Being a mom and raising a child often feels like a challenging yoga session for me. It is as standing in a difficult asana and you are just dying to get out of this uncomfortable situation. We are longing for breath, space and inner peace. Luckily I start to discover more and more how I can turn these intense parenting moments into a deeply relaxing and satisfying yoga session :-).
Travelling with a toddler
We just came back from a holiday in Thailand. It was our almost 2-year old daughters first far away travel. And o men, how intense it was: The 11-hour flight, the travelling, the jetlag, the heat, the lack of routine and all the other big changes when you are in a different country. To make the picture complete, Wouter my partner broke some bones in his knee at the beginning of our holiday so he couldn’t walk anymore. We were literally stuck in place for 3,5 weeks.
Because of his knee injury he was also not able to carry Isabelle or any luggage, so literally all the weight was on me. And Isabelle, o my god, she threw one tantrum after the other. We felt restless, exhausted and kind of hopeless in the beginning. Of course this was not how we expected our family holiday to be. Leaving our simple and relaxed life on Ibiza really brought us out of our comfort zone in every possible way. And so the ‘test’ began…
Inner Journey
How to keep my head cool, how to breathe with ease and move with grace when everything feels heavy and intens? This whole Thailand episode I saw as a very clear invitation from Life to surrender to whatever situation and find ease in the unease. The stage was set. We were in our own personal retreat now. After running around trying to fix the outer world, I finally found rest and an inner journey was unfolding for me.
I took time for myself a few times a day to feel my body and the distress, the discomfort and intensity. I allowed myself to do nothing for a moment and take some really deep breaths. I took Thai massages to soften and relax. I got rid of my ideas of how I hoped this holiday would be. I emptied myself of all the expectations I had about how Isabelle should behave. I let go of the desire to be close and intimate with Wouter. It was just me now and a great space openend up. Slowly I started to see the beauty of the present moment again. The simple joy of just Being here and now.
Conscious Parenting
One of the insights that came to me from this place of presence was that my daughter Isabelle was simply reflecting right back at us our own inner turbulence with her intense behaviour. That when I feel in peace and at ease, she will feel peace and at ease. Simple as that! So I very consciously ‘worked’ on finding inner peace in each moment. From then a beautiful transformation took place between us. The more spacious I became, the more she kissed and hugged me. Like she wanted to reward me for really being there with her. Enjoying our time together to the fullest!
Harmony & Peace
I am very grateful that yoga came into my life at a young age. Ever since yoga is always there for me to overcome apparent difficult situations in daily life. Now when parenting starts to feel stressful, overwhelming, and exhausting I am able to transform these sensations, because of yoga. It feels like such a blessing that I am able to use Yogic principles also to find harmony and peace in the connection with my child.
Yoga Tips for Parenting
I would love to share some of these yogic principles with you. And how I use them to be a more happy and peaceful mother in each moment. I am still learning everyday in how to be a conscious parent, so creating this list is as much a lesson and reminder for myself, as it is a guide for you.
Stay tuned, from now on I will share every month one of my tips with you how to make yoga a part of parenting. It will help you find peace & harmony in the chaos of an intens child-filled day!
Part 2 coming soon…..
If you like to leave your e-mail feel free! I can then send you a message when the next sharing is online.
