Before I became a busy mama, I would practice yoga about 4/5 times a week for 2+ hours on some days. I would come home from work, roll out my mat and lose myself in my practice, and when I wasn’t doing my at-home practice, I was in somebody’s studio getting my flow on.
Nine months ago, that all changed, because I welcomed my precious baby boy,TJ, into the world! Between new-mom life, balancing a demanding career, wedding planning and making our newly purchased house a home, I have to be exceptionally intentional about my yoga practice.
Here are 3 ways to maintain a yoga practice for new moms.
1. Work with your partner to schedule exercise/ self-care days.
My fiancé and I have always tried to maintain a healthy lifestyle, so we already knew that we’d have to make some adjustments to our workout schedules when our bundle arrived. We both work full-time, so our son attends daycare, and we alternate pick-up/drop-off days to ensure we both have time to exercise .
This is our real-life schedule: One week I’ll be on daycare duty M,W,F and then I’ll head yoga on T and Th. The following week, we’ll alternate days and I’ll go to yoga M, W,F and have daycare duty on T and Th.
We try our best to schedule time for fitness on weekends as well! I’m currently scoping out mommy and me yoga opportunities for additonal bonding!
If you’re a single parent, see if you can create a similar schedule with a friend or loved one.
2. Practice yoga at home.
Exercising at home has always been a preference of mine, and it has worked in my favor on many occasions when I’m pressed for time or want to cutback on spending and opt-out of attending a yoga studio for the month. Another added bonus is that I can either wake up early and get my workout on (I’ve set a goal to become a morning person—so far no Bueno! LOL) or I can squeeze in an evening/nighttime yoga flow.
There are several free and low-cost resources like yoga apps and YouTube channels with ondemand yoga classes that you can check out! Even if you only have 15 minutes to spare will baby takes a cat nap, treat yourself! Every little bit helps!
Check out my free shoulder-opening yoga tutorial, here!
3. Do lunchtime yoga.
I am an habitual evening fitness person. Sometimes, I can squeeze in a good morning flow, but evenings are my preferred time to get my yoga on. However, that all changed one day when I realized my daily routine became working late, rushing home, to cook dinner and have a smidget of family time before getting baby ready for bed. Yoga was nowhere in the mix!
Yoga is one of the best forms of self-care that I’ve ever practiced, and I knew that I had to make it a priority for my own wellbeing. So, I packed a bag of clothes that I keep handy in my car and go to occasional lunchtime classes.
These three tips have worked for me and I hope they can inspire you to cultivate a plan that suits your lifestly, too. The most important thing is that you treat yourself to some yoga on a consistent basis, mama!
What are your go-to tips for getting in a yoga workout while balancing mom life?
