Belly Breathe

Belly Breathe...that's how you do it.

A friend posted this video on her facebook page and I LOVE it!

Conscious breathing changes EVERYTHING.  I teach kids all different styles of pranayama and they respond positively.  Not only that - they do it on their own!  At school, at home and with friends.
I guess this whole yoga with kids thing - including conscious breathing - is going mainstream when Sesame Street includes the techniques in their show :)  Awesome.  If kids learn to breathe with awareness...when they are mad or sad, we can change the world.  When kids learn to slow their breath down and relax we can  teach them to create a sanctuary within - regardless of what is happening around them.

Belly Breathe




Sometimes this means we have to learn to breathe!  With all the stress, lack of sleep, and rushing parents do in their lives it's no surprise breathing isn't on the top of your list.  I will say - when you learn AND teach your kids conscious breathing you can shift your world.  Parents tell me about it all the time.  Just yesterday a sweet momma told me about her 11 month old daughter doing long deep breathing with her when she starts meltdown.

You can do it too!

Send me an email if you are interested and we can make a plan to get your family breathing!
Have fun, create more relaxation and make space in your life and your kiddos.

Inhale.....and exhale

Why didn't anyone tell me.....

Becoming a new mom is unbelievable.  The ups and the downs - all amplified by the flow of hormones - seem to run our lives during those first months.  Why didn't anyone tell me it would be so hard?  The thing I wonder is - would you have HEARD it?  Not because you are consternatious or anything like that - but because in our culture we have an almost unhealthy obsession with pregnancy and birth.  We take classes, we have blessing ways/showers, we go to yoga, we read books, we talk to others about the details.  Where in all of this do we prepare for the time with the baby?  We don't.  And yet it happens.  We make it through the pregnancy and the birth...hurrah!    Then suddenly, there you are - at home with your baby.  Now what?
The baby is eating, eating, eating.  You are exhausted.  Where is everyone that was so supportive during the pregnancy now?  Diapers, eating, crying, exhaustion.

Why didn't anyone tell me:
*how hard breastfeeding is
*how exhausted I am
*I would feel so alone
*I may not love my baby

These any many many other experiences of motherhood can be shocking.  With the amount of focus on pregnancy and birth it is hard to believe the postpartum period of birth - or the babymoon - is neglected.

Amongst all that you are doing to care for your baby YOU have to care for yourself.  It seems impossible to take time for yourself but you have to.  Doing ONE thing a day to nurture yourself.

*take a shower
*make a cup of tea
*talk to a friend
*go to a support group
*take a walk
*get to a yoga class
*get a manicure
*hire a postpartum doula
*talk to a professional
*get a massage

Fill your cup.  Noone survives with an empty cup.  The postpartum period is tough.  Noone can really tell you - you just have to live through it.  Get support, make connections, recognize your strength!

Flying by the seat of your pants

The intricacies of breastfeeding are astounding!  I think in our culture we lead women down a path that breastfeeding is 'natural'.  You just put the baby up there and they will know what to do.
Of course - if you know me you know I think the 4th trimester is more surprising than pregnancy or even birth.

Recently, I have been listening to new moms considering the components of their job description.
Now - you knew you would feed your kid (one way or another), change diapers, and be responsible for another being. Did you know you would also be a:

*entertainer
*protectress
*janitor
*mommy to a new baby - Daddy and the dog
*chef
*researcher
*available 24/7
*self sustainer
*activities director
*hairstylist
*nap buddy


Think about it some more - let your imagination run wild.  Acknowledge the amazing you!  Every second of the day you are resourceful.  Managing your new role without a job description and never getting an evaluation or review.....you are doing it!
Flying by the seat of your pants - as it is often known.

And as you choose conscious parenting - you become more centered in yourself.  Knowing, softening, acknowledge the beauty and strength within you as a parent.  Also 'seeing' and accepting the challenges, the struggles, the fears and anxieties.  Uniting the body and the breath with every step.

Let's add

*knowing yourself

as one of the things on your job description.  Once you step into that space - your radiance uplifts you and your family.  You connect with Spirit in a way that feeds YOU through all of this.

And speaking of feeding....more on breastfeeding in the next post.

Mamaste!

Who Am I?

As women in our society we pride ourselves on being strong, competent, and go-getters (at least some of us do). We make a plan and then make it happen. Then comes pregnancy.

This week I met with a new mom (19 weeks) who has a strong Vinyasa practice. We sat down to talk about....what do I do now? What is happening to me? Why can't I do what I used to do? What should I change? I listened to her anxieties: the extreme changes her body is going through to create a new life and the sometimes extreme adjustment it takes to get used to it.

Moms have shared with me:

• the inability to think clearly, aka "momnesia"
• soreness in places you didn't know could be sore
• anxiety
• insomnia
• fear

As yoginis we are on a constant quest for the Self. Through all experience, emotional influences, and physical challenges we search. So through this intense, amazing, and unique experience of pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood you will continue along your path on your quest. 

The constant throughout life is breathing. 

So BREATHE NOW.

That's all. 

Give yourself and your child the gift of prana. 

Refill your cup.

To find classes with DeLora and refill your cup,
visit Hill Country Yoga. 

Relaxation - What's that?

At the end of each of my classes we do Savasana or final relaxation.  I know some folks think relaxation isn't yoga and don't want to just 'lay around.'  Consider these possible benefits from relaxation:

• wards off disease by strengthening the immune system
• reduces heart disease
• reduces the need for insulin in diabetics
• widens restricted respiratory passages
• lowers blood pressure
• lowers cholesterol levels
• relieves significant pain
• relieves mental stress and tension

Relaxation is becoming widely practiced in many medical programs for heart patients, asthmatics, folks with high blood pressure, and those recovering from trauma.  It no longer fits into the woo-woo category.  So why don’t we do it?  First answer…I don’t have time.  My question…how can we NOT make time for health and wellness for ourselves, our children, and our families?  This is why I include savasana in every class. 

Do you remember the first time you learned about relaxation?  Who taught you?  Imagine your favorite place to relax and how you feel during and after relaxing.  Now imagine giving your child the gift of relaxation for the REST of their lives.

We all want to be happy and we want our kids to be happy.  When we relax endorphins are released which create a sense of happiness.  Relaxation calms the central nervous system allowing the body to rejuvenate itself.  Relaxation helps kids sleep better and that means parents sleep better.

We learn so many useful tools in yoga.  The next step is taking it off your mat.  Create a Tool Bag you can reach into while you are out there living life.  Maybe you put long deep breathing into your tool bag to calm the central nervous system while you are at the grocery store.  One simple tool – long term deep effects in your life!

Come to class, connect with other mommas creating a peaceful way of life.

ß My schedule is here on my blog.

Remember: You are the perfect Mother for your child.

Resources:

New York Times

Relax Your Child

Why am I having these crazy thoughts?

Motherhood brings an array of experiences, but who woulda thought it would make you question your sanity? No, I mean really question it!  With the hormonal changes going on right after birth, life sometimes becomes like a slow moving foreign film you can't quite read the subtitles to.

You might settle into a 'routine' but you begin to find yourself doing things like putting the ice cube tray in the cabinet....or the lotion in the fridge.  Okay, so you are sleep deprived and those things can happen.  But what about really weird doomsday thoughts, those thoughts you don't talk about with your husband or partner?

So much press is given to postpartum depression.  We have all heard the term, seen the stories, and are somewhat familiar with the condition.  Most of us do not want to be 'HER' - the mom with postpartum depression!  This is the thing: we are all 'HER.'  Your babymoon is a tumultuous time for your hormones, body, and psyche.  This is a huge adjustment you are going through, not to mention you are suddenly responsible for keeping another human being alive! New Moms are unable to see and understand their own needs because they have just arrived on unstable ground.  This is new territory for women in our culture. We are strong, confident, & have ourselves and our family (mostly) together - at least we thought we did.

Babymoon anxiety is not always a super extreme situation. It often goes unmentioned because it is not EXTREME.  Do you hear women talking or writing about their weird thoughts?  The question becomes what do you do when things become unmanageable in your head?  How do you reach out without being dismissed and judged.

Babymoon anxiety can be a natural and transitional response to birth for women. "Experts" say 15 - 20% of women experience more significant expressions of anxiety and depression; that is 80% that may still experience anxiety after birth, just not 'significant.'  When it's you and you are experiencing unusual responses to stress and the now unfamiliar world - it feels significant.

Some ways women experience anxiety after birth are mildly obsessive thoughts and fears for everyone's safety.  Due to our culture and media influence many of the themes we see in new mommas are sourced from those influences.  Break-ins might be more on the forefront of your thoughts, or kidnapping, getting locked in or out of the car/house.  All of these can be seen as instinctual  responses to birth - imagine a tiger with her cubs.  She would constantly be on the look out for predators, trying to stay one step ahead of them.
Same response.

Wow ...so glad to hear this happens to other new mommas?  Find others to connect with. Be brave. Talk to your healthcare provider about it.  Find nutritional support.

Here are a couple of suggestions from mommas:

• Floridex
• Calm
• Herbal Zap

Other resources in Austin, Texas:

• DeLora Frederickson  
• Baby Love Facebook Page
• Momma Love
  Babymoon support group. Contact DeLora for more information. 
• Kelli Hejl  
• Pregnancy and Postparum Health Alliance of Texas
• Dawn Gibson 
• Mindful Mothering
• Summer Greenlees
• Massage + Yoga

And they look cute on too!

If you have been to any of my postnatal yoga classes you have probably heard me talk about baltic amber teething necklaces.  Here is a link to a great article that explains the science and use of amber teething necklaces -  http://www.amberartisans.com/amtene15.html.

Most mommas that have gotten them and had their kid wear one have reported less drool and better disposition while teething.  Seems it is worth a try.