Bright heart Yoga Virginia

Hopefully I have inspired you with these steps toward a more peaceful and balanced motherhood experience. I have found that, in my own short career as a mother, asking for help is the first step. If you are willing to ask for help from a more seasoned parent, you may find that the answers may come without ever getting the response for which you asked. The mere act of being open for help is the key.

I don’t claim to be an expert on ashtanga; I struggle with many of the limbs on a daily basis. But I find them fascinating because this knowledge has been with us for so long. And since I have begun to study them and apply it to raising my own son and daughter, I have found that it works. As a mother, I want to pass on this ancient wisdom to my children so they can learn it early and put it into practice. Watching my own little yogis, I’m sure, will be an amazing experience.

One of the most difficult challenges I had as a mother is coming to terms with not breastfeeding my children, especially my oldest. Looking back, I was too overwhelmed with the arrival of my daughter to get the help I needed to make breastfeeding work. In a phone call to my yoga teachers about a week or two after my daughter’s birth, I wept as I told them my struggles and how I felt like I was such a failure. The answer that I didn’t really expect to hear was this: isn’t it so amazing that there is formula available for women who can’t nourish their child from their bodies? Be grateful that you have this tool to keep this beloved creature alive. They also reminded me that my daughter had chosen me for a reason and that I had much to learn from her. How right they were.

If anything, motherhood is nothing but a constant practice of letting go of your preconceived notions of what life should be or look like. It is nothing like what you will expect it to be. Life never goes to plan. The joy is always in the journey.

Namaste.

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