Parenthood is hard. It can be overwhelming and is all-consuming. Parents are constantly bombarded with media (and friends and family) giving us advice about every aspect of of children's life from the correct shoes to the right schools to healthy foods. Until I had my children, I had always felt confident in the decisions I made, after I had children, I was consistently doubting myself and confused.
I discovered yoga after the birth of my second child. Yes, I was looking for a tighter butt, BUT I was also looking for an outlet to find and center myself with out the demands of motherhood and everyday life. All day and night I was worrying about my children, wondering about the best diapers to use or whether they were eating enough - I needed to take a time out.
After I started to do yoga, these questions and problems that I felt torn about seemed to just melt away. I was more able to connect with my intuition as a parent and know that whatever decision I made was the right one for my children. Yoga connected me with myself. Yoga quieted the noise and advice from the outside just long enough for me to uncover what was already there - the answers.
I think parents (especially moms) make the mistake all the time of wanting or feeling like they need to be with their children 24/7. They think that their children need to be with them all the time. They say they are too busy to take time to do yoga or anything else that involves a certain level of selfishness. Let me tell you - what your children want is for you to be happy. In relationships, we hear the advice that you need to love yourself before you can begin to love anyone else. I think that the same is true in parenthood. You need to take the time out for yourself to be the best parent you can to your children. You need to back away and reconnect with yourself to be better able to make clear parenting decisions and to be able to juggle the demands of children and family life.
So, my advice, take the time to get to yoga class. Connect with your breath, your body and your mind. Do it for yourself and your children.
I discovered yoga after the birth of my second child. Yes, I was looking for a tighter butt, BUT I was also looking for an outlet to find and center myself with out the demands of motherhood and everyday life. All day and night I was worrying about my children, wondering about the best diapers to use or whether they were eating enough - I needed to take a time out.
After I started to do yoga, these questions and problems that I felt torn about seemed to just melt away. I was more able to connect with my intuition as a parent and know that whatever decision I made was the right one for my children. Yoga connected me with myself. Yoga quieted the noise and advice from the outside just long enough for me to uncover what was already there - the answers.
I think parents (especially moms) make the mistake all the time of wanting or feeling like they need to be with their children 24/7. They think that their children need to be with them all the time. They say they are too busy to take time to do yoga or anything else that involves a certain level of selfishness. Let me tell you - what your children want is for you to be happy. In relationships, we hear the advice that you need to love yourself before you can begin to love anyone else. I think that the same is true in parenthood. You need to take the time out for yourself to be the best parent you can to your children. You need to back away and reconnect with yourself to be better able to make clear parenting decisions and to be able to juggle the demands of children and family life.
So, my advice, take the time to get to yoga class. Connect with your breath, your body and your mind. Do it for yourself and your children.