This one’s for all the yoga moms.
We hinted in last week’s newsletter about a little YD tank giveaway. We’re starting today! And we’re giving away a print of The Yoga Poster, too!
The other day we received a lovely email from Karoline of TYP who was feeling a little extra lovey this year about her mom with Mother’s Day coming up and everything. We asked her to explain. This is what she told us:
It finally got to me…all the sappy, sentimental Mother’s Day commercialism. But, in a good way! I truly stopped in my tracks this week when I realized just how much my mother has given me. Life (duh). A happy childhood (yay!). Friendship (she’s a cool mom). And Yoga. Yoga! She gave me the gift of yoga. That thing I’ve been dedicated to for the past 13 years? That came from my mom. In the early 70s, she was an “at-home” mom. My older sisters would go off to school and we’d do all the cool stuff moms do during the day…laundry, cleaning, errands, visiting with friends. And yoga!
Off would go my cartoons. On would come Lilias Folan. My mom practiced along with “Lilias, Yoga and You” for years. And I was right there with her. Mostly just doing kid stuff, but I was there. Later on, I got to tag along to her group classes. I would watch all the women in their snazzy leotards and just be wowed with the “something” (what was it? I had no idea) that radiated from them. My mom was (and still is) radiant and peaceful in her practice, and that has truly impacted my life.
When I found myself called to my own practice, it was like coming home. I channeled my mom. I channeled Lilias. And I found myself. These days, my husband and I each have our solo daily practice, and I’m happy to say, our little boy has begun on his path as well. A few times a week he decides to pull out his little blue mat, does his “down doggies”, cobras and (his favorite) lion’s breath — and yells, “Mommy, Daddy – come yoga!”
Thanks, Mom! I love you. (And thank you, too, Lilias, for being “our” inspiration!)
And so it was done. We decided to collab and do a giveaway for all the yoga moms out there.
WIN:
A print of The Yoga Poster – a 24 x 36″ tying together the major concepts, types and history of yoga together in a single, visual overview of the practice. Printed locally using 100% wind-power on 100% recycled, post-consumer waste and vegetable-based inks. Even the packaging is 100% recycled. (Bonus: coupon code MOM25 is good for 25% off purchases through May 14th.)
A #yogadork tank (you very much Mom) that you can wear to yoga, to the beach, to your fun yoga slumber parties, to the grocery store, to anywhere you like! We’re no fashion police. 100% cotton. (This is unisex S-XL so guys and gals can totally wear this!)
AND we’re throwing in a pretty eye pillow from our good friend at Inner Space Yoga! Filled with flax seeds and made either from 100% cotton fabric or dupioni silk (depending on the design) you can get your eye pillow unscented or scented with mint and lavender and relax.
TO ENTER: Maybe you’re a mom and you want to share a glimpse into living your yoga with little beings (see above cartoon), or maybe you just want to dedicate this to your mom or motherly figure in your life and share some words of gratitude. Mom/daughter/son’s choice. Add your bit in the comments and we’ll include you in the running.
Giveaway entries accepted until 11:59pm Sunday May 12, 2013. One winner will be chosen at random and announced soon after. Good luck!
We love you, mom.
UPDATE: We have a winner! Congrats to Ellen! Thank you all so much for sharing your wonderful thoughts in the comments. Love to all the yoga moms!
——
Earlier…
- Top Four Yogini States of Mind for Your ‘Old School’ Birthing Experience
- Preggerasana: Mind, Body, Breath and Spirit of Prenatal Yoga
- Guinea Pig Yoga
- Hey Girl, Ryan Gosling Loves Your Yoga Pants Style
- Oakley Goes on Yoga Pants Offensive With New Ad Campaign
I am a mom who is finally making time for me again. This summer I will be attending a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training.
I can’t wait to take these next steps and make room for myself, separate from my life as a “Momma.”
Hi. Love love love the prizes… Thank you for the entry !
Haha my comment
Oops my phone is going wonky!
My comment of my daughter did show up in my last post..
“Not only is it somewhat distracting, but yoga at home with my daughter can be dangerous! Haha she likes to climb and jump at mommy when I am in weird positions.. I guess I look like a jungle gym to her ;)”
I am a mom of three young kids and had a big laugh with your cartoon! The only thing missing on the picture is a cat really fighting for a corner of the mat 🙂
Thanks for doing this giveaway! I would love to give this stuff to my beautiful mama 🙂 She especially deserves that eye pillow!
Yoga was the one thing that helped get “me” back after my daughter was born. For that first year I had lost myself in being nothing but a boob and a blob. When my daughter turned one I began my home practice while she napped. It continues to this day, and now when I tell my daughter that it is naptime, she says, “you going to do yoga, mommy?”. Yoga has become my solace, my sacred space, and my way of regrouping and gaining my sanity in the whirlwind of motherhood. My daughter and I both know the difference when I practice, and this had made naptime so much easier for her as she knows she gets a better mommy when she wakes up.
I teach yoga (sometimes up to 7 hours a week, between 3 different counties), and am the mommy of an 8-year-old boy, as well as surrogate mom for several 4-legged babies. 🙂 It’s exhilarating and exhausting, and I love every minute of it. I’m so grateful to give yoga for others, and to integrate yoga’s teachings of patience, calmness, and lovingkindness into my mothering.
I am a mom and love to do yoga with my 17 year old daughter. We are very close and spend a lot of mother/daughter time together knowing soon that she will be an adult who is living on her own. I just turned 50 which is an age when many of my friends seem to be losing their mothers. This week for my 50th birthday, I started the day with a yoga class (dedicating my practice to my loving mom) and then spent the rest of the day with my mom at a beautiful bathhouse. I can’t remember the last time that we had a mother/daughter day all to ourselves! I am grateful for the mother and daughter in my life.
I am a mom of three…my oldest just turned 3 a few months ago, with twin 18 month old girls…who I carried forever, completely damaging e cartilage in my knees. That led me to a struggle to return to walking, let alone my asana practice or teaching yoga. I am finally at a place where I can bend my knees and do everything again, including teach yoga. I am so blessed and thankful to be a mom and a yoga teacher too. And, actually I think I have become a better teacher since going through physical challenges myself.
so very grateful to have received many blessing through my practice. Namaste!
My 4 year old always asks me “mommy is it time for yoga?”. We do yoga together a few times a week. She’s so proud when she learns something new. She can’t want to show off how long she can hold Downward Facing Dog or stand on one leg. If it wasn’t for yoga, I think I’d go crazy being a single mom to a 4 year old, full time psychology major and a full time paralegal. Thank goodness for yoga.
Yoga brought peace and perspective to my life 13 years ago, when I was working full time, raising two babies and driving in big city traffic… <3 yoga!
I would love to get this for my beautiful and inspiring mother.
As the mama of 3 little kiddos, I’m appreciative of yoga (for helping me learn how to BREATHE) and your website for giving me a giggle. Both are much needed by any mother!!
hi!
i am a mom of two toddlers, a yoga instructor for 6 years, a belly dancer and doula. i love all my jobs and find yoga has helped me be a better parent. my four yr old knows to do pranayama through his tantrums and chant when he is overwhelmed. i am so glad he has learned these skills so young:)
blessings
I am a 35 years old mom of two kids. My oldest will be soon gone for college, which make me realize that my kids will be gone one day. I decide then to do something for myself and not to live only for my kids and my hubby. I started practicing Yoga last December. I understood that you can be a mom, a friend, a wife, a housewife, you cam be lots of things but most important, I learn that I have to be the best I can be for ME, nobody else!
Thank you Yoga!
I’m a cat mom who enjoys kitty vying for attention during yoga.
My mom is 77 and lives with me now that dad passed. She has some health problems that prevent her from going to class, but she likes it when I show her the floor work when I get home. I went out and got her a nice mat a few months ago, since she just kept using an old beach towel on the rug!
Somewhere I have an adorable video of my then 3 and 5 year olds doing yoga in the living room with me. They took it so seriously! If I do it at home, there’s the inevitable “Mom, mom, mom!”, the cat nudging me, and the dog sniffing me.
I’d be in therapy if it weren’t for discovering yoga a little over a year ago. My children outnumber myself and my husband. 🙂
My mom has sacrificed so much for my sister and I, and I feel like she is just now learning how to take care of herself. Because she’s seen how much it’s benefited me, she now wants to start practicing yoga!
Mom and I yog at home whenever I visit.
I try to get up early to get in my yoga before the boys wake up. What normally happens is they wake up half way through and proceed to show me what they can do. A fun, if distracting, way to share yoga.
I love all the Yoga Mom’s at Ember hot Yoga … and … yoga Mom’s to be 🙂
Well since my yoga mom has passed and I’m the yoga mom I’d like to thank myself for putting in all the hours on my mat and enjoying the better person I have become.
My mom introduced me to yoga in 1962, and I introduced my daughter at an early age – we enjoy taking class together. I practiced with my mom after her mastectomy 5 years ago – it was very healing for both of us. We all keep coming back to the mat – it makes life so much easier. We love being yogadorks!
I ‘dove into’ yoga with all my heart and soul when my daughter (my baby!) was a senior in high school. I knew that I would need something to fill the emptiness when she went off to college and yoga was a wonderful solution for me. In the past 6 years I have embraced yoga and took a 200 hour certification program so that I could share this wonderful solution with others.
I am a 41 year old Mom of a almost 8 year old. For a while there she thought it was funny to scare me during savasana… The other day we went to her schools art fair and she was so excited to show me her photo that she decorated. The art teacher took a individual picture of all the kids and had them put their hands in a pose. My daughter had her hands in anjali mudra with her lids partially closed. She looked so peaceful. I’m hoping by her watching how yoga centers and calms, me she will want to practice yoga as she grows older.
I am a mom of two boys, my yoga practice can look like the ants on the floor cartoon at times. I rarely get a quiet moment unless at the studio but when I get down with my yoga in the living room and the boys see me, they often join in and it turns into a family affair. Hopefully something they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. The practice isn’t very “zen” but it is fun and full of love. Bringing us all together for a moment a midst the chaos of everyday life.
My child is 7 this year and I can detach from a hectic mom life and relax a little.
Now that he plays many sports, I can have some time to do this!
Sometimes, I have to admit, my yoga practice looks a lot like the second pic. Most of the time, I can convince my two boys (3 & 6) to join me. They’re even getting into meditation. My youngest likes OM ing, while my eldest prefers sitting quietly by the creek. They’re favorite poses are tree and bow.
Mother of four, spouse of 23 years, daughter of 46 years. Layers of love and commitment. Grateful that yoga helped me synthesize it all.
I’m a Mom and am currently in teacher training to become a yoga instructor. I am so grounded when I do yoga and everything else goes on the back burner for a while and I can focus on me
I recently realized that I am extremely fortunate to have so many strong Mom’ s around me. Although My Mom and I had a rough time during my teenage years she didn’t give up on me and has become my best friend. I Love You Mom!
So grateful to have the practice of yoga to go to. Now that I am a Mom it is a challenge to fit in time for myself to practice but when I do, everyone benefits!
Tried yoga at age 50 when my son was 8. Became a yoga teacher at 53, son thought it was cool. Now at 57, son 15 and he still thinks its cool that his mom is a yoga teacher 🙂
I totally relate to the cartoon! My yoga practice has changed now that I have kids. It’s more about trying to stay present off the mat and be mindful of my reactions.
As a Yoga teacher Mom, my life is the best of both worlds!
i am mama, yoga teacher and yoga therapist, and i love Karoline 🙂
i just wrote a post on my blog about my experience with yoga and my daughter, and it’s quite long, so I won’t post it all here, but please visit http://beulahwellness.com/2013/05/09/connect-with-kids-through-yoga/ to read the post in its entirety.
here’s a bit from that post:
“…Practicing yoga, especially with my daughter, gives me a tiny glimpse of the light of grace. We laugh, we play, we practice, we grow, we fall, we rest and we connect. It’s the greatest bonding experience I’ve had with her, and whatever it looks like, she still loves me, intertwines her tiny hand with mine, and with no words at all, says that we are OK.”
blessings to all the mamas and caretakers that nurture us all!
I’m a yoga lovin’ mama to a 1 year old. She is the best teacher yet!
Love the prizes! <3
Yoga is Love <3 Mamaste 🙂
I am a 60 year young yoga mom, I use yoga to manage most of my health issues, and it helps me with my own mom, to be patient & kind
yoga helps me be a better mom
Yoga has definitely helped me to be more compassionate toward my mom, even during tense times. I’m even trying to get her to try meditation for dealing with stress and illness! It’s a gift that keeps on giving
I grew up in Cincinnati doing yoga with Lilias. magical.
Yoga = Sanity
My biological mother had me at age 17. She and my biological father did not stay married for long and she realized she could not handle raising a child on her own so she allowed her father and stepmother to adopt and raise me. She died of cancer on Mother’s Day in 1995. I am in awe of her sacrifice and that also of my adoptive mother. I thank them both.
One of the things I miss most about my mom is not being able to share with her my love for yoga. I know even if she didn’t choose to do yoga herself, she would be so happy and excited for me in mine.
Below is a link to a blog post I wrote about my son’s connection with my yoga practice and there bye finding his own inner yogi. Since writing this, I have become a 500 hr-certified yoga teacher with the incredible teacher Barbara Benagh and have created an in-school yoga program for kids (K-12)…PS The only thing missing from the cartoon is a dog on my mat!
http://alwaysbdancing.blogspot.com/2012/03/think-yoga.html
I enjoy doing poses with my one year old son. He especially likes tree, pyramid pose and anything in which he can be lifted up and down. He also enjoys rolling and unrolling my mat! Yoga is what helps me be a good mother.
My mother did yoga, and I did it with her, now I teach other people yoga, and my kids, if they want to.
I would just love to win for myself, something for me to feel good about today
Thanks for the chance at the giveaway! I’m a yogamama to 3 children, ages 5m, 2y, and 4y. All of my children have been practicing with me since birth (and while in the womb!) and I’ve had my own practice for over 10 years now. I’m a yoga teacher and teach classes with all of my kids as well – Mommy and Me Yoga with my 5mo, Mom and Tot yoga with my 2yo, and Preschool Yoga with my 4yo! SO fun! I also teach Prenatal and a variety of other vinyasa classes for adults, too. Yoga has definitely changed our lives and my parenting!
NaMAMAste!
I love my yoga time with my fav yogi Elise, my Sis and my friends. Wednesday night is yoga night with two back to back classes . I return home tired, relaxed and ready to tackle the rest of the week.
I’ve been trying to inspire my mom to start doing yoga. Perhaps this nice gift will help.
I began practicing yoga in 1989 as a way to relieve the stress from graduate physical therapy school. I used a VCR tape by Raquel Welch doing the pose sequence now associated with Bikram. She wore a bathing suit, but of course there was no mention of practicing in 103 degree heat! I continue to find daily inspiration from my yoga practice & am grateful for all it has provided me.
I’ve been so resistant to bolsters and pillows, but that pic makes them look fantastic!
Yoga is a big part of what saved me and brought me back to being a mom to my daughter. Now, we do yoga together. I’d love to use this stuff to teach her.
I hate being one of those “yoga has changed my life” people, but, it has. Now I’m trying to convince my marathon running-crossfitting momma to try it out.
I am 40 and my mom STILL supports my creative folly 100%! She believes in me and that still feels so very good. MAMAste.
My oldest daughter who is 9 is beginning to find interest in yoga. Not just the asanas! But also ujayi breath as well!
This is my second mother’s day, and I’m just getting back the time to practice again. Today my 14 month old crawled under my legs and did downward facing dog right underneath me. It was adorable.
My mom taught me how to be patient and kind and now I use those skills in my yoga practice.
When I was in yoga teacher training I would teach my mom yoga at home. It was really fun & super cute when my dad came into the room and excitedly encouraged her because she was doing something active & good for herself. Then my mom started to “yoga pose” for him & said something about how flexible & bendy she was. Lol! It doesn’t take long to feel good from making yoga a part of your life! 😉
I’m a dork, I love yoga, that poster would look fantastic on my wall and I love cats…but I don’t buy my yoga pants at Lululemon. And noone can see my butt in down dog.
Oh yeah, and I’m a mum that had to work on Mother’s Day, so this would be an awesome Mother’s Day present xxxx
I am a yoga instructor and the mom of a nearly 4 year old girl. Some days, or weeks, I do not find my balance. However, I would not change my life for the world. Also, my little girl loves yoga or as she calls it, “yogurt”.
For more years than I can count, I was “Tommy’s mommy”. Now I am “Mamaw” and I love it.
I’m a mom of two wonderful kids. I started yoga with my mother when I was young, now I do yoga with my kids.(now teenagers) Yoga with grand children someday….what a blessing. 🙂
Hi all at yoga dork – I just got done giving the kitchen sink an enema with baking soda, vinegar and a plunger. It worked!
Anyway, thanks for the great site and the chance to receive these lovely gifts you’re giving away.
Doris
My mom got me into karate and ballet – I would never have gotten into yoga without her getting me into these activities!
I have a 17 month old and am 6 months pregnant so needless to say yoga at home looks exactly like the ‘reality’ picture! When I was younger my mother always did yoga and it became a regular ritual that she and I would practice everyday together. Now I am so glad to be able to practice daily with my little boy who really enjoys it (although often times it involves him climbing on me, picking at my mat or attempting to divert my attention elsewhere).
I have been teaching yoga since I was pregnant with my first child almost 10 years ago. They have been doing yoga with me at home and even in my classes since the womb! I can recall leading classes with a baby at the breast. I have had either or both of them climbing me during my home practice and as they got older, doing yoga by my side or “teaching” me yoga poses. Yoga is part of our family and our lives and I wouldn’t have it any other way. They have taught me all the ways that yoga is soooo much more than asanas. Being in the moment, going with the flow and adapting as you go. They are my yogi gurus and I am the yogini. I bow to their light each day. Namaste.
I was doing an online yoga class today for Mother’s Day, trying to give a gift to myself. My daughter came into the room and asked me to keep holding my downward dog so she could crawl under me. I kind of like the interaction. I like having her near. One pose I was in she said, “Mommy, you look really beautiful in that pose.” It was a happy Mother’s Day!
I have an 11-month-old baby. I have always wanted to have a regular home practice, but could never fully commit to it until I had him, and going to class stopped being much of an option. Even though my practice is now in 5-30 minute chunks, I make it a bigger priority because I don’t have time for my own excuses anymore.
Happy mother’ day! Today I took my mom to yoga! She introduced me to yoga 16 years ago! She has shared and given me many tools for life and yoga has been a life saver for me literally! Namaste’ and thank mother’s for all your wisdom!
So grateful to all of the amazing mothers in my life!
My mom had polio as a child and told she wouldn’t walk or have children. I’m the oldest of six girls, the youngest four being quadruplets. Mom would do yoga at home with books and maybe with Lilias on tv sometimes as well. One time she was yelling for me to come quickly, she was in a headstand with a baby right in front of her, she couldn’t get down! I moved the baby and all was well. I’m now a yoga teacher myself because of this early time doing yoga with mom. My babies are big but do yoga in college and sometimes join me in one of my classes. Yoga is a happy place!:)
My mom is simply OMazing!!! She nurtured me so carefully and lovingly until I knew how to nurture myself. She is the most wonderful balance of grace, strength, beauty, and silliness.
See my e-mail address? It used to be yogadonna@aol.com. I’m almost 50 and I was one of the first people in the country to have an e-mail address. At that time, I lived in San Francisco and wrote about Macs. I’ve been doing yoga for 37 years and I’m a mom to a 13-year-old. I teach yoga to children in Pre-K and K and to adults, as well as everyone in between. I’m also a middle school teacher and college professor of English and History. I love your website.
Thank you.
Donna
I have the privilege of being a mama to a lovely little 8 year old girl and a 1 year old puppy. Both love to practice with me. My daughter is a fan of acroyoga and the pup prefers downward facing dog. Happy Mother’s day to all the women – and men – who provide mother-love to us all.
I love to practice yoga! Really helps with the stress!
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