{"id":15007,"date":"2023-06-06T20:09:53","date_gmt":"2023-06-06T20:09:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/?p=323046"},"modified":"2023-06-06T20:09:53","modified_gmt":"2023-06-06T20:09:53","slug":"take-a-deep-breath-the-yoga-of-parenting-with-sarah-ezrin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/06\/take-a-deep-breath-the-yoga-of-parenting-with-sarah-ezrin\/","title":{"rendered":"Take a Deep Breath: The Yoga of Parenting with Sarah Ezrin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most parents have a story about their toddler that concludes with an emergency room visit, but not everyone can say they were able to remain (mostly) calm throughout the experience. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"yoga<\/p>\n

\u201cI 100 percent credit my yoga practice for staying (mostly) calm when my toddler stuck a coat hanger through his eyelid (!),\u201d Sarah Ezrin writes in her new book, <\/span>The Yoga of Parenting<\/a>: 10 Yoga-Based Practices to Help You Stay Grounded, Connect with Your Kids, and Be Kind to Yourself.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

And although her yoga practice looked very different before she was a mother of two\u2014what was once a two-hour vinyasa practice maybe now looks more like a few minutes on a bolster\u2014Sarah, a world-renowned yoga teacher, assures us, it\u2019s ok.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can remind ourselves that yoga is not about the poses but how we work with our mind, then perhaps we can be a lot kinder and more realistic about what our practice looks like these days,\u201d she writes. <\/span><\/p>\n

To Sarah, parenting <\/span>is<\/span><\/i> yoga. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe root of yoga is really about connection (the root word, <\/span>yuj<\/span><\/i>, means \u2018to connect\u2019),\u201d Sarah explains. \u201cThat means that anything we do with a focused mind and whole heart is yoga.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Yoga of Parenting <\/span><\/i>is not a handbook on parenting, but rather an abundant well of resources<\/a>. It\u2019s a deeply personal reflection of Sarah\u2019s experience as a parent and longtime yoga teacher, and a must-read for parents and future parents alike. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"sarah<\/span><\/p>\n

Sarah asks her readers: How can we fill our children\u2019s cups if we cannot fill our own?<\/span><\/p>\n

Self-care is self-preservation, and as a parent, you must create the space to take care of yourself if you want to show up whole heartedly for your kids. Sarah emphasizes the importance of creating healthy boundaries, because sometimes saying no to something means saying yes to yourself. <\/span><\/p>\n

For Sarah, it\u2019s all about her early morning routine. She chooses to wake up before the rest of her family so she can meditate, write, enjoy her tea hot, and maybe even cuddle her dog. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGetting up early gives me time to fill my cup,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sarah writes with honesty, compassion, and a keen awareness of yogic philosophy, helping parents slow down<\/a> before reacting to their children. As she says, \u201cpresence = awareness.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

She grounds the book in personal reflections and experiences from other parents, reminding us to take a deep breath, that we are not alone, and that we are perfectly imperfect. <\/span><\/p>\n

Parenthood is a yoga practice<\/a> and maybe even a spiritual experience. Because just like an inhale and an exhale, we learn to hold space for our children while simultaneously learning to let go. Yoga reminds us as parents that everything is temporary. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs our children change, we are asked to change, too,\u201d Sarah said. \u201cWatching our children grow up asks us to embrace the cycle of life and death over and over again while also letting go of resistance around those changes.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

\"cameron