I am not a Yoga teacher. I've only attended about 3 Yoga classes
although my gym offers Yoga classes. So, why am I writing about
Yoga when I know nothing about it? I am curious - that's my
nature. And through the years, this curiosity has helped me
develop a career as a freelance graphic designer and writer. And
it is through a very weird type of Yoga (my own type, or
whatever I thought was Yoga at that point in time) that helped
me swim ashore when I was teetering between drowning in the sea
of depression after giving birth to my sons.
Both times, I was hit badly and constantly turned to the bottle
for a solution. The bottle never will be a solution and yet, I
hoped it would be.
Yoga and the soon-to-be-mother There's all this hype about Yoga
that I didn't fully understand before - what's all this clamor
about Yoga for pregnancy?? What's the big deal? You have a big
belly, retch half the time, have a sudden liking for pickle and
have to wear your husband's clothing....you need Yoga to help
you deal with all that?
But of course, I only began the understand the benefits of Yoga
as a mother when I started going for the classes, read about
them in books, magazines and websites. This amazing method can
help mothers regain their physical strength and sends them into
a journey of self-discovery and improvement. Instead of helping
you deal with others, in Yoga, everything starts from within.
Therefore, to solve a problem, you have to go inside.
And inside a mother, it's always a battle zone...and it's
tumultuous half the time. Pizza or no pizza? Sex or no sex
tonight? What kind of mother will I be? Will I sprain my own
child's fingers when I try to put his/her clothes on? With the
kind of bizarre thinking (and hormones) going on inside our mind
and our body, mothers often have a difficulty finding peace.
Your doctor will tell you time and time again that although
nutrition is important, finding peace, quiet and calm in
yourself and in your life is just important for an expectant
mother.
Yoga for the regular mother Considering the fact that Yoga can
help bring calm into calamity, it's obviously a good choice for
you to try out Yoga if you're thinking of starting an exercise
program. Better yet, join a gym...which is what I did. I used to
scoff at people who join gyms and judging from the loud dance
music, I remember thinking to myself... "Yikes...gym is just a
sorry excuse for a disco. Instead of serving peanuts, they serve
fruit mixes. Instead of alcohol, they serve bottled water. But
everyone's trying to get into a social thing in the gym. It's a
social club!"
And as a mother, I don't have the time to join a social club.
But I was wrong. As soon as I gave the 10-day free classes
trial, I was hooked. No makeup, no dressup (oh, the younger
gym-goers still dress up to the nines and apply mascara for gym)
and no pretense. I go to the gym and attend the Yoga class to
sweat - to end up looking ugly but feeling damn good!
Mothers can open up their minds and free up their hearts after
Yoga Yoga has this tranquilizing effect on people that can
hardly be explained with words. It has to be felt. It's like
you're striking those poses, stretching those muscles and
bending over backwards...and all this while, your mind is
opening up and all impure thoughts are just flying out of it.
Yoga can be like 'taking out the trash'.
And this can be good for the whole family, especially the kids,
as well. After a session of uninterrupted Yoga, you'll feel
renewed. Even a grumpy, sleeping, tired and beaten-out mother
will have more energy to spend time with the kids. Instead of
feeling disgruntled and trapped, a mother can use Yoga to
actually find an opening, a release that helps relax, not only
the body, but the mind as well.
I don't know about you...but I am going for more classes because
I have seen the benefits. Yoga can do a whole lot for the
ordinary non-married kidless people....imagine what it can do
for a mother.
About the author:
Marsha Maung is a freelance writer and designer. She designs
apparel, household and premium items for
www.allmomstuff.com.
Marsha Maung's personal website is
www.marshamaung.com
