Mums on Fire: Igniting Strength and Confidence Through Yoga
Welcome, fiery mums! In the whirlwind of motherhood, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and depleted. But within you lies a flame of strength and resilience waiting to be ignited. We often don’t recognise the strength we have as mums and how much we actually have capacity to do. We wear many hats as a mum’s but that often comes with lots of responsibilities that can sometimes be too much even for us. It’s important we realise the strength within us but also build the confidence to say no and look after ourselves when it gets overwhelming.
Join me on a transformative journey through yoga, where we'll stoke that inner fire, fuelling your sense of strength and confidence.
Embracing the Flames
In the chaos of daily life, it's crucial to pause and reconnect with yourself. It’s important to feel into every day how you feel and what you need. Sometimes we might just need some time out to rest and look after ourselves. It’s not a failure quite the opposite as you are honouring and listening to what your body really needs. After doing this you will have more energy and feel ready to take on the demands of your daily life.
Through yoga, you can use grounding poses that anchor you in the present moment, allowing you to tap into your inner strength.
Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose): Lie down on your back and bend your knees, bringing the soles of the feet together to touch. Allow the knees to open to the sides, creating a diamond shape with the legs. Place one hand on your heart and the other on your belly. Close your eyes and focus on the rise and fall of your breath, feeling supported and nurtured.
Vrksasana (Tree Pose): Stand tall and shift your weight onto one foot. Place the sole of the other foot on the inner thigh or calf of the standing leg, avoiding the knee. Bring your hands to heart center or extend them overhead like branches. Find a focal point to help with balance and breathe deeply, feeling grounded yet reaching for the sky.
Tadasana (Mountain Pose): Stand tall with feet hip-width apart, grounding firmly into the earth. Roll the shoulders back, lift the chest, and relax the arms by your sides. Close your eyes and focus on your breath, feeling rooted and steady like a mountain.
Balasana (Child's Pose): Kneel on the mat, big toes touching, and sit back on your heels. Extend the arms forward and lower the forehead to the mat, resting it on the ground. Breathe deeply into the back body, surrendering any tension and finding comfort in this nurturing pose.
Igniting Passion
Motherhood often requires self-sacrifice, but it's essential to nurture your passions and desires. As mum’s we often put our family first and often forget our own needs and wants. It’s a busy day to day life especially when the kids are young, but to survive and thrive it’s important to look after our own passions and dreams.
For me I’ve practiced yoga for many years, when I felt one day that I wanted to grow my practice deeper, learn more and teach others. Life was busy with a young child and a husband with a chronic illness. It wasn’t easy to fulfill my dream, but I was determined to make it work and create something for myself and that I was passionate about. It was great to meet likeminded people and share my interest with others, a real sense of fulfilment. I encourage you to think about your own dreams, goals and what ignites you, it’s so important to not forget about you in your busy mum life.
Through dynamic flows and heart-opening postures, you can reignite your inner flame, infusing you with vitality and purpose and make your dreams a reality.
Here are some great heart-opening poses that can benefit you as a mum.
Camel Pose (Ustrasana): Kneel on the mat with knees hip-width apart, and with hands on the lower back, gently arch the back and lean back, reaching for the heels with hands. Camel pose stretches the entire front of the body, opening the chest and throat.
Fish Pose (Matsyasana): Lie on your back with legs extended and arms resting alongside your body. Pressing your forearms and elbows into the ground, lift your chest toward the ceiling, arching your back and resting the crown of your head on the ground.
Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana): Lie on your stomach, place your palms beside your chest, and gently lift your chest off the ground while keeping your elbows close to your body. Cobra pose stretches the chest, shoulders, and abdomen, improving posture and relieving tension in the back.
Cultivating Confidence
Parenthood can challenge even the most confident individuals, but within you lies an unwavering strength. With empowering poses and affirmations, will help you stand tall, radiating confidence in every aspect of your life.
Being a mum has its ups and downs and some days can be both challenging and rewarding. Sometimes we can be so tired, so we give into the demands of our kids, or we just have no energy to argue and discuss the topic of the day. It’s in these moments we must dig deep to find our strength and be confident in our values and morals we stand for. No one has said it’s easy to be a parent and it doesn’t come with a book of what you should do. You have to use your own judgement and be true to your beliefs.
Using affirmations in your daily life can help you feel more motivated and empowered as a mum and building your confidence. I love having affirmation cards on my desk at work, in my wallet, car and on the fridge. These act as a reminder that you are not alone, and you can do it. It gives you a positive reminder that you are doing a great job an encourage you to get on with your daily routine.
Harnessing Balance
Finding balance amidst the chaos of motherhood is key to maintaining your inner fire. Through grounding and balancing sequences, you will be guided towards harmony, allowing you to navigate life's challenges with grace and poise.
Meditation is a great way to stop and ground yourself both in the morning, evening and during the day. I find this helps me to kickstart the day or wind down at the end of the busy day, it makes such a difference to how I feel and show up. To ground yourself and reconnect with your surroundings during the day is the key to keep the balance in life. We are not robots and can’t work non-stop for hours without breaking down or feel exhausted. We have to have an equal balance between work and wellbeing to thrive and live a good balanced lifestyle. If we forget about ourselves and our needs, there is no balance, and we will resent all our tasks and chores instead of enjoying ourselves.
Rising Stronger Together
As mothers, we're part of a powerful sisterhood, bound by our shared experiences and resilience. Through supportive practices and community connection, we'll lift each other up, fuelling the flames of strength and solidarity.
It’s important to find your tribe of mum’s that you connect with and that can fuel your energy when it’s low and who you can celebrate the wins with. Together we can do greatness and encourage each other on the way. When life is tough, we can support each other and be there to listen and give a hug.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”.
Helen Keller
Mums on Fire, your journey to strength and confidence begins now. Through the transformative power of yoga, you'll discover the untapped reservoirs of resilience within you, igniting a flame that will burn brightly in every aspect of your life. Together, let's embrace our inner fire and shine as the fierce, empowered women we were meant to be.
