Three Yoga Practices for Difficult Parenting Situations

Parenting is difficult. As a yoga teacher turned “stay at home mom”, I am looking to my yoga teachings to help me navigate the crazy world of parenting. Today I am sharing three practices I have learned through yoga that help me to stay calm and regulated during difficult parenting moments - we are talking toddler meltdowns, babies who won’t sleep - all of it! I find if I am able to regulate my own emotions while managing whatever tough situation parenting has thrown at me that day, I am able to respond to my children that way I want to - with patience and understanding, not snappy or checked out. I have a video linked below where I share all three practices, but if you don’t have time to watch - or maybe you are reading this in the middle of the night while holding a baby and don’t want to wake them up - keep reading to learn more.

Practice #1: Stay in the Present Moment/Mindfulness

What often happens to me when I am experiencing a difficult moment in parenting, is my brain starts producing thoughts that send me further into that stress response. So, for example, one of my babies (I have twins) was awake for a long time in the middle of the night the other night, everytime I would get him settled, he would wake up again. So, as I am holding him I am thinking: “please go to sleep, if you go to sleep right now maybe I’ll get enough sleep to not be too tired tomorrow. I am going to be so tired tomorrow. Tomorrow is going to be so much harder when I am tired.” Needless to say, these thoughts were contributing to my stress, and I was worrying about things out of my control and that hadn’t happened yet.

Yoga invites us to remain in the present moment. It encourages us to check in with our thoughts and gently stop the ones that are not helpful. So, when I am able to catch myself future stressing, I am able to be mindful of my thoughts and put a stop to them. Being mindful enough to catch the thoughts is helpful, but be sure to be gentle with yourself and don’t scold yourself for having those thoughts.

The next step is to get back to the present moment. I like to do this by physically rooting myself back into my body (and out of my head). Wiggle your toes, feel the soles of your feet, breathe into the soles of your feet. Be in your body. Scan through the upper body and release those tense areas - shoulders away from ears, jaw unclenched, brow unfurrowed. Feel the tension melt away and stay in the moment with your body. Notice how you feel less stressed already.

Practice #2: Deep Breathing

If you have ever taken a yoga class, you are likely familiar with a deep belly breath. When our body is in the stress response, our breath tends to get shallow and quick. Accessing a deep belly breath and slowing our breath down will help calm our nervous system down. Being aware and focusing on our breath also helps us to stay rooted in the present moment and in our bodies. Here is a simple breathing exercise to try when you are facing those difficult moments and need to stay calm.

Equal Ratio Breathing:

The point of this exercise is to bring the length of your inhale to match the length of your exhale, bringing each breath into an equal ratio. Take your breath in and out through the nose if you can, and do your best to take a count of at least 3 or 4 for the length of each breath. It is sometimes helpful to start by just noticing the length of your inhale and exhale and if one is much longer than the other, decide on a middle ground for your breath count. Try taking 5 equal ratio breaths and notice how you feel.

Practice #3: Mantras

Now that we have paused our negative/future worry thoughts, lets find some more helpful ones to replace them. I am not asking you to find some unnecessarily positive words to repeat to yourself, I am talking about finding a word or phrase that will help you through these moments. I talk about these in the video, but some of my favorite to repeat to myself to help me regulate are:

• My baby will sleep eventually (its true)

• I can do hard things

• I love you (Or I love my child)

• They are having a hard time (helpful during a toddler meltdown)

Find something that works for you in situations to help you stay regulated and in the moment - as difficult as it may be. Remember, yoga teaches us that each moment is temporary, this won’t last forever, you can make it through.

I sincerely hope these practices and strategies can help you during the difficult parenting moments we all experience. Please share with me if these are helpful in the comment section below or on the Youtube page.

Namaste!

Yoga practices for difficult parenting situations

How to Relieve Neck Pain from Breastfeeding and Holding your Baby

When you breastfeed, bottle feed, or hold your baby for extended periods of time in a cradle hold, you may experience tension and pain in your neck and shoulders. This has been coined “nursing neck”, but we know that it isn’t simply caused from “nursing”. After experiencing this pain and a limited range of motion in my neck when my twins were about 11 months old, I started to get serious about combating the rounding of my shoulders and neck that were causing this strain. As a certified yoga instructor, I had the added bonus of being able to access certain yoga postures and stretches to help mobilize and open these areas, and today I am sharing them with you! Watch the video below for a full description with alignment and breath cues for each of the stretches I find most helpful in relieving this neck and shoulder pain. This is a simple, no equipment required yoga sequence made for parents who have limited time so, feel free to enjoy these stretches at any point in your day, for as long as you are able to.

I’d love to hear if these stretches were helpful for you, so be sure to leave me a comment if you enjoyed this video or if you have any questions.

If you need Yoga blocks, I like these ones from Amazon (links to Amazon Canada)

(Here is the link for Amazon US.)

If you need a yoga mat, this is the same one I use around my house (links to Amazon Canada) but you may also want to check out the blog I posted on my favorite yoga mats here.

Here is the yoga mat link for my US friends (links to Amazon US)

As an Amazon Associate I earn a commission on qualifying sales.

Note: As always, nothing in this video is intended as medical advice. If you are unsure if yoga is safe for you, always consult with your medical professional before starting. Always listen to your body and respect any limits you experience, ensuring to work within them.

Yoga Program for Beginners

Being a beginner in Yoga can feel intimidating, but I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be. Today I am sharing a series of videos from my YouTube channel that I would recommend for a Beginner, along with descriptions and the reasons for choosing each specific yoga practice. If you are just starting your yoga practice, you can work through these four videos - once a day, once a week, or whatever schedule works for you! - and experience the amazing benefits of yoga without the worry.

Note: always consult a health professional before beginning a new physical exercise program or if you have any concerns regarding the practice.

Video #1: Standing Poses for Beginners

The reason we start with standing poses for beginners, is because those poses use our large muscle groups to help us build our strong foundation for our yoga practice (as opposed to using the smaller muscle groups like back muscles etc). So let’s stretch and strengthen our lower bodies - legs, feet, and hips - with this video. These videos all reference yoga props - Blocks and Straps - I like this 2 pack of blocks and a strap from Amazon (Canadian Link) Click here for the Amazon US Link

As an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.

Beginner Yoga: Standing Poses

Video #2: Balancing Poses for Beginners

To build on the work we did with our standing pose practice, we move on to balancing poses. While balance can feel intimidating for beginners I am here to assure you it’s OK to fall out of a pose or waiver in a balance pose. Again, most of these poses utilize our larger muscle groups which tend to be a bit safer. Remember, if you fall out of your balance pose, have a laugh and try again! (It’s just yoga ;))

Beginner Yoga: Balance

Video #3: Shoulder openers for beginners

Starting to move to some of the smaller muscle groups, we look at those often tight shoulders. As we move our focus to the upper body we rely on the strong foundation and alignment we have learned in the prior three videos/practices.

Beginner Yoga: Shoulder Openers

Video #4: Restorative yoga

I love ending my yoga sessions with a class focused on relaxation. Try this practice to get a great stretch and some good old relaxation…. And feel the benefits of your yoga practice wash over you :)

Beginner Yoga for Relaxation

Looking for some amazing yoga mats and props? Visit Yoga Design Lab to see their eco friendly products and mats specifically made for tall yogis!

Affiliate Link - I earn a commission on qualifying purchases made with YDL

Tips for Teaching Yoga while Pregnant

As a yoga teacher, your physical health is a vital part of your career success. So, if you find yourself pregnant, you may be wondering how it will affect your current and future classes. Having taught through my singleton and twin pregnancy, I’m here to tell you, it’s possible to maintain your schedule if that’s something you are comfortable doing. Keep reading for some of my best tips for teaching yoga while pregnant.

Please Note: this article is not meant to act as medical advice. Always consult your medical professional before engaging in physical activity while pregnant.

Tip #1: Ensure you are able to teach effectively without demonstrations

Sometimes as yoga teachers, we can use our demonstration of poses to provide the guidance for our students, but if you find yourself unable to practice certain poses throughout your pregnancy, you likely don’t want to exclude them from your class plans for the next 9 months. It’s important that you are able to effectively use verbal cues to guide students into poses, and be knowledgeable enough about the poses you teach to provide alignment cues when you see students doing a pose in a way that shows you they may need assistance. This means being able to use different words to explain the same things - for example if you notice students are continuing to round their shoulders when you are cueing “heartspace is open” you may try saying “roll your shoulders back and down” or “lift your sternum” or “broaden your collar bones”. One description may work for some studetns and another will work for others, so being comfortable and familiar enough with the poses and alignment you are teaching is important for being able to teach without using your body to physically show your students what you mean.

If you are working with students that you know well and have practiced with for awhile, if you feel like students need a pose demonstrated, you can also ask one of your students who you know understands the alignment of a pose to demonstrate for you while you talk to the students about what they see.

There will be plenty of poses you can (and will want) to practice through your pregnancy if you choose to, so you will likely still be able to practice along with your students somewhat, but on days you just don’t have the energy, or if your pregnancy becomes physically taxing or difficult, it’s definitely possible to teach while taking breaks to sit in a chair (trust me, I did this a lot while I taught a 25 weeks pregnant with twins).

Tip #2: If you have control over what you teach in class, make your class work for you

If you are working in a studio and you are the “Advanced Vinyasa” teacher, this may not apply to you (but see above), but if you are teaching a session that is more general (Hatha style yoga, beginner etc) you can make sure the class you offer your students works for you that day. If you wake up with very low energy and tight hips, offer a hip opening, relaxation focused class. If you wake up feeling like you have tons of energy and need some movement, teach some of the more challenging poses you feel comfortable doing (I will always remember demonstrating Ardha Chandrasana in my third trimester with my singleton pregnancy and how I felt like a superhero after lol). If you have the option to be flexible with what you offer your studetns, then plan the class based on your needs, and I assure you, some of your students will likely have the same ones and be very thankful for your choice that day.

Tip #3: Listen to your body

This is something we often preach to our students and it is important that we heed our own advice (pregnant or not). Your students will not be upset with you for taking care of yourself and your baby, so if you need to adjust something, even mid-class, it’s ok. I used a belly band in my pregnancies and there were some days that thing was being put on mid-class because I needed it (imagine loud velcro noises). There were days I sat in a chair and did only arm movements for the second half of a class because the energy I thought I had, had left after 20 minutes. One day during the days of mask wearing, I had to remove my mask (gasp!) and simply told my students that if I wore it one minute longer my morning sickness would be making an appearance - they understood. Make sure you don’t hold yourself to an unrealistic standard as a teacher. Listen to your body, take care of yourself, and your students will understand. (and if they don’t - they aren’t the student for you!)

So, if you are pregnant and wondering what that means for your yoga teaching career, it’s going to be ok. Of course, there are circumstances where you may not be able to teach (bedrest, hyperemesis gravidarum, etc), but if you have an uncomplicated pregnancy and your doctor gives you the “ok” to engage in physical activity, you should be able to continue to offer your students an amazing yoga experience.

Let me know if you have any other tips to add or any questions about teaching while pregnant in the comments below!

Kids Yoga Class Plan and Ideas

Teaching yoga to kids requires you to be flexible (in more ways than one), creative, and patient. I always find myself looking for new ways to engage little minds and bodies so they can reap the amazing benefits of their yoga practice. Today I’m giving you a plan and tips for a 45 minute yoga class for school aged children. If you would be interested in seeing one for teens be sure to let me know in the comments below!

I’ve included links to products I use in my classes. As an amazon associate I earn on qualifying purchases.

Sample Yoga Class Plan for Children

Class starts: Welcome song

I love using a song to begin our yoga class. It serves as an attention grabbing way to signal to your students that it’s time to transition from whatever they were doing before and start yoga. I like using songs with basic actions the kids can follow along with. This one is my favourite.

Breath Work: (5 - 10 mins depending on size and energy of group)

I like to use different props, visuals, and sensory tools throughout my kids yoga classes. I find some kids find it easier to follow along with visuals or tools that engage more than just their ears. My two favourite breathing exercises for this age group are:

Hoberman sphere breathing - I love using a hoberman sphere (Amazon Canada link) to give the students a visual and tactile experience as they learn to breathe. I often start by demonstrating how to use the sphere and then pass it around the circle so each student has a chance to lead the group in one deep breath. See this blog post for a detailed description of this breathing exercise.

Shop for Hoberman Sphere’s on Amazon US

Feather breathing - this is more of an individual breath exercise. Each student gets one craft feather. They lie on their back and hold the feather above their mouth. Instruct them to breathe in through their nose (so they don’t inhale a feather) and then a strong breath out of their mouth as they release the feather. Their breath will blow the feather up in the air so they can see how a bigger breath may make the feather go higher etc.

Warm Up/Group Work: (about 10mins)

Boat pose Ball pass - this activity encourages the students to work together and also gets their bodies moving, engages their core and leg muscles, and usually ends up with lots of laughter. Have the students in a circle and demonstrate how to find boat pose (feet up, hands can be behind them in the floor for support). Use a lightweight ball (I like these types of sensory balls from

Amazon) that the students hold between their feet and pass to the student next to them. Each student uses their feet to take the ball and pass it. If you have a large group, use two balls starting the second one a few students away from the first and make it a race! Don’t let the second ball catch the first!

Sensory Balls on Amazon.com

Yoga Poses: (15-20 mins)

As you can see we have already been practicing some yoga exercises without it looking like a traditional class. Now we get to our yoga poses - continue to be creative! I like using a theme (animals, a season or holiday, vehicles, etc) and also find using visuals for each pose helpful. I like these yoga cards to help give the students a visual of what to expect and what shape their body needs to go in. I usually demonstrate the poses as well, but sometimes you will be helping someone or addressing something so it’s helpful to have the yoga card front and center for the kids to reference. I put one out at a time so there isn’t confusion. The following themed poses are set up so the students are taking a boat ride. They begin in boat pose again (feel free to add in some Row Your Boat singing too!), then go into River pose (a lovely calming forward bend), as they are travelling down the river they see a Turtle (another calming forward bend), and then notice some trees! (Take a moment to ask students what types of trees they are, maybe the trees are blowing on a windy day - make sure you play!). From there they pick a partner to jump in the boat with as they fry a double boat partner pose (always use descretion with partner poses and read your group to make sure they will be a good fit so everyone stays safe). From there they get out of their boats and rest on a rock to end the journey.

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Do Nothing pose:

It’s important for children to rest at the end of their class, just like adults. I enjoy using a song for them to listen to while they rest but if you have high energy kids you could even use a visual timer (links to Amazon Canada) so they know when they will be done. (Resting is hard!)

Shop Visual Timers on Amazon US

Close out of class: I believe using the same activity each time to close out class is helpful for the children to transition out of yoga time and back to the rest of their day. It can be a simple phrase that you say each time or a short little poem or song.

That’s it! I hope this gave you some ideas for your next yoga class, or even to add some aspects of yoga in your classroom. Little yoga breaks through the school day are super beneficial (please note, I am not suggesting teachers who are not certified in Yoga teach Yoga asana or yoga theories etc. Some of the activities I provide above could be used through the day though and don’t require yoga certification to administer). Leave me any questions you have in the comments below.

Namaste