How Doing Yoga is Making Me a Better Mother (Part II)



Continued from the previous post, "How Doing Yoga is Making Me a Better Mother"

2. It is Making My Body Look and Feel Better

I started doing yoga more for the mental/spiritual benefits, but it has been amazing for my body, too. When I was 22, I backpacked through Eastern Europe with a very heavy backpack, and I pulled the muscle that stretches from the neck down to the right shoulder. Then when I was 27, I was rear-ended, which made the injury even worse. I still deal with nearly constant neck and shoulder pain years later, and carrying my daughter around for the last couple years has definitely added to the strain. Sometimes it’s hard for me to pick her up, or get down on the floor and play with her, because my neck and back are throbbing, and I’ve had to explain to her a few times that Mommy has an “owie in her neck.”

But what I didn’t know when I started attending yoga classes again, is that yoga is amazing for injuries like mine, as long as the poses are done correctly. Just a month into it, I can already tell that it is helping to stretch out that injured muscle, which is usually so tight, and I can feel myself walking taller already. If that was the only benefit of doing yoga, it would be reason enough.

Of course, it’s not the only reason, and it’s not the only physical benefit that I’ve noticed, either. I am starting to tone up again, and I feel good about the way I look for the first time in years. Before I had my daughter, I was in great shape, with very little effort. (Extremely lucky, I know.) I ran, but that was about it. Then I got pregnant, gained 50 pounds, had a baby, lost 50 pounds, and there I was. Thin again, but no longer naturally toned. So I am making an effort, and so far, yoga has been a great workout for me.  I can already feel and see my body toning up, and I’m getting back to my pre-pregnancy self. Or as close to my pre-pregnancy self as is possible for non-celebrities.

3. It is Helping Me Focus on My Intentions as a Mother

At the beginning of each session, the teacher asks us to think about our intention for that class. Is there someone whom we hope to benefit by being there? What is our objective? I always think about my daughter. My intention in doing yoga is to be the best mom I can be. I know for a fact that I am a better mother when I am less stressed and more in the moment. And I know I’m a better mother when I am not in pain. Yoga is helping me be the mom I want to be, the mom I intend to be.

And so I think of my daughter. I think of her when I go to class even though I’m tired. I think of her when I’m attempting a difficult pose, and pushing my body more than I’ve pushed it in a long time. And I think of her when I’m walking back to work after class, with a bounce in my step.

I think of her, and I know that yoga is not a passing phase for me. This yogi is here to stay.

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