Beyond the Mat

I’ve acquired a major new role in my life, that of mother.  It occurred a little sooner than anticipated, as my son, William Monte, made his appearance almost 6 weeks early.  I’m sure it’s just the first of many surprises I’ll be thrown as a mother.  So far, and I’m just shy of 7 weeks into this new role, I’m absolutely loving it.  It’s not “easy”, but it feels so natural.  I could definitely call it “easeful” at this point in time.  I’m grateful for all my life lessons and experiences leading up to motherhood, as I think they will serve me in this amazing endeavor.  Yoga lessons abound, I’m sure.  Here are a few worth noting so far:

Life cannot be perfectly “planned”.  Luckily Monte came before I even had a chance to write a “birth plan”.  But really, all plans were easily thrown out the window when a pre-term delivery is about to take place.  The first few hours at the hospital were the hardest because I had to come to term with how things were vs. how I wanted them to be.  For instance, learning my baby would be in NICU for up to several weeks was not happy labor news.  Once I let go, and just let it be what it was, everything fell into place and what I got was pretty much what I wanted: a quick labor, no pain medication, supported by midwives and with awesome medical support at my side.

You gotta be flexible.  Because things can’t be well planned with a newborn (see above), you gotta be flexible and need the same from others for some time.  Set time commitments freak me out a bit because I have no idea what Monte’s eating schedule will be day by day.  The ability to “go with the flow” is extremely beneficial for all.

It’s not about “Achievements”.  In yoga, it’s easy to get focused on achieving a certain pose, but I think one achieves an advanced practice when one let’s go of this criteria.  The same goes with parenting.  It’s not about hitting the milestones on target or the number of activities one can complete in one day.  Parenting, like yoga, is about the long-term journey of life.  Yes, achievements are made along the way, but a present-minded focus reveals what basic steps must be taken today, even if it’s simply keeping everyone clean, fed & well-rested. 

Finding silence in the mind is among the greatest of challenges.  That's why savasana can be the hardest of poses for so many.