Who Is The PranaMama?

Four little words — Who Is The PranaMama — appear prominently at the top, left side of this web site.  According to web gurus, this is the most visible area of a web site – a real estate gem on the World Wide Web.  The top left should be reserved for the most important information [...]

Breaking Out of The Comfort Zone

Facing the dilemma of what to write about tonight, it was going to be one of two possible topics.
One: a recent weekend getaway with friends and family to an area never before visited.  Two: a new recipe using tempeh, an ingredient never before introduced at my dinner table.
As I procastinated a bit, switching between the [...]

Keep Your Workout Simple! Real Tips from Real Runners (Runner’s World)

Sticking to any exercise regimen can be stressful.   For me, running is such a head game.  If I think too much about it, I worry – stressing about the very activity that is supposed to relieve tension and anxiety.    In addition to working through my own mindset, I struggle to schedule my workouts [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Oh, the Choices!

Today it happened.   I have tried to avoid it, tried to stick to my workouts and not let the holiday stress overtake me, but today, I was weak.  After an afternoon of retail giant overload, I began to resent my to-do list, and lost sight of the meaning of Christmas.  At 8:00 tonight, while [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Off the Mat Practice Makes us all Better Moms

Excuses, excuses…I could come up with at least a dozen right now.  Excuses of why I haven’t written a fresh post, why I haven’t been running as often, why my yoga mat is lonely in the dark basement which is my home practice area, why I haven’t cleaned my bathroom or put away my clean [...]

Are you an Alpha Mom or a Beta Mom?

I just found this great clip from The Today Show, discussing the differences between Alpha Moms (everything must be perfect!) and the Beta (Slacker) Mom (living in the moment, accepts that she cannot be perfect.). The women interviewed give wonderful insight into both worlds!
Which kind of mom are you? Which do you aspire [...]

A Peaceful Life through Yoga and Organization

As a follow-up to a previous post last month entitled “Bless This Mess,” The PranaMama is proud to welcome Professional Organizer and Author Lea Schneider as its first guest blogger.

Seated on my yoga mat, I inhaled deeply of the gentle scent of incense. Stretching, my vision moved across the shiny hardwood floor and [...]

Back-to-School Yoga – 10 minutes to Calm!

With many of the nation’s kids going back to school this week, it’s a great time to introduce yoga.  If your house is anything like mine, the kids have become quite used to staying up late, being lazy in the morning and having lots of opportunities to burn off excess energy outdoors and with their [...]

My Omazing Spaghetti Sauce

This weekend I made a mad dash to the grocery store without my usual menu and list in hand.   It’s impossible to shop and menu plan with the kids in tow, but I had an hour to myself, so I was able to wing it.   Fall had made an early arrival and it [...]

Mommy needs a Timeout!

Thank Goodness It’s Friday. The week flew by, but today is proving to be a challenge. My 4 1/2-year-old daughter has had a bossy, my-way-or-the-highway attitude all morning and nothing I say or do means a thing to her. This summer thing was fun for a while, but now I am definitely [...]

Magic Stones Help Calm Kids

Today was a  hot and humid summer day.   While trying to stay cool inside the house, I dug out a jar of small decorative stones for my nearly 2-year-old to play with.  I had forgotten about them, tucked deeply in the top of the playroom closet, waiting for him to outgrow the phase of [...]