How yoga can help you be a great parent


Originally Posted 11 October 2016

Do you find yourself in situations where you’re shouting at your kids and don’t event know why anymore? Well, you probably know why you’re shouting but maybe you think afterwards that it really wasn’t necessary…?

I completely get it. I’m not naturally a “shouty” person but since I’ve had my kids who are now 2 and 4 years old I seem to be constantly barking out orders and finding myself often very close to throwing a tantrum myself!

Can yoga really help me to become a better parent?

You can probably relate to this scene which seems to be a daily battle in our house and it’s just a small example of many many different scenarios….

So we’re getting ready to go to school and I’ve already told my 4 year old three times to put her shoes on:

Me: “Get your shoes on please we have to go”…

4 year old: “Mama, I need a pen and draw a flower for my friend”…

Me: “No we’re not drawing now, put your shoes on!”

4 year old: “Mama! I’m playing!”

Me (getting a bit hot and sweaty now): “Put your shoes on, we’ll be late for school!”

4 year old: “… in a minute!”

Me: “Put your shoes on NOW!!!!!”

4 year old: “I need a wee…”

Me: ?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!

Depending on my patience level that day this can continue for a while and usually ends with some kind of bribery… so of course we get to school somehow but inside I feel all sorts of things… frustration, guilt for shouting, guilt for handing out treats before school, why didn’t I make her go to the toilet before etc etc

It’s fine if it’s a one off but when you’ve got this every single day, your toddler has done a poo in the midst of all of this or has drawn on the sofa in the meantime, you know you have a million things to do and you won’t be able to do any of them because you’ll be wiping up spilled drinks or just generally be a slave to your children…. you quickly reach for a chocolate bar as that is the only thing that will keep you going at this moment…

So how can yoga help you with all of this? Can it maybe transform your kids into peaceful little angels?

Sorry, probably not but it can help YOU! Think of it like a toolbox. It can make you stronger physically and mentally and give you tools that you can reach for during the day to stay sane… I don’t necessarily mean calm, I mean stay centred, stay you… rather than turning into an angry fire spitting dragon.

What is in the yoga tool box?

  • Breathing exercises 

Just very simple breathing exercises, ujjayi breath or even counting in for four counts counting out for six counts will help you to calm down. Taking a deep breath is so important and it’s something I’ve been teaching my four year old daughter since she knew how to breathe without spitting or blowing raspberries!

I was so proud when she came home the other day and told me that her friend was crying and she told her to breathe in and breathe out to calm down! It’s something that works every single time and if it doesn’t work for her straight away then at least I will get calmer just by breathing together.

  • Knowing how to get a strong and healthy body

Yoga is good for your posture, your muscles and joints and your overall well-being. Yoga will strengthen your body, you will feel more energised and you will be able to keep up with your kids!

The stronger you feel, the better you feel in your own body the stronger you can be for your family!

Yoga teaches you body awareness, it will make you stronger and more flexible not only physically but also mentally.

  • Relaxation techniques

Yes you can learn how to relax and it’s not easy! Relaxing in a productive way rather than resorting to alcohol and passing out in front of the TV can make a big difference. Even just a few minutes of Savasana can have really powerful benefits.

  • Bonding time with your children

I’m a big fan of including my children in my yoga practice. Not only because if I didn’t then I wouldn’t be able to practise at all but mainly because I love spending time with them! And I love sharing what I love with my kids. Kids will love every opportunity that they can get to climb on top of you and they will start to copy you.

Your kids see you as a role model and you want them to grow up to healthy adults who look after themselves, who have strong bodies and good posture. You want them to feel great about themselves and know how to stay strong and healthy…

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  1. Great post Christine, I use Ujayi breathing a lot when I need to calm myself down before throwing a wobble at the kids, and I find that when they are squabbling like crazy before bedtime if I do a headstand it calms me down and stops them in their tracks! Looking forward to our Instagram challenge!

  2. Ooh! I’ve seen this post just at the right time! I’ve been thinking about starting some kind of yoga or pilates class for a while now, I think I could benefit from it. I’m definitely up for the Instagram challenge! Count me in 🙂 #sharewithme

  3. I really should start doing yoga to just relax and zen a bit more. Especially being 14 weeks pregnant with a 21 month old. It’s something I’ve always been interested in and your post has really helped me to understand it a bit more, think I might look into it a little more and take it up. Let’s hope it helps.
    #ShareWithMe

    Lex

  4. This post is great – we should do so much more yoga as a family, you are right it has so many benefits.

    Also, I’d love to do this challenge, so I will join in!

    M XX #thelist

  5. This is the story of my life. Ever since I had my baby girl my patience and tolerance level has gone from 100% to 0% (10% on a good day!) and yoga has helped me a little but not enough. I think I need to practice a little more at home but so hard with all the distractions! I’m going to try and join in the challenge too – hopefully it’ll help me regain my patience haha 🙂 #thelist

  6. The chAllenge is helping my patience not! Great post Christine Thanks for linking to the #THAT FRIDAY LINKY come back next week please

  7. I love the idea of Yoga, but I’m not sure I’m flexible enough! I’ve had a personal trainer for the past four weeks who says I need to work on my core strength so maybe I should give yoga a go. Thanks for linking up to #ThatFridayLinky

  8. Glad I came across this site, I am always so stressed and felt yoga was the best way to tackle this! Unsure how it would help/affect me though as I have joint hyper mobility

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