Empowering women to embrace their inner Lamb & Lion. A gathering place to learn about fit minds, bodies, and spirits through yoga speak, green living, and more...just for women.
I just finished reading my requisite Oprah article for the day. No joke.
My "To Do" list for the next few weeks (actually months) has arrived and weighs about as much as an anvil (you know the kind in the Road Runner cartoons). My attempts to keep the proverbial anvil of stress off my head and shoulder area include yoga, time in meditation (yes, that's also yoga), and spending time with family - and oh yes, reading an Oprah article (or 6, like this morning) a day.
I actually read, on average, about one "Oprah article" a day. You know the kind - they are eternally uplifting, positive thinking, and empowering to women. They are effective because they are written by other women - they have had to negotiate the road blocks, pot holes, and sometimes land mines along life's road - and have survived to tell their story. Oprah articles usually spotlight the essence of women helping women - something we need more of in our society today.
Today's article was a shot in the arm for me (a positive one, if there is such a thing).
Try this one on for size - and see if this short and sweet article vaccinates you against fear like it has for me:
*I took this photo while I was in Philadelphia presenting at the 61st Annual NATA Convention. The Liberty Bell is a symbol of liberation from oppression and fear for many people, not just Americans.
A few weeks ago I was invited to write a guest blog about yoga and parenting. Read the full blog here.
Here is a continuation of my blog on yoga and parenting, with two (more) ways yoga can help us all be better parents:
Two More Ways that Yoga Makes You A Better Parent
1. Don’t underestimate the importance of your breathing habits.
I have seen many mothers whose previously calm demeanor and good breathing habits BC (Before Children) mysteriously vanished into thin air AC (After Children).
Why is this?
Today’s women have fought (hard) for their autonomy and independence. In addition, families are more mobile than ever. However, the deserving achievements of this modern movement (remember it hasn't even been 100 years since women could vote) has left women (and families) with a very flimsy infrastructure – which means we tend to have poor support systems. Most women, myself included, underestimate the importance of the statement “It Takes A Village to Raise A Child.”
Even someone like myself, who has a master’s degree from one of the top physical therapy schools in the United States and specializes in women’s health…was on the edge of sanity after going for weeks with little more than 2 hours of sleep a night with 2 children in diapers, a corporation to (still) run, and with no family in the area who could help.
The nugget of truth here is that women are busier than ever and oftentimes with less support than ever. When women enter or re-enter the workplace after childbirth, they keep 75% or more of household management duties, in addition to their new role as a mother. In addition, the American workplace has proven to be the one of the least "parent" friendly of all developed countries.
All of these stressors can easily lead to depression and poor parenting choices. Postpartum depression always lurks right around the corner – for all women – regardless of their socioeconomic status or education level.
However, good breathing habits have been proven to help battle depressive symptoms. Read my previous blog on improving mood, coping skills and preventing/managing depression with good breathing habits. Learning good breathing habits can ward off depression, improve quality of life, increase energy, and stabilize mood - which all leads to better parenting.
2. If you do not have a mediation practice, start today.
Meditation is called different things across the globe – Meditation, Devotion, Prayer, Quiet Time…the list goes on. However, anyone can practice meditation without conflicting with their spiritual roots. Read my previous blog on how Yoga must be recalibrated to fit the 21st century mother. This post will teach you how to practice a “savasana” (sha-vah-suhn) or corpse pose, which will help facilitate a meditation practice.
Tip: Create a Sacred Space. I have friends from all different spiritual traditions - Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Jain, & Buddhist. They all have one thing (well way more than that) in common – they all have a meditation practice that honors their spiritual belief system. I encourage you to create a Sacred Space to help you meditate. It may be as simple as a converted closet or elaborate as an entire room with an altar or table holding your inspirational quotes, Sacred texts, readings, poetry, figures, as well as everything you need to meditate (which could be as simple as a cushion on the floor or elaborate as a cushioned chair, bed, or other props to help you be comfy).
This Space will not only remind you to mediate, but will make it easier for you to do so. It can also be your own personal chapel – a place to recollect yourself and remind yourself of what is most important to you. I go to my Sacred Space daily, if even for 5 minutes. I actually created 2 rooms and a third small space – because I need physical reminders to keep me accountable – and to help ground me and remind me of my ordered priorities.
These are the last 2 Tips in my Yoga and Better Parenting post. I hope you have been able to glean something of worth for your Journey of Parenting. Remember in the words of revered Afghan poet Rumi: In the end, we will be forgiven for forgetting that what we really want is Love's Confusing Joy. Gamble Everything For Love.
*Photo is of a "Mommy & Me Yoga" photo shoot (and one of his first official yoga practices) with my second son.
How do you find a moment's peace during the busiest (and unfortunately the most consumer driven!) time of the year?
Recently, a student of mine wrote a poem and sent it to me. She wrote, inspired by the progress she had made during the brief time I worked with her using Elemental Renewal. Through our work she rediscovered her strength, discipline, and appreciation of a slower and deliberately minimized approach to living, breathing, and moving.
Here is the poem she shared with me.
Stillness K. Hudson written on Emerald Isle, NC November 7, 2009
Let me let the stillness be.
Let me let the "me" by "Me."
In face of You sometimes I flee,
rushing, doing, busily.
Let me let the stillness be.
Let me slow and breathe and see.
Let me feel my hand touch Me.
Let my heart rise and break free.
Just who is it that must allow?
Who bars the way, the path, the how?
Who uses fear to bend and bow?
Is it me who blocks the Now?
Let me let the stillness be
I choose then Now to trust, to see,
accept the fear, embrace that Me.
I love and let You. I am free.
And when I let you work in Me
I finally let the stillness be
And in that Being then I see
In the stillness, You are Me.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Her poem is an impassioned plea we should all hear.
Stop and Be Still. Know the reason, whether or not you believe, that we celebrate this Season. It exists and persists to spread Hope, Compassion, Grace, and above all, Love.
Share Joy with someone today. Because we are all intertwined, when you Embrace others, you yourself will be Embraced.
