Breath of Life

The dog has diarrhea, the baby has colic, and the toddler is in a food-throwing phase. Your car battery died yesterday, you’ve got deadlines at work and your beloved is leaving for a business trip tomorrow.

You could tear your hair out, flee the country, punch said beloved in the nose, or just sit down and cry. But wait—we have a better idea: yoga.

Most people know yoga is great for stretching and strengthening muscles and improving balance. And many yoga poses are designed to stretch and open up your shoulder, neck and upper back muscles—areas that may be stressed or tight from carrying a child or nursing an infant.

But those who teach and practice yoga say the mental health benefits are even more rewarding. Yoga is a great stress-reducer and source of relaxation. It can make you feel more calm and energetic, and motivate you to eat well and take better care of your body. 

As you are no doubt coming to understand, motherhood is not a sprint—it’s a marathon. Finding some time to nurture your own health and well-being can lead to a more balanced approach to life in general, not to mention a more patient and cheerful mommy for your kids.

If you live near the Byward Market, try the Upward Dog Yoga Centre, where you’ll find a wide variety of classes, including hatha, power, kundalini and yanumoga yoga, as well as prenatal and postnatal classes.

Santosha Yoga, with one location in Centretown and another in Westboro, also offers a great selection of yoga classes for adults of all levels—from hatha to kripalu, ashtanga, vinyasa and runners’ yoga—plus Baby & Me and kids’ yoga classes.

For the suburban set, we like Mountain Goat Yoga, with one location in Barrhaven and another in Kanata. Heading east, Orleans Yoga Shala offers ‘absolute beginners’ classes as well as classes in hatha, yin, power, ashtanga, kundalini and prenatal yoga, plus a Baby & Mom class.

Surround Circle Yoga in Old Ottawa South has classes for 8-11 and 5-10 year olds. At Club Yoga in New Edinborough, whole-family classes on Sunday mornings include arts and crafts, warm-ups, posture flows, mantra and meditation, story-telling, singing and dancing. (And if yoga can prevent parent tantrums, just imagine what it might do for your kids.)

If you’d like the yoga to come to you, Tanya Nash of o mamma moon is your yogini. Nash offers private yoga instruction, massage and support in a new mother’s home for the first six weeks after birth, as well as private or semi-private yoga sessions in families’ homes (or her home in Wellington Village). She specializes in classes for moms and children of all ages, and is comfortable addressing the particular needs of children with autism, Down’s Syndrome and ADHD.

Ready, set—tune out the chaos. Om…Om….Om….

Upward Dog
www.upwarddogyoga.com

Santosha Yoga
www.santoshayoga.com

Mountain Goat Yoga
www.mountaingoatyoga.com

Orleans Yoga Shala
www.oys.ca

Surround Circle Yoga
www.surroundcircleyoga.com

Club Yoga
www.clubyoga.ca

Tanya Nash – o mamma moon
omammamoon@gmail.com
(613) 325-9642