It’s not easy to maintain your fitness, your yoga or your sleep when you are Mums or Dads (especially if you have a new bub on board). Putting the family first can mean the things used to nourish you like your practice of Yoga & Meditation may fall to the wayside. Or feelings of ‘not enough time’ or not enough sleep may overwhelm you to the point where the thought of trying something new to try and help is just another thing to ‘have to do’.
After doing shift work as an RN for over twenty years I understand the importance of sleep and the stress it can cause when you feel you are not getting enough or can’t get to sleep during short timeframes available to you. I was surprised once I learned more about Yoga and Mindfulness how doing things like brief body scan meditations and even a few poses could be enough to either restore and replenish the nervous system or certain poses that could at least invigorate me enough to stay alert, attentive and care give.
Chatting with our NRG Yoga Teachers Tracy (a Mum and RN) and Katie (also a Mum & Yoga Teacher) they understand the challenges new Mums (and Dads) may face in being able to fit in getting to yoga around the kids or feeling guilty to go off to yoga on their own, and reality is some parents don’t have that luxury with no one around to help mind the kids. This is why we have allowed our outdoor classes at Moffat Beach to be inclusive of all, allowing those with Bubs to bring their baby to a class that caters for all levels. Below Tracy, our NRG teacher who has decided to specialise in Mums and Bubs Yoga and Pre/Post Natal Yoga shares the benefits she has noticed in opening up her general class to be more inclusive to parents with bubs giving them special areas of focus that not only helps Mums but all in attendance ….find out why below.
I’ve also included some tips below about how to incorporate three easy N.R.G. steps into your day to help maintain your Mindfulness Practice help you compensate for lack of sleep in order to give you more energy so you can connect better with the family and give more to them.
Natalie (Mum to Ruby) in the clip below also shares the benefits and tips she finds by coming to yoga and the importance of Yoga and its associated philosophy helps her to be a better Mum and have a better day.
“The best thing about a yoga class for mum’s and their bubs is the opportunity to interact, communicate, connect, play and have fun with your baby; and to meet other mums!
Extending the yoga class to be open to all people interested in yoga really takes this class to another level, as the wisdom from our community yogi’s, whether they be mum’s, daughters, dads, sons or grandparents is just beautiful. Beautiful because the sense of community is beneficial for all. You will find that the class is physical and mindful and it is said that the journey of motherhood is a spiritual journey of its own.
Another benefit about the class is that postures are measured, suitable for the general public and look a lot at pelvic stability, so this is a class suitable and very beneficial for beginners and those who feel like a gentle practice in general or to complement their other sessions of exercise or yoga”
Tracy Pain (Yoga NRG Teacher who is now specialising in Mums and Bubs & Pre/Post Natal Yoga)
When your Yoga falls off the wayside and you are feeing guilty about not practising, know that there is Three N.R.G. steps you can include anywhere at any time with everyone in your family, including your bub…
NRG stands for Notice & Respond with Grace
When we do we have more eNeRGy (which as a parent and a human makes life better) …..
- A great Mindfulness Practice for everyone, but especially new parents is to “Notice” what’s new not only about their new baby but each other, this may be as simple as noticing facial features, interactions, and then to “Notice” what’s new when you go for a walk outside ~ this is great for the brain, its like giving it a freshen up. The more curious we are in noticing what’s new the more we strengthen the neural pathways to stay interested and less overwhelmed
- Responding : after noticing new things, stay with the things in particular you find interesting or pleasant and stretch them out a little more. It can be as simple as noticing the full duration of your in breath and the full duration of the out breath. Deliberately taking in the good of this next inhale, similar to how you would enjoy that first sip of tea. By responding to what we are noticing in this way, builds new neural pathways of satisfaction, which in turn can help give you a bit of residual goodness to combat the challenges of lack of sleep or activities involved with being a caregiver. As a parent (whether it be of a child or a new puppy, sleep can get interrupted so breathing spaces and body scans are great practices to manage fatigue and help rest the nervous system – click here to download some free meditations
- Make space for Grace ~ The word that springs to mind here is Quality versus Quantity. Making time to play and letting things be as they are is a great form of Grace. Getting your bub to join in and be part of your yoga practice making it part of their play can be a win-win. Even if you cannot get a full 1-hour yoga class in, you can incorporate yoga postures and breath practices throughout your day with your baby. Finding ways to include your bub and kids in yoga in small parts of the day, a pose here and there is not only great for connecting but it gives you a break to move, breath and remember your body needs to play just as much as your mind
The biggest myth for anyone, not only parents regarding yoga and meditation is “I don’t have time”
Doing even just ONE pose a day really mindfully, ie putting your whole attention and effort into it, with an attitude (not to get it done, or I have to do this) but to really take in the good of it, will do wonders. This is said to be better than doing an hour when you are distracted. Start off small and connect the dots. Quality over quantity.
For those wanting some Yoga for Kids resources or to find out about our Mindfulness and Yoga for Kids Teacher Training send us an email support@yoga-nrg.com or to participate in Yoga with bub get along to our classes (details below)
Learning to be present in smaller moments throughout the day ….slowly connecting the dots can change the way we live, work and play
Namaste
Tammy
Yoga NRG has classes dedicated to Mums and Bubs with Tracey
Monday 9 am – 10 am at Moffat Beach (or at the NRG Studio if wet/raining).
We have also just introduced an extra 9 am time slot on a Wednesday with Katie at Moffat Beach.
If you are interested in Private / Group Bookings for Mindfulness + Yoga contact support@yoga-nrg.com
CLICK HERE FOR KIDS + TEENS YOGA TEACHER TRAINING 
CLICK HERE TO BOOK FOR OUR CLASSES
OR CONTACT US FOR OUR PRIVATE PROGRAMS FOR PRE + POST NATAL YOGA + MUMS & BUBS YOGA