Yoga and Motherhood.
Yoga and Motherhood. Two things I hold near and dear to my heart. One fostering the other. Today I read a quote from S. Aurobindo, stating “The practice of yoga brings us face to face with the extraordinary complexity of our own being." Does Motherhood not do the same? However, we often get lost in the complexity of being a mother. We as mothers place an extraordinary amount of pressure on ourselves, it is at best exhausting. Yesterday The Duchess of Cambridge spoke at the launch of the @BestBeginnings ‘Out of the Blue’ film series. Eun Kyung Kim wrote about it today @TodayShow quoting Duchess Kate as stating “Your fundamental identity changes overnight.” She went on to speak of the “complex mix of joy, exhaustion, fear, and love, that motherhood brings, “(Kim). Yogis the same thing can happen on our mats!
Taking the opportunity to step back, hear about the experience of motherhood in another woman' s words, and remembering we are all struggling through the same battle together provides no better reassurance that we are all doing our very best. The release of that pressure on ourselves then allows us to be open to the world around us; much like being open to what is happening to us on our mat. Letting the complexity of who we are drive our practice as it drives our interactions with our children will inevitably bring us face to face with the ‘complexity of our own being.’
There are things we will learn about ourselves through our practice on and off the mat; some extraordinary and wonderful, others dark and ugly. Know that it is okay to ask for help no matter what the circumstance. We are sometimes timid about asking for help on the mat for fear of appearing as a weak yogi. We have an even greater fear asking for help as a parent, less we appear incapable of caring for our children. The Duchess spoke to this point as well stating that “Asking for help should not be a sign of weakness” (Kim). We know the amazing things that happen on the mat when we let go of the fear; we can conquer nearly any posture; we need to allow ourselves this same freedom in Motherhood. The results will likely be greater than imagined.
So what do we do with the enlightenment? With this knowledge of who we are and what we are made of? We embrace it, own it, empower it. There is no greater a gift to give to ourselves or our children than the knowledge and skill to embrace the persons we are on and off the mat
In light and life my fellow Yogis and Mothers. May you be enlightened and know no fear in doing so.
http://www.today.com/parents/former-kate-middleton-duchess-cambridge-motherhood-insecurities-t109559