The Thrill of the Mat
That's what I felt last night as I rolled out my mat for a rare baby-free yoga class. I always thought a career in yoga would be very compatible with motherhood, and it is in a lot of ways, but I failed to consider that when you undertake pregnancy and the feeding of a small human, your body is not your own for that period. It's actually a great experience for a yogi. When we do a lot of asana, we get so caught up in thinking about our physicality that it can become almost selfish. Giving your body over to the cause of sustaining another life is a real wake up call. Your practice is forced to become something more than the poses. That said, I love me some asana and it feel great to treat myself to some. Yogis often talk about cultivating a beginner's mind, and I find that having a beginner's body again naturally leads me back to that sense of freshness. Here's looking forward to building my practice anew.
Comments
Hi,
Though I am a yogi, not a yogini, I can appreciate your linking of motherhood to yoga. Just like a mother, a true yogi accepts the world as his family, including his own relations of blood and genes, and always looks forward to nurturing in whatever manner is possible. To give and give and give and expect nothing in return…. that is the hallmark. “To become something more than the poses” perhaps describes the attitude and the state of mind of the yogi.Congrats and best wishes!
Being a mother myself, with two boys ages 3 and 5 – I can completely relate. And like the saying goes “Life is a journey not a destination” yoga always reminds me of this, whether its through my asanas or ahimsa or whatever I happen to be going through in life, including becoming a mother for the first time. We are all so connected and when you have the experience of sustaining a life, it is so powerful, selfless and consuming. Thank God for our asana practice to help ground and reconnect us with ourselves.
I also thought mother and yoga a wonderful mix – sometimes yes, sometimes no. The thing I love about yoga is it is adaptable to wherever you are in life. It has gotten me through 4 pregnancies, years of running, a car accident, shoulder surgery, emotional upheavals, and much more. It is always changing to adapt itself to my now. Thank heavens for yoga – where would I be without it.