In the first few years of motherhood we need – more than ever – to surround ourselves with the people who lift us up, who give without expectation, who love unconditionally, and who celebrate us. Along with the many physical and emotional changes that occur when we bring a new life (or lives) into this world, we may also reflect on life and ask ourselves some of the "big questions". Some of us feel our identity shift completely, some of us question our parenting ability, and some of us make life choices we never thought we’d make.
As you can probably glean from the “Meditating Mummy” moniker, I meditate. I find it a grounding practice, an effective way to get rid of all the mental junk that fills my mind on a daily basis. I marvel at how quickly my mind refills with clutter, and meditation is something I imagine I’ll be doing for the rest of my life.
I’ve been fortunate to have some incredible holiday time with my husband and kids this summer. After an especially hectic first half of the year, it’s been fantastic to have open-ended days as a family to do as we choose. Lazy mornings and big healthy breakfasts, swimming and building sandcastles at the beach, picnic lunches, exploring new country towns, finding playgrounds we’ve never frequented, barbecues with the in-laws, and quiet evenings on our front porch. It’s been glorious.
It was with a hoot and a holler and a little happy dance that I read this Guardian article about an ad campaign featuring Christy Turlington and Julia Roberts that was banned in the UK by the Advertising Standards Authority because of too much airbrushing.
What we think determines how we feel. It makes sense, right? If we are constantly telling ourselves negative messages, odds are we’re not going to feel good about ourselves. A constant stream of thoughts like, “I feel fat” or “I wish I was in better shape” or “I really need to lose 10 lbs” sit within us like lead weights, and create a mindset or self-image that is not positive.
You know that song? The one that lifts your spirits the moment you hear the opening phrase? The song that makes you smile inside and out, that reminds you of an important message that simply uplifts you?
This week, the Feel Good Project is all about music. About finding those songs that speak to us, inspire us, and have the power to turn our thoughts around.
Okay, ladies. Summer is here and I’m on a mission. I want all of us moms to feel good about ourselves, to feel confident in our bodies. It’s time. Time to stop wasting energy on negative self-talk and start celebrating ourselves.
I read it daily on Twitter, I hear it at my moms’ groups, and out with my girlfriends. Moms talking about not feeling good in their bodies, feeling unhappy with the way they feel or look. Wishing they could “lose this,” “strengthen that,” “feel sexy again,” “feel comfortable in a bathing suit, and the list goes on.
When we have kids, we mark the passing of time by referring to certain milestones or “firsts”: The first time the kids sit upright on their own, their first foods, their first attempts at crawling, their first steps. As parents we watch these moments with a mixture of excitement and sadness - the joy of discovering a new stage in our child’s development, and the quiet lament for the stage left behind. Time moves forward. And keeps moving.
I’m in the midst of giving myself a performance review. A mom review. With Mother’s Day having come and gone, I’ve been thinking a lot about my mom, my mother-in-law, my friends who are moms, and the role they play in my life as a mother. There are qualities I admire in each of them and many qualities that I aspire to bring to my own family. And I am reminded of how important it is to regularly take a look at my own parenting style.
There was a year in my teens when I spent much of my time looking down. Ah, (deep sigh) high school. I had moved back to Burlington after living for most of my childhood in Bermuda and England. I had a British accent and knew a sum total of two people in my school (from my kindergarten days) on the first day of Grade 9.
Last weekend I was at the Yoga Conference in Toronto. In one of the workshops, the instructor spent a long time discussing the importance of cultivating awareness of the space and time in between the poses in our yoga practice. It’s quite easy to focus on your breathing, your muscles, and your body when you’re actually holding a yoga pose on the mat - when you’re still - but the challenge lies in keeping that awareness, that presence of mind and body as you shift your body from one pose to another. This concept is not a new one to me.
One of my favourite definitions of balance is: “equipoise between contrasting, opposing, or interacting elements.” Personally, my idea of balance has changed drastically since I first became a mom.
This coming week is a big one for me. On Monday I get on a plane to Vancouver and then carry on to Whistler to attend the 2011 lululemon Ambassador Summit. I will join the other 120 invitees in yoga and fitness classes, goal-setting seminars, and attend networking events and workshops. And, of course there are a few social events thrown in there too. I’ve had a fantastic relationship with lululemon over the years and I am proud to be an Ambassador for the company this year.
For March Break, my four-year old daughter Lizzie went to an arts camp. In last week’s post, I wrote about her love for art and that all things creative make her shine from the inside out. All week I found myself in conversations with people about passion, about what makes us shine.
Today I dropped my four-and-half-year-old daughter Lizzie off at the first day of an arts camp for March break. The camp's focus is on art and dance and creativity. I thought it would be a good fit for my daughter, who loves pretty much anything to do with art. But, as I’ve discovered through the years, just because a child enjoys an activity, it doesn’t’ mean she’ll necessarily enjoy “the activity” you actually enroll her in.
It’s International Women’s Day. As I began writing this post, I was going to ruminate on the importance of women’s voices, on the power and strength we hold in our hearts and minds, on our ability to initiate change. But my mind kept coming back to one particular yoga posture. It’s called Warrior III (or Virabhadrasana III in its Sanskrit name).
It is a posture that requires strength, balance, grace, power, openness and concentration. It involves being grounded and focused, but is also most effective when practiced with a sense of ease and lightness.
When we’re pregnant, we are encouraged to eat well, take good care of ourselves, rest, and above all, stay in tune with our body and the life that’s growing inside of us. Most of us become attuned to every little kick, roll and karate chop of our babies. We go out of our way to make sure the body that baby is housed in is in top condition.
Despite having practiced yoga for many years, I’m constantly surprised at the revelations I have on the mat – both the smaller "a-ha!" moments to the greater "scream-it-from–the-rooftop!" realizations.
Well, I had a revelation today.
I’m not sure where on the spectrum today’s revelation falls. The realization felt like a rediscovery of something I have always known - like a moment of déjà vu or the experience of an unfolding dream in which you seem to know what will happen a split second before it does.
