5 Quick Ways Mama’s Can Practice Yogic Wisdom Off the Mat by Brett Larkin
With two kids under three and a yoga business, my life is jam-packed. I often feel the same way so many mamas do. With so many demands on my time, it can feel like there’s nothing left for ME.
After trial and error, I've learned to bring yoga off the mat to each challenging, real life moment. I've learned to solve any problem I face – whether heavy traffic or a crying child – with yoga. Living my yoga lifestyle saves me daily, even when I’m on-the-go and nowhere near a yoga mat.
The good news? You can do this too and you don't need to carve out hours each day. If these practices work for my time-crunched life, they’ll work for yours too.
Here's the best kept secret about yoga: it's not just about physical postures. I'm going to guess your life is complicated, your laundry hamper is full, and that time constraints or physical limitations prevent you from practicing yoga poses. Not a problem! Your yoga practice can happen anywhere, anytime.
You don’t have to do complicated physical postures to receive yoga’s profound benefits. Yoga doesn’t just happen on the mat. In fact, physical yoga (asana) is only ONE of the eight limbs of yoga - meaning there are so many other ways to practice a yogic lifestyle.
I'd love to geek out and take you through all eight of the yogic principles. But like me, you're a mom and you're busy doing all of the things! So, here are five tried and true ways to practice yogic wisdom off the mat:
Nourish Yourself: You can only receive nourishment in the present moment. Pause, take the biggest inhale you can muster, followed by the longest exhale. Then ask yourself: How do I feel? What do I want?
Relinquish Control: Repeat this: “Everything is working out in my best interest.” Can you apply this mantra to everything? For example, a traffic jam is an opportunity to sit and get some extra breathwork in. The more you train yourself to wear rose colored glasses, to trust and receive the good, the more you benefit from feeling safe and interconnected.
In-the-Moment Meditation: Wherever you are, you can practice yoga with breathing exercises. If you're in a heated conversation, pause, breathe, and witness your response forming in your head before you say it. Focusing on your breath improves mental focus and mental health.
Sigh It Out: Exhale out the mouth, stretching your jaw wide and softening your neck. Let out a long audible siiiiiigh. Make it BIG. Now do this three more times. Sighing is such a great hack because it slows down your exhalation, and slower exhales soothe your nervous system. You override however you may be feeling in the moment with a clear directive to your nervous system to “relax.”
This is Enough: I used to not be able to go to bed unless I crossed one last thing off my long “To Do” list. Even if it meant I’d be exhausted and resentful. When you feel the stress and anxiety to push yourself past exhaustion, tell yourself instead: “This can wait. I’ve done enough. I AM enough. It’s safe for me to do less.”
You can find even more yoga habits in my new book: Yoga Life: Habits, Poses, And Breathwork To Channel Joy Amidst The Chaos
Need a quick practice designed specifically for moms? Try this video:
You don't have to live like the ancient yogis to live a yogic lifestyle. It's about making conscious choices throughout your daily routine to honor your true self and come into your radiant, joy-filled authentic self. Start practicing these methods regularly and I promise you'll see shifts in your everyday life, like more inner peace, a calm mind, and more energy. What mom doesn't want that?!
Brett Larkin is the founder of Uplifted Yoga® and the author of Yoga Life: Habits, Poses, and Breathwork to Channel Joy Amidst the Chaos. Her Online Yoga Teacher Trainings have set the standard for quality online certification since 2015 and matriculated thousands of yoga teachers. Brett’s award-winning YouTube channel with over half a million subscribers and Uplifted Yoga Podcast empower you to actively design your life using yoga’s ancient wisdom. Yoga enthusiasts love her courses on Kundalini Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, and the Uplifted Yoga® Academy. Learn more at BrettLarkin.com and on social media at @larkinyogatv.