MY HISTORY WITH YOGA:
Yoga has been such a HUGE part of my life over the last 10 years. I would say that within the last 3 years my practiced has advanced to whole new levels. My body opened up in more way than I thought were possible (both mentally and physically).
When I first got into Yoga it was all for my physical well being. I had a torn rotator cuff from swimming and my coach advised me to start taking yoga and getting acupuncture. This was a GAME CHANGER! I ended up not needing to get surgery for my shoulder and I felt SO good! I continued this practice for this benefit alone.
So what changed? I realized about 2 years into this practice that I started taking classes not only for the benefits it had on my body, but for a calling much deeper than that. Then my mom was talking about the benefits that yoga and meditation have on the mental well being. This got me thinking. I then noticed that I was wanting to attend more classes when I was stressed in college. I kept wondering why? One of the instructors started to explain to me that Yoga is more than a physical practice. The physical practice is one aspect of eight. MY MIND WAS BLOWN. I know that sounds silly, but I was thrown for a loop. All this time I just thought it was an exercise class, like taking kickboxing.
BEING A PREGNANT YOGI:
Fast forward to the present, I have learned so much since those days back in college. I now have my 200 HR yoga certification and I am still learning! What I always tell my students, no matter what age or what level, is "listen to your body today because it may not feel the same as it did yesterday." I would like to think that I did this throughout my practice as well. That is until I found out I was pregnant.
For the first few months, being that I am a first time mom, I did not show until the end of the fourth month to the beginning of the fifth. So I didn't think that this would effect my practice at all. BOY was I wrong. I see all these yogis on Instagram pregnant and doing all these amazing postures and looking amazing. This is great! Made me so so happy, until I realized that every-time I hit the mat I thought I was going to throw up all over it.
What on earth is happening to me? I thought. I have been practicing everyday since I can remember at this point and I can't take even 15 minutes for a practice? I was feeling a little lost, so while I was feeling so terribly nauseous I decided to reread the book "Yamas and the Niyamas" which goes over the social ethics and the personal practices in Yoga. And to sum it up, it grounded me. Specifically SVADHYAYA or self study. I realized that there was a reason WHY I reacted to this change. Why I was getting irritated. I learned a lot about myself in these moments.
I needed to adapt to this growing me. After all my body is doing some AMAZING things! I am growing a whole human inside of me not to mention a new organ! I decided that my physical practice had to consist of meditation and acceptance. Once I got to month three, with the first trimester coming to a close I HAD ENERGY! For the first time in months I felt relatively good! I took my physical practice slow and found the true meaning of listening to your body. With EVERY pose I would stay a few breaths longer and ask myself "how do I feel in this moment? In this pose?" If something did not feel right to me, I had to accept that. STOP COMPARING MYSELF TO OTHERS,
Yoga has changed my pregnancy in a such a beautiful way. The other day my friend asked me how pregnancy changed my yoga practice, and I my first reaction was to say that it had not. Reason being is because Yoga reminded me that it is not just about asanas, it is about the mind and body - the soul. If anything, being pregnant has brought me so much deeper into my practice. I listen to my body now more than ever and I am so grateful for that. I am loving how I am feeling, growing, and living in this moment with my baby and family.
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