Lizzie for Free : a yogi's blog
The Free State of LizArchive for babies
Motherhood: a yogic practice
Those of you with children may read the ‘Yoga Practices for Living and Dying’ post and think “…and how does this pertain to me?” because being a mother slaps what is real in the face, and ‘real’ as in motherhood doesn’t appear at first glance to have much to do with the transcendental Divine. It’s more about dirty nappies, getting home after just having arrived as quickly as possible, refolding all the clothes for the 20th time in one day since junior learned to open the drawers and throw every last q-tip onto the floor, picking up rice cake droppings off the rug, and on and on.
Gone are the days of floating into a yoga class with 20 minutes to spare on each end for meditating or visiting with friends, because the nanny-meter is running; sauntering between restaurants to find the most organic, vegan-friendly cafe is no more. The hunger of a child is Now, and it’s real. But caring for another and being present in that process is real too, and this is the Yoga of motherhood.
Motherhood gives one the opportunity to practice being steady, joyful and connected while a whole world of emotions and needs shift in an instant. A child and the new situations surrounding that child are wonderful reminders that there is a teacher in every being and in every situation if we wake up open our eyes to it.
Perhaps most importantly, motherhood is a chance to serve another being fully and completely while sharing whatever insights one has to bring love, happiness and authenticity into the world. Ultimately, everyone wants to feel loved and at ease, and the practices of yoga provide the tools to accomplish this. As it turns out, motherhood has everything to do with the transcendental Divine, if we would just take the time to breathe, and enjoy each moment of the process. Oh, and getting some sleep doesn’t hurt either!
Vegetarianism, Yoga and Children
My 10 month old son is a vegetarian, and since June,he’s been a good little vegan due to a cow milk protein allergy. While I don’t want to make big decisions about how my son ultimately chooses to live his life, I do want to bring good karma into his world and tread the path with him to make the smallest environmental footprint, doing the least harm possible to the earth and its many inhabitants. As a preemie baby born at 7 1/2 months, he is still catching up in size and weight with full-term babies born on his gestational date, and the doctors, nutritionists and midwives all have offered the same generic advice – to introduce animal proteins now will enrich his diet and make him mentally and physically strong.
My husband is a meat-eater, and challenges me on this subject. While he agrees that animal products can be kept to a minimum in our child’s diet, he feels strongly that the western medical experts and nutritionists know what is best for our son’s diet.
I know a lot of yogis with children, but I haven’t heard a lot about how what they are feeding their babies when technically the digestive system is ready to take on the more complex and nutritive animal proteins. How different should a baby’s diet be? Are plant based proteins second rate substitutions for a baby’s dietary needs?
I am confused about what the best thing is for my son. As a yogi, I know in my heart that I have a keen desire to keep my son free of a lifestyle that involves the domestication, abuse and disregard for animals that have no way of defending themselves. The sooner he can understand the interconnectedness of all beings and the responsibility we have to the peace and happiness of all beings, the sooner I can feel that I’ve done something meaningful as a parent. Having said this, as a mother, I feel unequipped to know what my son’s bottom line nutritive needs are. Perhaps I haven’t taken enough responsibility or initiative to get to the root of what the daily requirements are for a 10 month old, maybe I need to seek out a pediatric dietitian specializing in vegetarian baby diets…..do you have any information on the subject that you can share?
