I was talking to a fellow yoga teacher and mama friend the other day and she asked me, “How do you do things with your little one at home since you can’t use help?”
I immediately thought of my yoga practice and how much it has shifted and changed over the years since the birth of my daughter, and yet, I continue to practice daily, despite the perceived interruptions. And that is the thing, they are only interruptions when I perceived them to be. The truth is there is nothing other than this moment, and non-dualistic perspective gives us the opportunity to see all things as moving parts of our SELF.
So, she had a great question.
How do you continue to do things without the help that you might be used to?
For the last 4 years I have raised my daughter as a solo mom for the majority of our experiences and I have traveled the 
world, run international yoga retreats, ran several different facets of wellness businesses, AND she has been right there, the whole entire time. When she was younger, I strapped her to me and I practiced yoga wearing her! I did a lot of things wearing her. That’s just one thing that you can do. It’s great core work and great for baby!
I have hired help and used the help of the daycare centers at gyms when I taught abroad and locally. For the majority of the time I am alone with my daughter and I love it. But, when this pandemic first hit and gyms were shut down, all of the sudden those few hours where I could get acupuncture or take a sauna were gone. It DID take a few weeks to adjust to for both of us!! My daughter missed playtime with kids her age. We still prevailed. We found new things to do together, which I am forever grateful for. After those few weeks passed and I started to really relish in the fact that I was working less and had more time to be present with her. We are in a groove now. One that I am seriously grateful for.
So, we adapt. We have this insatiable ability as humans to adapt to new situations and environments over time. We can choose to make the best of it or not. I suggest taking the high road here. This takes mental diligence.
It has not always been easy to let go of the way that I think things should be done, or that hour long “Uninterrupted,” yoga practice, but when I surrender to the beauty of this sacred DANCE of life that I get to participate in, I get to do all of the things that I enjoy + household chores with a sense of joy and ease.
I set the intention every single day to co-create a day that not only nurtures our minds and bodies, but also, our souls.
I pray every morning to Divine to please keep me open to the miracles He/She has in store for me today.
When I do this, I am blown away by the little things. My daughter’s smile. The leaves rustling in the breeze. The smell of fresh air. The sun shine or the rain. It’s all incredible.
I also whole heartedly believe that when I ask God for guidance in the way that I see my day, I am always given the opportunity to see the ease through out it all. Divine gives us the opportunity to see Heaven on Earth all of the time. The question is, do you want to see it?
Takeaways on “How to do things with your little ones at home & no help.”
- Remaining flexible and open to a new kind of day.
- Staying open to the beautiful new ways of being.
- Integrating my children with my day.
- Remaining in witness to the miracles in each moment.
- Remembering that we are human.
- If your children take naps, use that time to do something for yourself.
- When your children go to bed at night, take an hour to do self-care.
- Take a deep breath.
- Ask Divine to show you the reality of this moment.
- Smile more.
- They are only this age once.
- You can do this.
- Talk to other parents who might be in the same boat! Connecting has this incredible ability to help us feel not so alone in our experiences, which can be very cathartic!! Community, even if it’s remote, is so important.
- Things are always changing so how can you adapt and raise up your vibration to meet this excellent new change?
- Stay grounded in LOVE and be buoyed by the Divine Spirit.
- Don’t forget to laugh… at yourself, at each other. It’s most important.
Just as the certainty that life is always changing, our yoga practice will, too! Remaining open to the change is what’s key here. If we become attached to some facet of our practice, we may become distressed. Yoga is meant to help you let GO of what was and welcome what IS. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that what IS is just as incredible as what was, because the core of Divine is in each moment as it is and THAT is the only thing that never changes. Are you willing to remain open to that JOY within this moment as it is?
In love and light,
Alana Roach
Founder of Explorations of Self
Some signs you may be on the verge of burn-out.
Even if it’s a couple of days, take time to respite.
to say NO to that dinner party on Thursday night if you don’t really want to go. Allow your calendar to have to space to breathe. Some of the best experiences I have ever had were when I had not scheduled them. They happened because I created space for The Universe to deliver an experience. Now ask yourself: If I only had 6 months to live, what would I be doing? Gaining perspective on what truly matters will help you, overtime, refine your priorities. If there are things you can immediately shift and let go of, ask yourself: Why am I holding on to this? If it’s a career shift or something that may take time to shift, ask the Universe to provide you with clarity on how to make this attainable. Make a list of tiny steps you can take daily towards this great vision. In the mean time, know that everything you are doing is contributing to the bigger picture.
opportunities, getting things done, and taking care of others. However, when it comes to receiving, they have a major block. If that’s you… listen. From my own experience here. It takes a village. It just does. Every single person you see out there thriving has a team. Allow yourself to receive support and love from your community. Allow yourself to receive love and support from your Creator. The Universe yearns to provide for you. It will come in many forms when you allow it to come in. Practicing receiving. The next time someone gives you a compliment, say, “Thank you,” and breathe that compliment in. The next time someone wants to help you with your groceries to your car say, “Ok.” Allow. You deserve support, everyone does. The smallest acts of allowing can make huge differences in your life.
I am so happy that we were able to do this trip together. It brought us all closer together. My daughter will never be this age again and I savor every moment of it.
Author: Alana Roach, Founder of Explorations of Self, International Yoga and Surf Retreat Leader & Teacher, Board Certified Integrative Nutrition Expert, writer, poet, mindful eating & living coach, lifestyle guru, mother, martial arts/bjj/qi gong/tai chi, artist, singer, Law of Attraction, lover of life
I re-launched EOS’s website in 2012 as a travel, yoga, and blog business. This is when I moved to Costa Rica, and taught my first yoga-retreats. This site in particular holds a very special place in my heart. This is when the pieces of my life’s purpose puzzle started to really come together. I was putting my visions into fruition. I wasn’t just thinking about living my purpose and passion, I was living it. I am tearing up right now even reflecting on this period of my life. Do you understand how exhilarating this was? I was a brand new teacher who had been teaching a lot since receiving her E-RYT 200 in 2011, but to start a yoga retreat business?! I just knew I had to. I had WIND at my back. For those of you who are living to serve others, you get this. I filled that retreat on my own, with the help of Spirit of course, but that just goes to show you how powerful FAITH and TRUST are. My yoga retreat business has been steadily growing ever since. I have been running annual retreats in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Peru since this launch of that site. I have testimonials upon testimonials for EOS retreat go-ers who have had their lives vastly improved and positively changed from these week long explorations. God is so good, you guys.
Alana’s love for yoga came from firsthand experience with just how powerful the practice is. “In 2009, Yoga found me. Inside the studio, she experienced a deep sense of belonging, but the most profound part was what happened after. “I felt as though I was at true peace. I finally knew what the word meant. Until that moment, I had just understood it cerebrally. There is something profound to be said about Peace dropping into the heart.”