Articles by Philippa Lowe

Choose the happy mom

How many times have you heard “a happy mom means a happy baby”? It’s an interesting spin, as it throws into stark light all those belief systems and expectations we subconsciously carry when we enter motherhood. As the first in my circle of friends to have a baby – and a single child myself – I had absolutely no exposure to babies and the impact they had upon your life.

Getting to that place of being a happy mom can feel a long and difficult path. It’s easy to be a tired mom, an exasperated mom, a ‘I wish I just had five minutes to myself’ mom – choosing happiness is hard when your sleep is interrupted, nipples potentially cracked, and possibly dealing with the feelings of a traumatic birth.

But happiness is precisely that – a choice. Just like you choose to wear that green jumper today, you also choose how you feel. No-one else controls that but you. Happy and sad are simply different sides of the same coin.

I re-disovered yoga when I was pregnant with my first child, who is now four,  and actually completed my yoga teacher training whilst pregnant with my second child, who is now two. The days I make the effort to get up ahead of the kids - and believe me, there are plenty of days I don’t - but when I do and perform half a dozen salute to the suns, then sit in quiet contemplation for five minutes – those are the days that flow and make choosing to be a happy mom so much easier.

Allow me to share the simplest rejuvenating and relaxing meditation technique in the world. No yoga training required.

Just breathe.

Start your breath from your lower belly, move it up to your mid-belly, then to the top of tour chest and throat. As you inhale, notice the effortless expansion of your rib cage, how your shoulders and clavicles rise. Then exhale, notice your shoulders lowering and your ribs softening.

This is the first part of the ‘full yogic breath’ and can be done anytime. Just before you go to sleep. In the shower. At the supermarket checkout. Try it when you’re breastfeeding or giving your baby a bottle. You’ll benefit and so too will your infant. Scientific studies show that a mother's sounds, breathing patterns and smells all contribute to the regulation of an infant's breathing, arousal patterns, heart rates, sleep state, and body temperature.

Personally, I experienced two prolonged labours – the sort that has Doctors outside asking the midwife when the emergency c-section is happening. In both I went on to deliver naturally, simply because neither baby exhibited signs of fetal distress. I like to think my yogic breathing during pregnancy helped. As newborns, I also noticed that whenever they were distressed and I held them whilst practicing a full yogic breath, they would quickly settle and match their breathing pattern to mine.

So remember, just breathe. Check out my guide to the full yogic breath. And mentally repeating, “this too will pass” often helps during particularly challenging tantrums ;-)

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