The Practice of Parenting

A regular yoga practice during your pregnancy can provide many benefits: finding relief from some of the common discomforts of pregancy, carving some time out of your life to nurture yourself and connect with your baby, finding the strength and flexibility you will need to deliver your child,  learning tools and tricks to help you during labor, to name just a few.  But showing up on your mat consistently can do even more that this: it can teach you how to be a better parent.  Here is a quote from Judith Hanson Lasater, a renowned yoga teacher with over 30 years of experience, the reigning authority on Restorative Yoga, and herself the mother of three:

To practice yoga is to "get on the mat" everyday and just do it, knowing that the consistency of practicing everyday itself is the victory, not the accomplishment of any specific poses. It is the daily beginning once again to stretch and challenge the body which adds up to years and even decades of an educated and healthy body. To parent is to know that it is this same consistent sharing of love and the consistent holding to clear and fair limits which over the long haul will shape the character of my child. I do not need to do "perfect" yoga poses to reap great rewards from my practice. And I do not need to be a "perfect" parent, either, just a committed one who is willing to learn, laugh and "get back on the parenting mat" and try again.

Judith Lasater will be bringing her wisdom to Yoga Yoga in March of 2009.  Be sure to check out this event if you're interested in learning how to create space to relax and renew in your new life as a parent!

Comments

[Laura Harvey]

Whats everyone doing for safety precautions for Halloween? My husband came across an article (http://i-newswire.com/pr220892.html) with some info about background checking neighbors. I thought that may be a little overboard, but it had some other good suggestions for some precautions I haven't thought about. Last year my youngest son came down with a massive fever after Halloween. I almost thought about just taking the kids to our church's fall festival this year instead of door-to-door to prevent that from happening again. I don't know yet. What's your advice? Am I over-reacting or just being a concerned mom?

[yoga schools]

Hey!
I like this blog.Parents also need yoga as well as mediation.I am a pregnancy lady.I want to learn Yoga especially nowadays that i am undergo with stress. I think this blog is helpful for everyone.

[background check]

Practicing yoga is a good suggestion to relieve stress, especially when you are pregnant. But also parent must do first the safeness of his/her child. That's why do background checks to your yoga instructor and also to the gym that you are enrolling to check if the equipment use are safe and to check if the instructor has no criminal records.