{"id":41074,"date":"2015-07-02T07:15:21","date_gmt":"2015-07-02T11:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=41074"},"modified":"2021-05-15T10:00:43","modified_gmt":"2021-05-15T14:00:43","slug":"yoga-mom-stress-relief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/yoga-mom-stress-relief\/","title":{"rendered":"How Yoga Helped This Mom Fight Stress"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"How
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you\u2019re a parent, or about to become one, we bet you can think of a million to-do\u2019s that don\u2019t involve taking the time to perfect your downward dog<\/a>. Yet, practicing yoga may be one of the best things you can do for yourself if you\u2019re trying to balance the demands of life and taking care of little ones.<\/p>\n

Rebekah Borucki, a mother of five, didn\u2019t start practicing yoga until just before she became pregnant with her fourth child. \u201cAnd when I tell you it was night and day between that pregnancy and all my others it\u2019s no exaggeration,\u201d says the blogger behind yoga and meditation site BexLife.com<\/a>. Now a certified yoga instructor, Borucki says, \u201cJust the idea of being fit during pregnancy was so new to me. [Yoga] allowed me to have a practice that was easy on my body, while still maintaining muscle tone and creating happy hormones \u2014 endorphins.\u201d Post-pregnancy, she credits yoga and meditation with giving her more patience, and helping her to practice self-compassion, even during the most hectic days.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how picking up a yoga practice<\/a> (whether for 10 minutes a day or a full hour) might help you stay grounded, too \u2014 no matter what parenthood throws at you.<\/p>\n

Yoga and Meditation: A Happiness Practice<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Since she was just eight years old, Borucki, now 37, has battled depression and anxiety. But she says yoga and meditation have helped her manage those conditions for over 15 years. \u201cIt encourages me to have a better, more honest relationship with my body,\u201d Borucki says. While it\u2019s important to speak with your doctor if you\u2019re feeling symptoms of depression or anxiety, some research seems to suggest that yoga and meditation can act as a mental balm for some people.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeditation is a conversation that I\u2019m constantly having with myself.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A small study<\/a> published in January 2014, found that mindfulness practices<\/a>, including yoga, had positive effects in women during and after pregnancy. \u201cAlthough pregnancy can be a time for excitement and happiness, it can also be stressful\u2026for some women more than others,\u201d says study author Janice Goodman.<\/p>\n

Goodman says through yoga and meditation, the 24 study participants learned to be kinder to themselves and more accepting of their thoughts and feelings. They also learned to be less reactive. \u201cFor example\u2026turning around negative thinking before it spiraled out of control,\u201d Goodman says.<\/p>\n

Borucki adds, \u201cMeditation is a conversation that I\u2019m constantly having with myself, and with that constant checking in I\u2019m more mindful of not only how I talk to myself but how I talk to my kids and my partner about myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"How
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Savasana Your Way to Less Stress<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Making time for asanas might also help soothe stressors, big and small. Plus, for moms-to-be, finding time to decompress can be beneficial for baby, too. A 2014 study published in the journal Depression and Anxiety<\/a><\/em> found that women who attended yoga class for eight weeks had lower anxiety levels compared to women who didn\u2019t practice.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 10 Easy Yoga Poses to Help Relieve Stress<\/a><\/p>\n

Though study author James Newman, PhD, a research associate at Newcastle University says his study didn\u2019t uncover why yoga was so helpful, study participants reported enjoying it for a variety of reasons. \u201cSome really appreciated the exercise components as it helped with aches and pains, whereas others found the breathing techniques<\/a> really useful for maintaining calm at periods of stress,\u201d he says. \u201cThen others enjoyed the social aspect of meeting other pregnant women<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

How to Make Time for Yoga in Your Life<\/strong>
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Between work and family (and don\u2019t forget about sleep<\/a>!), it can feel impossible to set aside time for something as simple as savasana<\/a>.<\/em> Borucki has a career built around yoga \u2014 and even she says it can be hard to fit in practice.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 17 Tips from Fit Mom Bloggers on Finding Time for Exercise<\/a><\/p>\n

When she wants to devote 20 minutes or an hour to yoga, Borucki says she makes it a priority to workout before <\/em>her children wake up. \u201cIt\u2019s hard, but I have to do it to maintain sanity,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s also developed a four-minute meditation<\/a> routine that she can do anytime, anywhere. \u201cThat can look like sitting in my car in the driveway before going into my house, for four minutes, and taking deep breaths, repeating the mantra, \u2018Inhale and exhale.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

To try yoga in the comfort of your own home, visit <\/em><\/strong>DailyBurn.com<\/em><\/strong><\/a> for a free 30-day trial. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Note to reader: The content in this article relates to the core service offered by DailyBurn. In the interest of editorial disclosure and integrity, the reader should know that this site is owned and operated by DailyBurn. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s why new parents might want to consider making yoga part of their regular routine. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":41077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6,19],"tags":[219,79,282,341,355,286],"class_list":["post-41074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exercise","category-fitness","category-yoga","tag-pregnancy","tag-prenatal","tag-stress","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2yoga","tag-yoga"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41074"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41074\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}