the yoga of birth + giveaway

Yoga is so much more than an asana (posture) practice. I learned this in its fullness when I was a new Muma. My yoga was the way I went about my day with my baby. It wasn't stretching into downward dog or attending a class every week. My sadhana (spiritual practice) occurred every day - in my home. Perhaps it was the way I cooked the evening meal, or the thoughts I had when I walked with Che. Perhaps it was the (((((oms))))) I chanted when he was unsettled or the mental relaxation I practiced while he fed. My yoga, right now, is my mothering and it is this very concept that Katie Manitsas addresses in her new book The Yoga Of Birth.

Katie is the only advanced certified Jivamukti yoga teacher in Australia and is the founder of Jivamukti Sydney (formerly Samadhi). She is an inspiring creative, a mother of two young boys - Christos and Ziggy, a doula and is currently studying the Montessori method for preschoolers.

The Yoga of Birth is the first book of its kind. It addresses the importance of a conscious conception (something I experienced with Poet and indeed I vouch for it!), yoga to support and nurture your self during pregnancy, yoga for a natural birth, the first forty days (aka babymoon), baby massage, starting solids and wholesome food for toddlers. Katie's voice, her wisdom and nurturing self are vivid throughout each chapter as she gently discusses the beauty of a woman's body and the wonder that is conception, pregnancy and birth.

I read each page while Poet slept beside me in those first few weeks of her life. I found myself nodding to so much of what Katie was saying and absolutely loving the fact that, above anything else, she encourages pregnant women and mothers to slow down, take care and just be. Wise, wise words.

The official launch of The Yoga of Birth will take place at Jivamukti Yoga Studio in Newtown on Saturday 24th September at 10am. There will be kids face painting, healthy snacks, a family friendly vibe, free pregnancy goody bags and a short introduction to the book from Katie as well as a book signing.

Katie has kindly signed a copy of The Yoga of Birth and would like one of you to take it home, read it and learn from it. If you like, leave a comment below (feel free to ask me a question about yoga for pregnancy, birth and beyond and I will answer in a post next week) and you will go in the draw. Entries close Thursday 29th September. Gaby is also hosting the same giveaway tomorrow.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Katie...read on and enjoy!


UPDATE: The winner, using the Random Number Generator is Bridget. However, I feel like my copy needs to be passed on to someone that needs to read its wisdom, someone that needs to be comforted by its message. And so I hope that Yasmin will receive it with gratitude and be inspired x

Jodi: Katie, you found yoga at a young age. How did your practice evolve when you discovered you were pregnant?

Katie: Well, I have two children and the changes were different for each pregnancy. When I found out I was pregnant with my first child it was unexpected and at the time I have a very strong, physically dynamic yoga practice. It changed very radically because I was very nauseous and the practice made the sickness worse. It was really difficult for me to let go of the attachment to the dynamic practice. With my second pregnancy I was already a mother and to a certain extent had made that transition already.

Jodi: How did yoga support your pregnancy journey?

Katie: Yoga is a practice of transformation and supports us as we go through tumultuous times and times of great change. Pregnancy in many ways is a roller-coaster ride. A spiritual practice can provide a safe and steady space within those ups and downs.

Jodi: So many things change when you become a Muma...did your understanding of yoga change?

Katie: Of course! Motherhood takes you out of the centre of the circle. Suddenly another being, your holy baby, becomes the centre of your world. It’s the ultimate Karma Yoga or yoga of service. Nothing can prepare you for this! It’s a wonderful blessing and a huge challenge at the same time. It took me time to adapt. Usually I am a person who processes things (emotionally) quite quickly. But becoming a mother took me some time. At first I wanted nothing in my life to change, I’d say stuff like ‘I’m just going to do everything I used to do and I’ll take the baby / child with me’. Yeah, right. That never happened. Life changes when you have children. I learned to surrender. To spend less time working on my handstand or splits practice and more time changing nappies and going to playgroup. And through that process my understanding of yoga was nourished and deepened enormously.

Jodi: How did you incorporate yoga into your life as a new muma?

Katie: I meditate more than I did because sometimes I am sleep deprived and just not up to dynamic asana. I chant mantra everyday. I chant my children to sleep every night so that if I haven’t done any other practice that day at least I got to practice japa (mantra recitation). My four year old knows lots of beautiful Sanskrit mantras because of this routine! When I make a family meal for us all in the evenings (which happens on most nights of the week) I try to do this with an attitude of Sadhana (conscious spiritual practice). I’m fortunate because during the time I am cooking there is usually someone else at home to help look after the children and I can just focus on making a beautiful meal for us all to share as a family together. This is an important part of the day for me and I see it as a kind of practice. I’m not breastfeeding any more but when I was that was always a great time for mantra and meditation too. Sometimes we all do yoga together as a family. I usually ‘teach’ everyone and we each have a mat and join in. It’s mayhem!

Jodi: You were obviously inspired by your first birth experience because you became a doula soon after. What is it like to support a woman in the transition of birth?

Katie: There are not words to describe the feeling of watching a new being enter the world. It’s so close to the feeling of watching a person leave the body (in death). A magical, mysterious, otherworldly experience. Precious beyond words. Sacred.

Jodi: How do you believe yoga can support a woman during pregnancy, birth and beyond?

Katie: Yoga teaches us to be present and available for the reality of what is really happening in a given moment. Not to run from the truth or pretend a situation is other than it is. So yoga can help you say ‘yes I have morning sickness and I feel terrible and I’m not coping’ but it also helps us remember ‘I know this will shift and change soon enough’. On a physical level yoga as a great deal to offer in terms of techniques for helping a woman to have a healthy, natural birthing experience. There is lots more info. about that in the book.

Jodi: How can a woman best prepare for a natural birth experience - a birth she doesn't want to forget?

Katie: By slowing down. Resting. Connecting to her instincts. And by gathering like-minded, strong spirited support people around her to encourage and nurture her intention.

Jodi: Lastly, home birth in Australia is being threatened...what can we do to ensure we always have choice as to where we birth our babies?

Katie: Gosh this is such a huge topic and it’s controversial. I’m so saddened that home birth has become so difficult here. In many parts of Europe (including the UK where I am from originally) it’s a normal and health option. Here is Australia it is seen as ‘alternative’ and is becoming next to impossible. I’m not sure there is much we can do except to be a voice for our beliefs and speak out for women’s choices. Also I would say this, ‘where there is a will, there is a way’. That’s usually true even if there are many obstacles.

let's go fly a kite

Tonight I have a sense of freedom that I didn't have this morning.

Yesterday I taught my last pre-natal class. And while I'm usually the one hugging my students, sending them on their way with blessings for a safe and joyous journey, yesterday I was the one to receive those sweet words of guidance. At the end of class I got a bit emotional, reflecting on the three-and-a-half years of teaching close to 300 pregnant women, the lessons I've learned, the stories I've been honoured to hear. I was the most pregnant woman in the room and I shared with them my thanks...because each and every one of them have taught me something I didn't know when I was pregnant with Che. With my new-found knowledge and awareness I will travel into this birthing experience with acceptance rather than grand expectations...because ultimately, our birth experiences cannot be planned or controlled. We just need to surrender to the journey, wherever it may take us.

Today I taught my last birth workshop. Once again, I was the most pregnant in the room, sharing my knowledge and skills with seven expectant couples. It was a long day. A tiring one. And when I stepped out of the yoga studio and on to the street I looked up into the dark, clear winter sky to see a fine and delicate new moon. In that moment I wondered where, in this moon cycle, my baby will come. And whether I will watch, every night for the next few weeks, the moon blossom to fullness, much like my belly. The moon and I may be full together, ready to burst, in mid-winter.

At 38weeks my belly is bountiful but I feel incredibly light. For the next few weeks I don't need to be anywhere but in the here and the now. Spending time close to home, with my boys. Perhaps we'll venture out under the vivid blue sky that has been spoiling us lately, and maybe, just maybe, we'll go fly kites.

Photos and film captured at 5Lands

abi and joseph giveaway

I love a good headband. It's the perfect yoga accessory and the ideal fashion accessory for a Mum without the time to wash her hair. I'm not ashamed to admit that for half the week I slip a headband on - sometimes a fringe is just too much effort! Recently the lovely girls from yoga and pilates clothing company abi and joseph sent me this thick black headband for my yoga practice. I plan to wear it during labour as well and will no doubt get lots of use out of it in the first few weeks of newborn blur.

I managed to get a headband for you too - one lucky winner. All you have to do is visit abi and joseph and leave a comment on this post telling me what your favourite abi and joseph product is. If you are a blogger or Facebook junkie you can also go in the competition to win an entire yoga or pilates wardrobe. For more information see here.

I'll close the draw next Sunday 28th and will post to any where in the world.

on teaching pregnant women

Today on Marvelous Kiddo you can read my very honest account of how I came to be a yoga teacher and my experience teaching over 300 pregnant women in the past three years. There's also a prenatal yoga nidra (guided relaxation) CD as a giveaway.

In other news, congratulations to Lexi who won the Ruby Who? giveaway.

Totally unrelated photo of our regular beach visits and a cute bum. I suppose this is the end result of prenatal yoga so it kinda relates. Hehe!

blossom

Life has been busy and while I had good intentions of writing here I just haven't arrived to Number 56 on my to-do list. Actually now that I'm writing I suppose I skipped quite a few to-dos. I like list making. It's enormously rewarding to cross/tick things off the list.

I'm pleased and relieved to say that the end-of-winter-cold has finally left our family and our home and in its place is the warmth of a fresh new Spring and the blossoms that beg to be stolen from other people's gardens. I enjoy reaching my hand through a fence and carefully snapping the stem, drawing those gorgeous cherry blossom blooms towards me. They are so fun to photograph too. Incredibly fragile and rice-paper-like. I exhale a sweet happy sigh every time I see them.

Busyness has involved so many words, so many emails and a bunch of phone calls (I don't really like chatting on the phone - especially to people I don't really know). However, it has made me prioritise and I've decided it's time for me to cut down my yoga teaching commitments so that I can be the student again. I'll still be teaching my prenatal classes and birth workshops but a few hours a week will be spent at the studio doing 'my' practice - the opporative word being 'my,' because practicing at home is lovely but Surya Namaskara with an almost-three-year-old around my neck is hard. I think I'm seeking space and the opportunity to breathe and be nurtured without interruption. Yes, that's it.

Spring is beckoning us, we're venturing out under a big and very blue sky. In the next few weeks the windows will be cleaned, the woolens packed away and my milky white legs will see the sun again. Spring; can you feel it?

snip, chop, cut (+ giveaway)

Sir Lancelot is no more. The bird's nest of golden locks (dreadlocks most of the time) fell to the floor and in it's place is a pixie-do that requires little brushing (and even littler tantrums).

Every time I headed for the hairdresser he would have both hands on his head declaring: "NO haircut!" And so with me, it never happened. But yesterday, while I was teaching a birth workshop, Mama braved the two-year-old defiance and took him along to the local hairdressers and of course, he sat quietly, and watched each piece gracefully drop to the floor. Apparently the in-house DVD player showed regular cartoons so the little one was happy.

Yogaways' third "Pregnant and Prepared" workshop was a success with seven couples participating in an engaging discussion. The day involves a yoga class and positions for birthing as well as the language, sound and breath of birth. It's always quite light hearted (you have to keep it light when you're talking about the cervix, vagina and the primal roars of a birthing woman - otherwise the men would run screaming). It's a beautiful space to be in and to look into the faces of mums and dads-to-be with all their fear, excitement and hope is an honour. We invited a couple from one of our past workshops to bring their newbie along and discuss their birth day and it was such a blessing to hear the recount of their 'enjoyable and emotional' experience. The language we use prepares couples for the reality of birth - the birth that is hard work, challenging, confronting, primal, beautiful and empowering. All those wonderful things.

Every couple receive, along with other gifts, a Yoga Nidra CD specifically for pregnancy. A few months ago I went into a recording studio and recorded two half-hour sessions. Half-an-hour of yoga nidra is equivalent to 3-4hours of sleep (music to the ears of a tired pregnant woman). I'm going to start selling them online, after I work out the best way to do that. But to celebrate my first CD I'm offering a give-away. Leave a comment to go in the draw to win a copy (and if you're not pregnant, it could make a beautiful gift!). Entries close one week from today. Good Luck.

Pregnant and Prepared workshops run on the following Sundays: June 20th, July 25th, September 12th & 7th November. Bookings are essential. Read more about the day here

golden

Thanks for all your kind well-wishes. Daniel is all better and now I've come down with a sniffle and a sore throat. I'm not the best in stressful situations - I lose my appetite and survive on nervous energy which is so very unhealthy. So now my body is telling me to slow down, eat up and rest. Which is exactly what I'm doing. Lots of fresh juices, lemon & honey tea (Daniel makes it super strong and just right) and vegie soup. Golden sunshine helps too - I've been stepping outside this morning to soak it all in.

I'm also thinking about writing as a profession again. Teaching yoga is my first choice - it always will be but unfortunately it doesn't make much money. Sure I'm rich in the heart but no so in the wallet. Daniel wants to work a little less and spend more time with Ché, a wish that I would really love to see fulfilled. I'll continue teaching and hopefully I'll be able to find work that means I can do both. I'm a little apprehensive and quite scared about it all actually. I'm trying to not let it weigh me down. I just know what the journalism industry is like and I know it's not going to be heartwarming. It's challenging and while I don't really enjoy being in a space like this, I'll do it because I need to for my family. Because that's what Mumas do.

monday - still summery

Sometimes the ritual of washing my feet - washing away the day, cleansing, renewing - is the most beautiful part of my day. Before Ché's day-sleep I sit him on the side of the sink, fill it with cool water and a few bubbles (lush, only lush) and wash his feet, his hands and dab a cool face-washer on the back of his neck. We then read a story and he falls asleep within minutes. Sometimes just standing on the ocean's edge and letting the waves lap at my feet can change my day for the better. We don't pay enough attention to the soles that carry us around all day. If you get the chance, wash your feet and then lie down for a few minutes. Enjoy the stillness and the quiet. The letting go of the exhalation.

pregnant and prepared

Today Mardi (my MIL) and I facilitated our first "pregnant and prepared" couples workshop at the studio. It was such an honour to teach and gently guide six beautiful pregnant couples as they learnt about yoga positions for pregnancy and labour as well as the sound, breath and language of birthing. We encouraged them to connect with each other, to trust their bodies and to trust each other.

They were all so in love. In love with the belly, the baby, the whole process of growing new life and birthing as a family. Look at all those gorgeous Godesses...and all those doting dads-to-be. It was so inspiring to be among a new generation of parents - parents that are all interested in preparing together and birthing consciously. Some of the Dads were even asking me about co-sleeping, baby-wearing and a baby moon. They were all so open to learning, so willing to support their pregnant partners. It was a very beautiful space to be in...quite sacred.

Mardi and I will be running couples workshops for conscious birthing throughout 2010.
The dates are as follows: March 14th, May 16th, July 25th, Sept 12th and Nov 7th. The March workshop is almost full so if you're interested please let me know. We welcome you and your partner or birth support person. No yoga experience is necessary. Come with a pregnant belly and an open heart.

We provide a complete information booklet, journal, yoga nidra CD and a vegetarian feast for lunch.

Om shanti!

chanting in the new year

When you live in an ashram you live simply. You rise with the sun to practice yoga, you eat delicious vegetarian meals that are prepared with time and love (you can taste it) and you spend your time moving slowly, with awareness. There is so much beauty in simplicity - mist rising out of the valley at sunrise, an om symbol etched into the ground. At present there are about 50 residents, mostly swamis (those that dedicate their life to spiritual work) living at the ashram permanently.

On New Years Eve there was 300 of us and we gathered at 7pm to begin chanting in the new year. It was also a chance to celebrate the life and teachings of Swami Satyananda, the founder of the Satyananda lineage of yoga, the guru of the ashram. On the 5th of December 2009 he phoned his disciples at 11.30pm and told them it was time for him to leave this world and that he would do so at midnight. A few minutes after midnight he was found sitting in lotus, his mala beads in his hands, a big smile on his face, he had attained mahasamadhi.

From 7pm till midnight we practiced kirtan (devotional chanting to music) and the continuous chanting of hari rama hari rama, hari krishna, hari hari. The energy lifted as the hours passed and at one point most people were up and dancing. Ché slept peacefully throughout most of the night, lulled by beautiful voices and warmth.

We woke early New Years Day to practice a havan, for the new year and the full moon. The rest of our time was spent quite peacefully, enjoying the quiet, the stillness and the space that has been so lovingly tended to.

Daniel first visited the ashram when he was eight and so it was special that three generations of our family were there to celebrate. I spend time at the ashram to remind myself of what is important in my life and how I want my family to live. I have the opportunity to reconnect with my practice that, since motherhood, has taken a slightly different path. The ashram runs to the same rhythm each day and so it works so beautifully with everything we have learned at Steiner playgroup - how families move smoothly through their day when a rhythm is observed and followed.

What was most interesting about our time away was Ché. He was last at the ashram when he was in my womb and I told him that we were going on a little holiday - not once did I mention 'yoga' or 'chanting'. On the drive there he started chanting om in his seat. A few nights before we left we woke to him saying 'buddha' in his bedroom. Daniel went and got him and brought him into us. He was awake and sat in bed pointing outside the door and he said (and waved) "Hello Buddha". The next morning I asked him about it. He told me he saw buddha, that buddha was smiling and that he was turning in a circle. Take it with a grain of salt but I do believe that children are so much more open than we are. I'd rather him see Buddha than the Boogey Man, any night. hehe.

i forgot it was monday

so relaxed i am.
after a few days of rain over christmas...
hence plenty of nana naps and long stints reading new books
i have lost count of the days.
and i'm about to lose count all over again because
we're off on a little holiday.
a few lazy days at the ashram
where we'll eat delicious vegetarian meals
and chant in the new year accompanied by a couple of hundred yogis.
i'll be back in a few days,
in a new year,
with photos and stories.
Until then,
may you smile and warmly welcome 2010.
so much to look forward to x

soul work

The past four days have been so immensely nourishing that I feel, in a way, renewed. It was strange to pack my bag and leave my boys but I did so knowing that it was good for me and good for them. I expected to learn but I never expected to be so inspired.

Did you know that when women come together, oxytocin, the love hormone, is released? The energy in the room was incredibly high. 30 women, 8 of whom were pregnant, one carrying twins. 39 souls.

We came together to learn about prenatal yoga for conscious birthing. But it was a healing space as well, as safe space where we could talk about pregnancy and birth knowing that whatever was said was sacred. There were 10 midwives in the room so for me, it was the ultimate learning experience from an anatomical/physiological point-of-view.

I came away having such a deep understanding of pregnancy and birth and I believe, with all of my knowing, that this is my path and I'll continue to follow it.

The language of birth is so powerful, as I've said before. And so many of the women I met believe that words are the greatest intervention a woman has to face when she's laboring. If she hears negative words, she loses her confidence and loses her awareness. Which is why it is essential that a birthing woman has a partner or birth support person who knows how to connect with her physically, emotionally and verbally. When a birth support person has the skills to support a woman during labour and birth the need for medical intervention drops by 80%. That is a statistic too significant to ignore.

I'm excited to come to a point in my career where I feel confident to lead couples workshops. Couples workshops for birth preparation from a yogic point-of-view. More about that later.

Self-revelations are always nice too. Did you know that the cervical spine (the top of your spine, the neck) is directly related to the cervix? During the first 20 or so hours of my labour I practiced a form of breathing called ujiya, where you gently constrict the middle of the throat, directly in front of the cervical spine. So, throughout that time I was actually contracting my cervix, hence why I took so long to dilate. No ujiya breathing for pregnant women!

Babies, in the womb, as so receptive to sound and vibration. They can hear the words their mother speaks, as well as the people that speak to her. They are oceanic beings who do take about 4 years to adjust to being on the earth once born. Hence why it so important that a mother connects with her baby in the womb, realises that she is indeed working with her baby during birth and that the cord is only cut once it has stopped pulsating - it is therefore, a much more gradual transition for the baby because he/she is still receiving blood, breath and prana (energy) from the cord.

Our little ones are, in fact, still living in that beautiful pure world where they were created. Their imaginary friends are very real, they still breathe that deep, whole body breath, they are still developing into their bodies. Hence why it is so important to just let them be, let them play. Janice shared one story about a little girl who was with her father. He was a musician and when his wife was pregnant he would always play a particular song to his little girl. He played it, that day, when his girl was about four and she turned to him and said: "Daddy, I remember when I was in Mummy's belly and you would call me on the telephone and play me that song." Our little ones remember that oceanic world.

If you live in Vancouver I would so highly recommend Janice's classes - she is an absolute inspiration, a guru! She travels Canada, The US, Japan and Australia doing teacher training workshops. Even if you aren't interested in teaching yoga, it is such a wonderfully fulfilling few days - if you're passionate about pregnancy and birth, do this workshop!

Prenatal yoga is yoga for the next generation.

leaving on a toot toot

Tomorrow I depart on a little trip....to study in Sydney for four days with internationally renowned yogini Janice Clarfield. Janice will be teaching the art of celebrating pregnancy and preparing for birth from a yogic perspective. "Prenatal Teacher Training for Conscious Birthing" as she says. Ironically, it will be the first time that I've left Ché since he was born. We have never spent a night apart. When I leave tomorrow morning on the toot toot (he understands that part of the story) I'll be giving Daniel and Ché the opportunity to have their own special time together, to create a special language that is only theirs. I'm full of gratitude for the opportunity to deepen my knowledge, to spend some time in the city and to know that my little one will be so very fine with his Dada. I've packed the essentials - photos, scarves, earrings and my yoga mat.

I'm off to OM and learn and create. Be back soon.

yoga aid

Yesterday I joined 5000 yogis worldwide and practiced 108 glorious sun salutations to raise money for charity. Accompanied by a room full of passionate friends, we dipped, swayed and moved to the beautiful sounds of the djembe, harmonium, gong (thanks che che) and the chanting of 'om'. It was truly the most wonderful experience. To unite through yoga is a blessing. We practiced 12 rounds of nine, starting and ending with the traditional Satyananda style. Rounds 2-11 we practiced Surya Namaskara A and by the end, we were moving so very quickly, the drumming was fast, our energy was high and I know I smiled throughout each and every salute. I led a couple of rounds and standing in front of so many yogis and yoginis only affirmed for me that yes, this is what i love doing, and this is what I'll continue to do.

Our studio is going green! Soy-based painted walls (in the colour lotus, of course), bamboo mats, organic fabric-covered eye bags and bolsters, a herb garden, beautiful succulents, a no-plastic-water-bottle policy and the encouragement of body, breath, mind and environmental awareness.
We will be registering as a 'green' business very soon ad we are so excited.

I'll be spending quite a few weeks at the ashram next year to officially complete my teacher training and while that will make me busy (and poor) I know it is just the beginning of a career, and lifestyle, that will support, nurture and nourish my family.

If you are willing to make a donation for my 108 efforts yesterday, you can donate here. Thank you.

OM shanti, shanti, shanti. Hari om!

first swim of the season

I knew when Daniel walked in from work yesterday afternoon that the time of year had come. Where we spend late afternoons and early evenings building sandcastles and bathing in the ocean. Around 4.46pm we immersed ourselves in the sea - it was exilirating, refreshing and the perfect ceremonious occassion to welcome the Summer season. It was good to wash away winter layers and dive under the water for a few moments, listening only to the gentle push and pull of the tide. It was so good to feel that rhythm, a lulling sensation.

Silence, for just a few moments, means so much to me now that I'm a Muma. I need a bit of it, in every day. I'm a better Muma beause of those few moments of quiet. Even if I have to block my ears, close my eyes and hum with my exhalation (it's a practice called bhramari - humming bee breath....known to soothe the nervous system and move your awareness inwards). Bhramari is the most popular breathing technique used by my prenatal students in labour...because their awareness moves to the vibration in their body instead of the contraction. I hope they remember in their every day to take a few breaths, to move inwards and to remember that when they are challenged, they know how to breathe.

I hope they remember how revitalising a swim in the ocean can be.

mumas with bellies...then babes

Last week I had six prenatal students well past their due dates. Six...in one class. It was a beautiful class. Their awareness was so inward, they were so soft and relaxed....biding time till the imminent births of their babies. The other students in the class took great care to watch these mumas because regardless of how pregnant they were, they knew their time would come. Where they moved cautiously, the deep weight of a babe cocooned inside them. Waiting. Waiting.

Throughout this week I received six messages, all describing wonderful, unique and natural birth experiences. I told my students on Saturday that teaching prenatal yoga is one of the most natural things I have ever done. That I feel so blessed to share such a beautiful journey with these mumas...to encourage them to embrace their pregnancy and help them prepare for a joyous birth. It feels like I've done it all before. I think about my students between classes, especially if their nearing the end of their pregnancy. Then they have their babies and I welcome another bunch of women to class...and so it goes.

So blessed I am to share yoga and positive birth stories with these women...so blessed I am to be able to combine my passions into a project that I am oh so excited about.

There, I've put it out there. I have to do it now. I won't tell you just yet, but I'd appreciate a reminder in a few months time if it's not mentioned again.

I held the most precious little five-month-old baby boy yesterday. Koru, you are beautiful.

And a huge blessing and congratulations to fliss, claerwen and leigh who are all enjoying their brand new and very precious baby boys.

If you like babies and eco-friendly baby products...check out this giveaway

i need your help

On November 15 I will be joining the Australian yoga community to practice 108 sun salutations as part of the Yoga Aid Challenge. Yoga Aid is a worldwide event - bringing together the energy of thousands of yogis and yoginis so we can spread a little love and raise money for charity.

This year, yogaways will be joined by a group of drummers as we flow through our two hour intense sequence to the rhythm of Japanese and Indonesian drums.

My chosen foundation is the Nelune Foundation ...The NELUNE Foundation aims to provide psychological and practical support, assistance and care for public hospital and underprivileged cancer patients in the community – 'Helping Patients Fight Cancer With Dignity'.

Cancer affects one in three Australians...so please, support me as I flow through a challenging practice and donate to this worthy cause.

To donate please visit www.yogaaid.com.au/jodiwilson and click the 'donate now' button.

Om shanti, shanti, shanti

asteya

The focus for my pre-natal classes at the moment is asteya or letting go of greed. Being in the here, the now, not wishing or grasping for the journey to end. Enjoying the present moment...just being. I'm re-reading Buddhism for Mothers at the moment and it is so much more relevant now that Che is a little more grown. I'm nodding my head to almost every sentence and finding comfort in the suggestions for thought and practice. Especially mindfulness.

I especially like the suggestion to tell yourself what your doing throughout your day. The affirmation really has the power to almost throw you into the present. Yesterday I began talking to myself. In the best possible way. At the close of the day I felt nourished. And nurtured.

I taught a yoga class, cooked a chicken casserole, swept the balcony, tended to my herbs, read with Ché, made the beds...and spent two hours in a day spa. It surprised me that even as I was being wrapped in amazonian nut mud I still had to tell myself to relax. "I am relaxing."

It's quite liberating to be in the moment, constantly expanding your awareness of where you are and what you're doing. To actually be mothering instead of chasing time, children and chores.

I am writing

i don't know where i'd be if i had never found yoga

I truly don't know where I'd be. Along with my mum's encouragement and my deep desire to finally finally finally do something for the goodness of my body I attended my first yoga class at 10am on a Monday morning, a few weeks before my 21st birthday.

I was in the throes of ending a long and destructive relationship. A relationship that was wrong for so many reasons. It was difficult to escape from and when I did I was physically and emotionally exhausted.

I remember walking, waif-like, across the studio floor. I was 46kg but I felt heavy. Music, something like this, was playing softly and nag champa was filling the air. I sat down, cross-legged, and waited for the class to begin.

The teacher, Mardi, sat in front of the class and led us through a short relaxation. She asked us to breathe. Through our nose and into our belly. I felt tears prick my eyes because within a few minutes I realised that I hadn't felt the breath in my body for so long. It felt like I hadn't breathed in three years. I hadn't been in my body.

I continued to attend that Monday morning class. And then one class a week wasn't enough. I started going twice, three times, sometimes four times a week. I began to notice contentment within myself. Happiness. And strength. Physically and mentally. I felt light. I was experiencing a change within me. And subsequently, a change around me. I became aware of my body and my self. How truly wonderful it is to breathe deep and move your body, flowing, through a series of energising postures. I was flowing.

I cancelled a trip to London and enrolled in yoga teacher training instead. I stayed at an ashram for two weeks and lived yoga. Rising with the sun to awaken my body with gentle yoga practices and breathing techniques. Eating vegetarian wholefood and finding beauty in simplicity - like an om symbol etched into the ground.

I felt new. Refreshed. Revived. All those wonderful things.

I am always so grateful to my Mum for guiding me in the direction of the studio at that time. Mardi, my first yoga teacher at that Monday morning yoga class is now my mother-in-law. If I hadn't have found yoga, and discovered awareness and contentment and goodness within me, I wonder if I would have found Daniel. On the eve of Mother's Day I am ever so thankful for the synchronicity that led me to the studio that day and for the ongoing journey I am on. Because yoga changed me. And now I am a Mother. To a baby yogi who holds his hands in prayer at hridaya mudra, his heart space, and says namaste the spirit within me honours and respects the spirit within you.

Happy Mother's Day.
Your Mother is your first teacher.
Always.
Perhaps your Mother is your first
Guru

Inspired by Yoga and Me

bhakti

bhakti is a sanskrit word meaning devotion or love

In the growing, birthing and raising of our children we are challenged and we surrender.

We devote ourselves to these little beings that came from within us.

In this devotion we find meaning. And from meaning we find power.

The deep, everlasting power of a mother. Revealing her instinctual desires and her own truth.