My Yoga Journey
My journey with yoga began over fifteen years ago. As a high school teacher and tutor living and working in the city, I found myself working long hours (often beginning the school day around 7am and finishing up my last tutoring session around 10pm) with little time to relax or ground myself in a way that was healthy for my mind and body. I had been an avid runner since high school, but, with such a busy work schedule, I was struggling to find any time for reflection or stillness. I took my first yoga class in 2007 in hopes of getting “the most for my money” during a three-week trial that allowed new students to take an unlimited amount of classes during that time period. After the first week, I had discovered my love of yoga and realized the practice would always have a place in my life.
In the years that followed, I took a variety of yoga/pilates/barre classes at different studios - yin by candlelight, bikram accompanied by techno music, even acroyoga where I experienced savasana in a hammock. However, it was not until I became pregnant with my son in the Fall of 2018 that I felt I had truly found my place in the world of yogis. Prenatal yoga classes allowed me a safe space to not only stretch, meditate and exercise, but also provided me with an unexpected opportunity to bond with other women in the exact same position. Yoga had become such an integral part of my life and, as a newly pregnant woman, I was connecting with my body (and a baby!) in a brand new way. Prenatal yoga helped me to navigate the unknowns of this transition, both mentally and physically.
When my son was born in June of the following year, I grappled with all of the new mom fears, coupled with lack of sleep and feelings of isolation. When he was eight weeks old, I attended my a Mommy and Baby yoga class at the same studio where I had taken my first yoga class twelve years prior. There was not one familiar face in the room, but the unity I felt among these strangers who were also new moms was exactly what I needed and way more than I had expected to find that day. During my maternity leave, I had the privilege of attending these classes twice a week with my son…until the pandemic began. Looking back, I know it was impossible for me to fully appreciate what these Mommy and Baby yoga classes added to my day-to-day life (and my journey navigating motherhood) until I no longer was able to attend them.
For this reason, I decided to become a yoga teacher, specializing in prenatal, postnatal, baby and child yoga classes. While attending the Mommy and Me classes with my son during his first months of life, he was given the opportunity to watch and interact with other babies close in age to him, while also learning valuable techniques to increase fine/gross motor and verbal skills, movement, and socialization. The teacher spoke extensively about ways new mothers can listen to their bodies in order to allow postnatal exercise to work for them in an individualized way, as well as methods to repair the pelvic floor. Though my time in these classes was shorter than I had hoped, what I learned and gained during my time there inspired me to want to give others this opportunity to connect and find strength in this type of supportive environment.
In the three years since the pandemic, I have left the city, moved to a wonderful neighborhood in Oceanside, NY and had a second baby. When my daughter was born, I struggled to find the regular structure that I found in the city with offerings of Mommy and Me classes. My goal is to provide caregivers and children with a mindful pathway to connect with others and support their own health and wellness at the same time.
Wherever your practice finds you today - any place in the world, any season of life, any intention in your heart - may you find the peace you deserve.
Namaste.
Tara