by Liz Arch // Photo by Adam Michael Breweryoga as
A NEW PARENT
5 Tips for Maintaining a Personal Practice
I
was completely unprepared for the total lifestyle shift of becoming
a mom. Those first few days and weeks postpartum were a major
shock to my system. My body felt completely foreign to me, my
days were no longer my own, and I wondered if my life would ever
get back to “normal.” I quickly realized I had to drop the notion of “nor-
mal” and instead embrace the reality that everything was new.
Motherhood has challenged me and changed me in the most painful
and beautiful ways. It feels only natural to allow my yoga practice the
space to evolve as well. I’m not interested in “getting my body back”
or “getting my practice back.” I’m interested in meeting the newness of
every moment with curiosity and exploring how I can create a practice
that best supports and nurtures the new woman and mother I’ve become.
These 5 practices have supported my ability to continue my ongoing
relationship with my personal practice.
Ask for Support. Creating the time and space for a personal prac-
tice is no easy task as a busy parent. So much attention is placed on our
children, that it’s easy to neglect our own needs for self-care. Calling on
a spouse, partner, relative, friend, or other part of your support system
makes it a lot easier to schedule in some mat time. My partner and I
have a deal where we each get 30 minutes of uninterrupted time a day to
do our own home practice. We both understand that it makes us better
parents and partners when we create the space for ourselves to breathe
and move our bodies.
Include your kids. My yoga mat is like a magnet for my little one.
He loves the texture and color and uses me as his personal jungle gym
whenever I’m on it. Instead of getting frustrated by his curiosity, I simply
include him in my practice. I lie on my back and do core work by lifting
him with my legs. When he’s on his tummy, I follow his lead and work
on poses like locust, cobra, and upward dog. Working on “tummy time”
together is an incredible antidote to the hunched position I find myself in
from toting around a child on my hip and breastfeeding for hours on end.
Practice Online. Getting to a studio can be a challenge, so rather
than skipping my practice altogether, I practice with teachers I love on-
line. There are so many different online platforms to choose from and
many monthly subscriptions cost less than the price of single yoga class.
Even though I’ve been teaching yoga for years, I love being guided as a
student. It gives my brain a break to follow someone else’s lead and helps
bring more flow and creativity into my practice.
Live Your Yoga. If you define yoga only as a structured place, time
and postures, you’ll have a challenging time creating a home practice
as a parent. Instead, it’s helpful to reframe your yoga as a life practice.
Some days you may only have time to take a few deep belly breaths, and
the practice is to let that be enough. I know my home practice is working
not by the poses I can get into on any given day, but by how I respond to
difficult situations that arise in my life. I used to set physical goals when I
first started practicing yoga, but now my goal is to explore how present,
loving, and compassionate I can be with myself and my family.
Be flexible. We missed our very first pediatrician appointment after
my son was born because I underestimated how long it would take to
pack a diaper bag, get out of the house and loaded into the car with an
infant. It was a rookie mistake that instantly spiraled me into mom guilt.
I learned very quickly that becoming a mom requires a whole new level
of flexibility, patience, compassion, and non-attachment. It’s the same
with our yoga practice. Despite my best effort to give myself 30 minutes
a day to practice, some days that simply doesn’t happen. My home prac-
tice looks different every single day, and that’s ok. Let go of the need to
define your practice and instead let it unfold without attachment.Liz Arch is the founder of Primal Yoga, the West Coast Director of Purple Dot
Yoga Project, and the author of the new book The Courage to Rise, a hopeful and
sensible guide for healing unresolved manifestations of trauma holistically through
movement, mindfulness, and healing foods: lizarch.com.Motherhood has challenged me and changed me in the most painful and beautiful
ways. It feels only natural to allow my yoga practice the space to evolve as well.