Have you had that proud mama elation of doing your best only to oscillate into losing it shortly after that? I admit it happened to me yesterday. Having recently enjoyed a lovely anniversary night out with my hubby (the first time in six months), I thought I’d struck the perfect balance of staying on an even keel.
I was coming off skillfully hosting the third weekend of house guests, pulling off a whirlwind road trip while carpooling to all my kids’ activities, and maintaining structure at home. All this was sandwiched between a plethora of play dates, a few side jobs, home improvement projects, and a new puppy.
It was smooth sailing until I had to crack the whip to get things done before the morning’s play date. I had a trashed house, an overflowed fish tank, dog pee on the floor, two cranky boys to contend with, and an hour before friends arrived. Chores consisted of a repetition of requests, commands, and threats sprinkled with a few bribes followed by what I call “the last resort,” aka yelling.
This was not the yoga mom moment of my dreams, but as I began my rant, I reminded myself to hold my tongue, breathe, and create space before any further escalation of emotion occurred. Later, when I was practicing yoga alone, it dawned on me that when something strikes a chord, it’s up to me to strike a balance and pose as needed.
This is where we can all support ourselves in this mission to find a place of calm and connection amidst the chaos. Here are my top five easy yoga poses to do either in a sequence or whenever you realize you need a break. In each pose, seek balance by connecting with your breath and your kids and work to cultivate a calm place. This is especially useful in contending with your own “mom moments.”
1. Mountain Pose
If you learn no other pose, the mountain would be enough just for the effects of proper alignment, which can be the difference between coming out of pain or not. So many of us in modern life spend our time hunched over our devices, driving in a car for work, or our mom taxis.
The mountain pose can be found in all other poses as the cornerstone of all the other poses. Load-bearing joints should align, which means ankles are under the hips, stacked under the shoulders, with the head lightly perched on a tall spine. The four corners of the feet are rooted down so the inner ankles lift, the shins hug the bones, the knees broaden to the sides, and the front of the thighs drawback. Engage the muscles from the pubis to the belly button and lift the sternum, chest, and arm bones while engaging the shoulder blades easily down the back. This is a good grocery store line standing pose or when socializing to stay grounded in the moment.
2. Tree Pose
Get grounded when you feel scattered, lonely, or pulled in different directions. Use the above alignment cues of the mountain pose and bring one leg to the inseam of the standing leg either above or below the knee (not on it!). Draw your hip points (bony knobs on either side of your naval) towards each other as you allow the inner thigh of the lifted leg to rotate externally.
Imagine roots on your feet grounding you deep into the earth in one direction and above your head another line of energy reaching the sun. Fix your eye-level gaze on a single point and draw your belly into your spine for balance. Notice what it is like to feel centered and connected to the life force of your breath and all the life on the earth where you stand.
3. Legs Up the Wall
Stave off varicose veins, ease tired legs, and get mental clarity and healing benefits even if you have active back pain in this one. Picture a half-empty jug of milk flipped upside down. Glug, glug, glug, the milk is reversed so that what is on the bottom shifts to the top, like what happens in this pose to the blood flow in your body. Enter and exit this pose from a fetal position with your seat at the wall to avoid strain. Try support under the seat for added comfort, and breathe in the healing benefits in the waterfall pose.
4. Warrior One
This standing pose has a two-for-one benefit. From the waist up, you get a heart-opener as you raise your arms and arch your mid-back. You get a full leg stretch from the hips to the heels from the waist down. This is a good pose for runners or before any cardio activity. Remember to articulate the mountain pose cues and breathe to your full lung capacity as you steer your hips forward, always to the general shape of the pose, adapting it for your body.
5. Leg Forward Fold
Rounding out the sequence is a calming, cooling forward fold acting as an inversion while opening the groins and inner thighs in a posterior stretch. Rest your head on a support to calm an agitated mind. Keep your shoulders engaged on your back to avoid slouching or adding tension to the neck and shoulders.
Hi Jackie,
This is a great post. I like the Legs Up The Wall.