Over the past two years I have seen how my sister struggled to find some time to exercise and focus on her health. With a new born child to care for, exercise seemed like a luxury, and any minute that was spared, was used for showering or scrolling through social media accounts in order for her to feel a resemblance of a connection with the outside world. From what I have seen, you mothers are literally troopers and I honestly don’t know how you do it!

That being said, I truly believe that you owe it to yourselves to a take a few minutes each day to care for your bodies and wellbeing. Since time is a valuable resource, I think yoga could be the perfect answer!

So for all mothers with new born children, or for those whose children have just started school or returned back to it, here are just a few reasons why yoga might be the right thing for you

1- There are many styles to pick from depending on your needs

The exercise form of yoga contains a very large number of poses, and comes in many styles. Some styles are more dynamic in nature and require more muscular effort, while other styles are more subtle and soft. The good news is that depending on your needs (toning, strengthening, stretching, or breathing) you can pick any style that suits you and you can do for as little as 15 or 30 minutes a day. Sun Salutations for example are an excellent time-efficient sequence that softly stretches the entire body.

Let’s say that you wake up in one particular morning with very tense or tight shoulders and you only have 20 minutes to fit in a workout, you can easily find a sequence that targets your shoulders that day. The same applies to all other body parts.

Yoga asana is an excellent form of exercise, but it is also a great way to quiet the mind

 

2- You can go to a gym or practice from home

If you have time to go to a gym or a studio, then definitely do it! Having a teacher to guide you through a class is a wonderful experience. If you do not have the time to go to a gym or  a studio, you can find many sequences online. Classes range from 10 to 90 minutes and the variety is huge. The ultimate free resource is www.youtube.com but there are other websites with monthly subscriptions such as www.yogaglo.com and www.coddyapp.com.

3- Yoga is not only for the body. It’s for the mind as well

Yoga asana is an excellent form of exercise, but it is also a great way to quiet the mind. Breathing is an integral part of any yoga class or sequence, and a good teacher is a one who will help you breathe properly before starting to move. Through breathing you will learn how to reduce all the chatter that takes place in your mind, and ultimately find that happy mind-body balance.

The good news is that depending on your needs you can pick any style that suits you and you can do for as little as 15 or 30 minutes a day.

4- Savasana can possibly be the best 10 minutes of the day

Anyone who has taken a yoga class will relate to this. Savasana is the final relaxation pose that takes place during a yoga class. It is usually 5 to 10 minutes long and can either be done in silence or to relaxing music in the background. I don’t know what it is the secret of Savasana, but it is possibly the best treat after any yoga class. It is so relaxing, that some people sleep during it (I know I did, once or twice!).