Through the practice of yoga I have come to know myself better. Spiritual practices help us make discoveries about what it means to be in a body, what this particular embodied experience is all about, what our limitations are in this lifetime, and what our potential is for truth, goodness, and beauty.
According to yoga, we do this most effectively by choosing a teacher to guide us around the pitfalls of the path and by committing to a practice. In our culture, this mostly means getting to class. We learn to align our body to experience more strength and freedom, and then it’s up to us to figure out how to apply these lessons in the rest of our life.
But as new moms, we often don’t have time to get to class, be with our teacher, and get a solid yoga practice in. Our day is often determined by our responsibilities (and desires) to be there for our family.
So is it not possible for moms to come to know our Selves fully through a spiritual practice?
Of course it is. But without some kind of steady spiritual practice, it’s really hard. We need to have certain things we do each day, or at least each week, that are the same – so that we can become aware of how we are changing. I have come to call these anchor practices.
On the mat we do some of the same things every time – a breathing meditation, simple movements with breath, downdog, and savasana.
It’s in these moments that we can see ourselves more clearly as compared to last time. Wow, it’s harder today. Or, I needed that this week. Or I’m exhausted, or pissed, or totally excited.
It’s the same off the mat. If we just allowed ourselves to go with the change and flow of each day, it would be hard to see ourselves changing within it all.
But if we establish some habits, rituals, and spiritual practices that we do in the same way each day, we can get a sense of how we’re growing; what our longings are; or who we are becoming.
When I work with moms one-on-one, I often get resistance to the idea of daily routines – But my life changes every day! I could never keep a schedule. I’m exhausted all the time.
And my response is that that’s exactly why we must put these habits or rituals in if we want to continue to live our lives fully, consciously, and move toward our highest potential.
And without a conscious connection to the flow of nurturing energy – whether we’re talking about a massage, eating right, or an early bedtime – energy just keeps flowing outward and we deplete ourselves. Anchor practices give us the space to connect with our inner knowing, which will then guide us through questions of mothering, career, and everything else that matters to us.
Do I do mine every day? No. But most days I try to do most of them, and when I became a mom, I let that be enough. And it’s because of my anchor practices that motherhood is the most profoundly eye-opening spiritual practice I’ve ever experienced.
This blog is one of my anchor practices. Sometimes I’m excited to write it, sometimes I drag myself here half asleep, and sometimes I’m doing it while trying to keep my daughter entertained. But each time I learn something about where I’m at and where I want to head. I hope you do, too.
What are your anchor practices? Let me know what connects you to your Self amidst the chaos! And email me if you want to set up a free phone call to figure out which areas of life you feel like you’re free floating in, and we’ll make a plan to tether you to something deeper and more eye-opening within. jessica@mayoga.com
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