Living in the Moment

Parenting presents us with challenges and at times can really test our ability to stay cool, calm and collected. Just as we hit the 5-6 week mark our beautiful calm relaxed and easy going baby who never cried now awake to the world around her started becoming over stimulated easily and having trouble falling asleep in the evenings and then throughout the day. No longer a newborn we are now embarking on new stages of development which inevitably will bring new challenges (for her and us)- the first being this over stimulation and trouble settling. While I consider myself incredibly blessed as I am yet to experience this so called lack of sleep new parents are supposed to experience, at times I feel tired and after a long day of holding a baby close to me I want nothing more than to have a hot shower and do a bit of yoga and enjoy the calm quiet of the evening while my baby sleeps next to me. At the moment this doesn't always happen exactly as I would like which presents challenges for me, particularly when Dave is not home to help with dinner and India's bedtime routine and as a pair of cuddly arms for Mio while I have a shower.

In the times that I feel challenged I am thankful that I have my yoga practice (with all its infinite wisdom) to fall back on. The thing I have gained most from my yoga practice is the importance of living in the moment. Just as it is important to live in the moment and breathe through challenging yoga poses, it's important to breathe through challenging moments in our life.

We need to live fully in each moment no matter how uncomfortable. Rather than focusing on how much we would rather be doing something else we need to focus on embracing the moment and being there as a steady rock for our babies. Being anxious and unsettled with your mind elsewhere will do nothing to help your baby settle. Yogic breathing techniques can help to keep you calm and centred in those challenging moments. Breathing deep into your belly slowly in and out gives you something to focus on when your crying baby needs to be held close. There will be times when it seems that your baby will never settle but it's important to remember that your baby will settle and that nothing lasts forever, and that if nothing else through calm breathing you have been there fully for your baby who really needs you.