and pains that originally call you to your yoga mat. For me, it was asthma during my adolescence that moved me to try yoga and I was instantly hooked. But, the longer I practiced, the more I got to know the other branches of yoga: not just postures, but also the breathing, moral principles, self-inquiry, and meditation. Even as a teenager, I could sense that I was more than just a body. I started to get more familiar with the contents of my heart and mind. I know, it all sounds very New Age and that’s not so bad. But if ‘New Age’ has a negative connotation for you, let’s go on a journey together and discover and define what yoga for mamas looks like; it probably will be a little different for each mama, since we each are individuals, after all.
Here’s my invitation: let’s recreate the practice of yoga for modern mamas. I truly believe that all mamas everywhere face similar challenges and joys. Throughout past generations, yoga may have been developed mostly by male monastics (ascetics?), and some of those practices are not so suitable to moms and women, especially those who are pregnant or raising small children. Come join me (and many other women who’ve already begun this path) in expanding yoga from its rich, deep past into the light of this present moment. I don’t want this manual to be just my voice telling you what you should do in your yoga practice, but what questions and explorations you might embark on to find your unique way of practicing yoga that makes the most sense for your momlife!
Some days I find I’m a playful mama, other days I might be a grumpy mama, an organized mama, a tired mama, a ‘good’ mama, a stressed mama, a chill mama. We might call ourselves all these types of mamas over the course of a week or even a day. It’s not what they call us, though, it’s what we answer to (thanks, Mr. Fields). Yoga is there to help us — not just mamas, but all people — respond to our true nature: light, love, peace, potential.
Jai jagadambe (Victory to the Mother of the Universe)! Jai Yoga Mamas!