Motherhood & Yoga

Short rituals to survive the 4th trimester

When you become a new mom, everything you can think about is your sweet little baby and this is very natural. Each day feels like a mixture of firsts: bursting joy mixed with complete exhaustion, and everything I feel is that I couldn’t be happier.

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About Motherhood

When you become a new mom, everything you can think about is your sweet little baby and this is very natural. Each day feels like a mixture of firsts: bursting joy mixed with complete exhaustion, and everything I feel is that I couldn’t be happier.

Motherhood probably is the most important job in the world, and it’s also the most demanding. You can experience extraordinary highs and lows. It can challenge your sense of self, putting you under incredible strain physically and emotionally.    It calls upon every part of you – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual – and requires tremendous patience, diligence, kindness and humility. And as we find ourselves as the ultimate caregivers, we can easily forget about ourselves and our needs. The thing that helps to do this job and keep you balanced and energized is yoga. You are only able to nurture if you are nourished, give care to others if you are capable of caring for yourself.

It is obvious that 1 hour yoga class or several hours in spa center sound fantastic these days, but you can start easy, with short rituals, that will help you feel better, stay nurtured and relaxed. Instead of scrolling the social media or hundreds of mom’s websites it’s better to spend this time for self-care.

Motherhood & Yoga 1 / Mom
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What You Can Do?

  • A short yoga practice or stretching Even a couple of squats or half sun salutations would have a beneficial impact on how you feel. Try to relax or stretch the sore muscles as often as you can, because carrying your baby all the time, lack of sleep or stress from the baby’s crying creates lots of tension in the body.
  • Breathe Don’t forget to breathe deeply, make longer exhales, probably through the mouth. That also helps to release tension, and stress in the body and is also helpful for faster let-down while breastfeeding.
  • Meditate Even a couple of minutes would be great to start with, that will clear your mind, it will help to be non-reactive if you experience a hard time settling your baby to sleep or are exhausted from the baby crying. This also helps to activate your milk let-down and calm your baby while breastfeeding.
  • Go for a walk alone My top favorite ritual! Leave your baby to someone who can help and go for a walk, best in nature, even 15 minutes will make a huge change in the way you feel. Notice what you see around you, stay open and be in the moment, try not to plan something for the future or ruminate about something in the past. Just be.
  • Go social Meet you friends for a cup of coffee, speak about non baby content, go to the gallery, restaurant or just do your beauty routine, as you used to do before children. That helps to connect with your inner self and spend time dedicated just for you.
  • Self-massage During the 4th trimester, when you have your baby in your hands most of the time, your muscles can become sore and tired. You can massage the tired muscles by yourself, using your hands, a foam roller, a ball or any equipment for self-massage you have at home. Another great way to massage yourself is to make Abhyanga massage, followed by a warm shower or bath if it is already allowed after giving birth. Abhyanga is a massage that's done with warm oil (preferably sesame oil). The oil is applied on the entire body, from the scalp to the soles of your feet. Better to leave oil on the body for some time before washing it out.
  • Belly Breathing (diaphragmatic breathing) During the period of early motherhood, there are so many situations, when you hold your breath or you are scared or anxious. That all leads to the spasm of the diaphragm, which can make the stress level and tension in the body even worth. So belly breathing is a quick and great way to relieve tension in the diaphragm, calm the nervous system and relax.
  • Journaling Motherhood can sometimes feel like a rushing river and you’re just in it, being swept along by it, doing everything you can just to keep your head above water. Journaling is another way of reconnecting with yourself.

It is very understandable, that there will be days when you don’t have time for any of these rituals and this is very normal. Remember that you can always try again tomorrow.