Post #2

Why this?

We have one 20 month old little girl, named Mia.  Mia is a perfect peach.  She is sweet, gentle (for the most part), loving & caring.  She is extremely emotionally sensitive though.  She buckles at the word 'no'.  Quick, regular daily changes send her into a whirlwind of tears and cries.  The Dr. simply calling her name makes her melt down to the point where a check up is simply watching her turn bright pink while the Dr. attempts to weigh her.   Now some may feel this is a regular toddler we're dealing with - and in most probability she is a regular toddler.  But when you can't switch her from one shopping buggy to another because the first one was broken without her completely flipping out, something has to change!

We are expecting our second child soon - 8 weeks soon! The emotional stress is causing me to stop gaining a sufficient amount of weight for a baby.  Something had to change. 

I was watching Anderson Cooper's new show.  He was interviewing mothers and fathers who chose not to medicate their ADHD children, in lieu of home schooling, relaxation techniques and other non-medical treatments to help them cope with their emotions and actions.

I was also lead to Pinterest's time out glitter jars - where a woman's blog suggested that you could use these jars not only for time outs for being naughty, but also for emotional down time, and even anger. 

Children are very visual, and these jars filled with glitter & water soothe the child into a more rational place where they can think clearer about their actions and emotions. 

So where does Yoga come in?  I have been practicing Yoga before Lulu Lemon was popular.   I was inspired by a magazine article about a girl who suffered SAD.  I also suffer from SAD many winters, so I decided to try her Yoga Sun Salute each morning to see if it made a difference in my moods.  It helped and so I continued to practice Yoga on and off, both in studio and alone at home. 

Years later I still practice at home, and even used that amazing belly breath (Pranayama) in labour and delivery - going sans pain relievers or epidurals. 

I went to baby & mama Yoga (which frankly I found conflicted with any type of sleep pattern Mia had) but I did enjoy the time and breathing and easy stretching.

 Now I practice at home, again as it is easier than dragging a toddler out and finding a place where she will be happy while I try to relax! I am finding though, Mia loves doing Yoga with me! She follows the arm movements, whips my butt at Downward Doggy and loves to listen to the, albeit cheesy, music I play to soothe myself into that deep(ish) meditation. 

Hopefully I will be able to convince us to keep calm, relax when we're feeling overwhelmed and this will be a start for both of us to a newer heights in life.