Accessible Yoga For Busy Moms

Yoga For Busy Moms

Mothers devote much of their daily lives to the caring of their children and family. So much attention and energy is geared toward maintaining schedules, consistency, safety, and love in the home. Moms are clearly the bedrock of the solid family foundation. 

While so much care is extended outward to other people, self-care can often get neglected.

Care For Yourself

It is often thought that making yourself a priority is a selfish act. When you re-think that notion, it reveals how important it is to take care of yourself first. In order for a hard-working mother, to be fully present for her family, she must take care of her own physical health, mental wellness, and emotional stability. If she is unfocused, tired, or under the weather, it can be a challenge to be the caregiver that she desires to be.

Moms have to wear many hats: she is often the overseer of the household, makes sure all the children are taken care of, and may also hold another full-time job. 

Accessible Yoga

In order to maintain the energy to perform and function well, a busy mom may find solace in a yoga practice. This may sound like one more thing to add to the already extended to-do list, but yoga can be an activity that can take very little time, yet have an astounding healing and restorative effect. One does not necessarily need to go to a yoga studio to engage in a yoga practice. Yoga is quite accessible and can easily be done at home or at work.

Where to Find Yoga

Practicing yoga at home is very easy. With access to the internet, you can find all types of yoga information. There are many videos to stream and download for a home yoga practice. The nice thing about some of these videos is that they are tailored for the busy individual. Instead of long yoga sessions, shorter online yoga content is also available. For the busy mom, maybe you only have 20 minutes to spare in your day to engage in any type of practice. Fortunately, you can find comprehensive yoga lessons in incremental times to suit your availability in the Discover Yoga Online community.

Yoga Near You

If you can find an hour of time during your busy week, it may be possible to find a yoga studio or gym close enough to home or work. This will allow you to take that necessary break to indulge in an in-person yoga class. The convenience of having a yoga establishment near you reduces the time away from your other daily responsibilities.

Another way to save time is to hire a yoga instructor to come to your home for yoga lessons. Having personal instruction in your own home is an ideal situation. It alleviates any travel time for you and you'll gain the necessary guidance from a personal teacher.

There are many ways a busy mom can benefit from a yoga practice:

Breathing & Meditation

With instruction from an online yoga lesson, a nearby yoga class, or a personal yoga instructor, breathing and meditation can be essential tools for the hard-working mother.

Breathing is considered the foundation of yoga. Whether one is taking a vigorous yoga class or sitting during a mindful meditation, breath is the key to settling the mind and body. Breathwork in yoga is called Pranayama and there are many pranayama exercises one can learn and practice. Some are related to providing energy in the body while others may focus on creating clarity in mind.

There is no doubt that moms undergo tremendous stress in their daily actions. Learning some pranayama exercises can help her get through those busy and intense moments of the day and week. Breathing is a wonderful yoga tool because you always have it with you. All it takes is a few moments of your time. Taking just a few minutes to sit in stillness in a comfortable chair for some deep breaths is quite rewarding. Intentional breathing allows for the obstacles and obligations of the day to sit to the side in order for you to clear your mind. That clarity provides better decision-making, improves memory, and lightens the heavy mind.

Because breathing is so accessible, it can be done anywhere and at anytime. Take the opportunity to close your eyes and take deep breaths while sitting on the edge of your bed before going to sleep, right before a company meeting, or while sitting in your car at a stop light. These may seem like insignificant moments, but they add up to produce a larger gain: the full care of self so you can be present for your family.

Yoga Poses & Stretches

You don't have to take long yoga classes or engage in full yoga sequences to experience the benefit of yoga. Much can be gained by performing one or two yoga poses. Take the time to pay attention to your body and what it needs at that moment. Maybe your shoulders are tense after a stressful meeting. Maybe your back is sore from being on your feet all day. Choosing a yoga pose that can target those aggravated areas is very healing to your body and mind. You can hold a pose for a few minutes to regain the strength and energy you need to proceed with your day.

In the life of the ever-busy and ever-giving mother, it is vital that she also carve out time for herself. Yoga is that accessible tool that can benefit the busy mom. 

Before you go, take a look at our online yoga membership, which gives you access to our online yoga classes, resources on yoga, and our most amazing online community.