Ashtanga, Pregnancy and That First Year

Motherhood is hard.

It is, and this is coming from a Mom who has the best baby in the whole wide world!! I mean, it’s taken me six months to get one blog post completed!!

2017 marked ten years of Ashtanga practice for me. I’ve grown and learned so much from my practice already, and I’m only at the beginning of this journey. Given this decade of practice, the past three years have been the most challenging, and most rewarding for me.

Practice has changed a lot recently, through trying to conceive, pregnancies, loss, birth, recovery and the first year as a family of three. At the same time, it has stayed constant and steady through the ups and downs, and that is something I love about the Ashtanga Yoga method. The consistency of showing up and turning inward to connect is the essence of Ashtanga Yoga to me. The poses are simply different opportunities for me to practice this inwardness and connection. There are days when I am able to do a longer practice, and other days where I only have time for sun salutations, and THAT’S OK!!!!!

So, my advice for all the Mamas, Dadas and humans out there who feel guilty about not getting their ‘whole practice’ in everyday:

* Shift your perspective – if you’re only practicing yoga for the postures then it matters how many you’ve done. BUT, if you’re practicing to find peace and steadiness within, then all that matters is that you show up on your mat and turn inward to connect, for as much time as your life allows.

* Stop judging yourself – your worth as a human does not depend on your ability to catch your heals in kapotasana or hold a steady headstand. What matters is how you interact with yourself and the world around you, yoga can help with that, but there’s no higher benefit to executing challenging postures if you’re not using them as a tool to turn inward and connect.

* Practice six days a week – no matter what, get on your mat. Even if you’re only able to practice one sun salutation, do it. Every bit of practice counts! And hold gratitude in your heart for showing up for your SELF!

* Remember, practicing yoga is about trying to be the best version of yourself – Yoga is not about trying to be better than anyone else. So, no matter what your practice looks like, or what someone else’s practice looks like, you find steadiness within and reside confidently in YOUR connectedness.