The Maze of Motherhood

It’s Friday afternoon.  Dozens of children are swirling about, running, jumping, laughing…Disney music blares as parents shout to be heard above all the commotion.  I am sitting in an aluminum and canvas chair, normally found poolside or in the beauty of a quiet garden on a summer afternoon, with nearly the same amount of peace.
On [...]

Stress Prevention & Relief: The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise (FindCounseling.com)

“Many people exercise to boost confidence along with reducing anxiety and stress, all of which contribute to psychological health and well-being.  So, exercise can be viewed as a preventative or wellness activity that may actually help prevent physical and emotional conditions.  By the way, even short bursts of activity help individuals feel better, which means [...]

Happy, Helpful or Just Plain Hilarious!

If only I had several more hours in a day…I might stand a chance at getting through the stack of new books I’ve ordered or received as gifts through the holidays.    Currently I have a New Year’s Resolution bet with my husband to lose ten pounds.  If I win, (and I will!), the prize [...]

In 2010, Listen to your Inner Child

It’s a new year.  A new beginning.  Time to reflect on your past and make plans for the future.  2009 brought The PranaMama to life, as I began to listen to my heart and do more for myself than ever before.   As a result, I am a happier mother than I was one year [...]

Off the Mat Moms: Santosha (Contentment)

“You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers.” -the advertising slogan of RadioShack, a national consumer electronics chain
Oh, how I wish being a parent were only as confusing as buying a new digital camera or hooking up a DVD player to a television.
From that very first copy of What to Expect when you’re Expecting (Heidi Murkoff), to [...]

Christmas Presence

OK, I admit it.  For all of my thoughts about wellness and suggestions for ways we moms can make time for ourselves, this month finds me feeling like a failure.  I’m totally not living up to my own standards.
Three weeks ago I wrote about Tapas (discipline), and vowed to train for a New Year’s Day [...]

Be True to Yourself During the Holidays and Beyond

Everyday I make connections with my true self, constantly learning about who that sometimes crazed, sometimes serene person is.  My goal is to inspire and provoke the very same thoughts in moms everywhere.  This very blog, my personal project and first step into a brighter world, has made me think about myself and the world [...]

Off the Mat Moms-Lesson 4: Tapas (Discipline)

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, it’s time to get down to business.  Although I try to avoid thinking about the holidays until after the four-day weekend is over, I admit, in recent days I’ve made mental gift lists, touched base with relatives to plan get-togethers, volunteered for the school’s Christmas craft fair and attended [...]

Reflections of Gratitude

If there is one thing that makes teaching yoga to children easy, it’s a holiday.  As a former kids instructor, I enjoyed lesson planning immensely, perhaps sometimes more than carrying out the lesson in the studio or classroom!  (It must have been the creative side of me eeking its way out to the world)  Nothing [...]

Baby’s Day Out

This week, I’ve got babies on the brain.  Two good friends are due any day now, and another just told me she is expecting in 2010.  Every celebrity magazine on the newsstand is showcasing Hollywood moms and moms-to-be, as I walked in downtown Portsmouth NH yesterday, soaking in the warm November sun, it seemed every [...]

I Get By With a Little Help from My Friends

A 10 a.m. request to cover a story happening at 4 p.m.  My son’s delayed afternoon nap.  The car running with the keys locked inside.  A sudden stomach bug.  A construction detour.  A job interview.
These are just a few of the many occurrences which have led my friends and neighbors to my side within the [...]

Off the Mat Moms: Lesson 3 Asteya

Last year, my good friend Carrie was expecting a baby.  She and her husband John were over the moon with excitement, and couldn’t wait to dive head first into their new role as parents.   John comes from a big family, and as the first to marry, his parents had been asking bluntly “so when are [...]

Off the Mat Moms – Lesson 2: Satya

“Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth.” — Benjamin Disraeli, Former Prime Minister  of England
One day last month, I had one of those eye-opening parenting moments.
My daughter, a normally laid back child, had come home from school in a terrible mood.   Unlike most other days when she’d [...]

Run through the Rain!

A dear friend sent me this story today, and I wanted to pass it on to all of you.  (Because it was originally an email message, I feel it is the author’s intention to have it shared.)   It’s a wonderful lesson in awareness and living in the present moment, something I strive to do, [...]