Well here’s something you don’t see every day (unless, of course, you do). Remember that pic of a little baby taking advantage of an opportune moment to breastfeed from her naked mom in headstand? Baby Center‘s Sara McGinnis has gone and done the metaphorical footwork to bring us all up to speed on the burning question, where is the breastfeeding yoga mom now?
Where is she now? We must have had our heads buried in child’s pose when this pic originally crashed the internet’s collective servers in 2011 because this is the first time we’re seeing it. Nevertheless, we can not un-see it, a photo which, at first, might come off as staged and gratuitous. Really, lady? You just hang out in the nude doing yoga in the lush grass of some kind of tropical utopia where infants are free to wander around and breastfeed wherever and whenever they damn well please? Apparently, yes.
Amy, the mom in the photo, is a blogger, a yogi and a free-spirit with no need for $100 yoga pants, or any pants for that matter. And it turns out she’s just where you thought she’d be these days, living the simplified life as a yoga-loving, commune-hopping, wayfaring nekkid hippie bouncing between Kauai, Bali and New Zealand.
The story behind that photo goes as such:
The truth is we were living on a small community in Hawaii where our land was clothing optional and yoga was/is a necessity! I was just doin’ my daily flow when the little sweet pea came to sneak a suckle. Papa had her out in the grass with him and she just couldn’t resist! This happens all the time by the way. When a breast is out and baby is around, they are going to try and get it anyway they can! I have been blogging for years now and this photo was just a simple share of a beautiful captured moment.
How is it she came to live this simple life?
In 2008, I saved a handful of money, gave my landlord a 30-day notice, quit my job, loaded up my truck and took off on a six month journey across the states. I had a 16′ teepee that I had been living in and brought it with as well. I was deep into my yoga practice and put a lot of trust in the universe knowing I was being guided and taken care of on every level. That journey changed my life forever and I met my beloved shortly after.
There’s that dang yoga again, changing people’s lives. Amy says she realized early in her travels that she could fit everything she needed all in one backpack and decided to escape a society “plagued by consumerism” (save for a few things like a smartphone and an instagram account). Good thing yoga doesn’t take up much space.
No doubt Amy received lots of attention, positive and negative, for her breastfeeding yoga mom pic that she originally, and innocently, posted on her blog. The yoga community embraced it.
The yoga community and earth mamas loved it! Women who didn’t seem to enjoy breastfeeding or more of the conservative crowd thought it was the weirdest thing and just couldn’t wrap their heads around it. I enjoyed hearing all sides of the spectrum as it reminded me that we are all different and if anything it may have opened the eyes and hearts for some who didn’t think multitasking to that level was possible! No regrets about posting the photo whatsoever.
Multitasking, indeed! Moms out there can surely understand that, even you don’t choose to sirsasana in your birthday suit. However you feel about this photo, we believe it speaks to the urge some of us feel to eschew the trappings and traditions of conventional living in a consumer-driven world (even if we really never have the intention to leave it behind), and to how our connection with the earth through yoga brings us closer to the realization that most of us already have what we need. Also, momma-baby love is beautiful. Awww.
You can read more about Amy and her journeys on her blog, which is at once obnoxious and inspiring in its display of living in a perpetual Burning Man meets Bhakti Fest lifestyle. Amy also has an etsy shop.
baby cobra via Amy’s instagram.
——
Earlier…
I was just thinking of this picture this morning! I have a 10 month old and had on a loose top after waking up. I was sitting on the ottoman and my boy practically attacked me! I thought about flipping up into a headstand to see how we would “fit” together! Such a coincidence! I didn’t try it, by the way. (No camera for a selfie–ha!)
This is the most beautiful picture ever, and I wish I lived your lifestyle while raising my kids. I dreamed of it constantly, but never did anything about it. I raised my kids as “free range” as possible in the environment I was in. Your blog and photo are an inspiration, and I only hope it moves more people to keep it simple and pure.
I have sirsasaned in the nude as well often at home most fun place the 49th floor of the Cosmopolitan hotel balcony in Las Vegas. There was something so freeing about it. If I had been a Yogi when my three sons were younger I too might have dared to have this experience nursing as well good for you
Beautiful pic and story. Thanks for posting!
I will be the bad one here. I am so tired of yoga photos that I cannot even tell you what mean. I think it is wonderful for her to be able to do this, but the way things are now it is a little to precious. It can make people feel akward and vulnrable. There are way too many posed yoga photos. Now it is her life and I wish people would not be judge…its not even her I think they they judge, its themselves.
Its almost as if this is what one should aspire to be. When we should all just aspire to be ourselves.
Oh, yeah …. and F that headstand. Headstand does not a yogi make.
Whatever floats your boat pose.
Grapes getting a tad sour? Maybe try papaya, longan, rambuttan, lichee, pineapple, bananas, and well here on The Big Island, da kona side get da mangos! http://www.hawaiifruit.net/mangodraft6tp.pdf
How beautiful! *I wouldn’t wear clothing if I didn’t ‘have’ to. Nothing wrong with it and in those lush locations, lots of space…why not?
(never saw this pic before today)
Happy travels 😀
Looks like she addressed many of the assumptions:
http://daughterofthesun77.blogspot.com/2013/08/yoga-breastfeeding-photo-setting-things.html
I think breastfeeding and other bodily stuff should be done in private.The pose is very beautiful but not the breastfeeding. Just keep it private ladies.I have three children but seeing breastfeeding in public actually makes me ill. Bodily function are for private areas.I would never spoil someones evening out in a restuarant by breastfeeding in public.
Have you considered therapy?
yes you sound like you need therapy…..get some help.
seek some release and let go of all those chains that hold you down.
Moya – so you don’t ever eat in public either?
Some bodily functions are fun to watch and some aren’t. Sex and pooping are some examples. Just because a human does a thing doesn’t make it beautiful.
If you combine your sex with pooping, I have to agree.
Just the sex though, that is fun to watch.
What up? Headstand breastfeeding~ let down is upside down.
Um, so, OK, she’s a blogger and sells etsy. She lives in a commune like a Hippie…….Life is tough. It would be great if everyone could just drop out of life, job, etc and run off with a man and live in a commune. Hey, I guess I could too, but I have too many friends, family, responsibilities and too much that I want to do in my life rather than just hang out doing Yoga.
Whether or not this was staged, I think it is dangerous for this mother to do this around her baby. I’ve done headstand for years and even with experience, every now and then I tip over and fall. Perhaps she doesn’t but the risk is always there. This could have hurt both her and her baby.
Asking questions are actually good thing if you are not understanding something completely, but this post presents nice understanding yet.
When I first saw this photo 4 years ago I couldn’t believe This woman was actually doing a Yoga Headstand and her daughter just suckle her free breast,it thought the photo was amazing to look at ,I’am a young man and I approve of it ,there is nothing wrong with what she was doing ,and the infant couldn’t help herself at all,I have amazing respect for moms who defy logic and breastfeed outdoors ,I feel Amy Woodruff is a beautiful inspiration to many moms out there afraid of breastfeeding out in the open,when I was a baby my mom never did a headstand nude times have changed this woman has good a amazing body nothing wrong with this image at all in fact I have downloaded it plenty of times just to look at it from another angle it’s amazing how Amy keeps her balance while breastfeeding her daughter Amy is very fit I wish I could meet Amy Woodruff one day
disgusting, not sure what is wrong with women nowadays that they need to expose themselves and their children just for headpats on instagram