My Journey Back to Yoga by Abby Felker
I have been practising yoga for about 10 years now. A couple years ago I decided that yoga was a gift I wanted to share with others so I decided to get certified as an instructor. When I became pregnant with my daughter I started my journey into pre and post natal yoga. After having India my practice suffered for some time. Yoga was always a sacred space to connect to myself and I didn’t see how to have this same experience when focusing all my attention on my beautiful daughter.
The answer came down to what it always seems to come down to, the breath. One day while sitting in the backyard together I noticed how full and long Indias breaths were. She was breathing deep into her belly, having really full and expansive breaths. She was breathing the way I aim to in my practice, the way I cue my students to breathe.
I started to imitate her breath, breathing deep into my belly and fully exhaling. I continued to play with her while paying attention to my breath. I was able to focus on my breath and movement and still have fun with her.
The next day I brought India upstairs into my yoga space and started my practice. I was able to move mindfully and still be engaged with her. Every day now we practice yoga together and I am learning how to take care of myself and my daughter simultaneously.
Yoga was such a huge part of my life before becoming a mom so to be able to have that back. I have found an old piece of my soul and put it right back where it’s meant to be, and best of all I am able to share that piece of myself with my daughter.
My name is Abby Felker and I am a mom to my beautiful daughter India and wife to my amazing husband Nash. We spend our days exploring the world, soaking up every precious minute we have together.