Before birth, I was insistent that my practice would continue to be the same within weeks postpartum.

I was completely wrong. Here’s how it looks – and why I’m very ok with it.

I’m not going to waste my precious time – or yours – on explaining the simple lack of time we have as parents!

Luckily I’ve always preached to my 1-1 yoga clients that 5 minutes of yoga can be transformative, and to drop the pressure of an hour a day if you’re time/energy depleted.

If I can get downstairs without waking Rei up in the morning then I’ll always unroll my mat and take a few minutes to move before I hear the pitter patter of feet above. I love doing yoga first thing, and even just a couple of minutes of intentional movement and breath can help me feel great all day.

My body is pretty battered. When I’m able to get on my mat I’m choosing restorative and therapeutic practices over Warrior 2.

2.5 years of bed sharing and breastfeeding has taken its toll on my shoulders, neck and pecs, and I’m also choosing restorative yoga to reduce the intensity of the mental motherload. Mentally I’m doing great, and it’s also a LOT.

I absolutely love restorative yoga to help my body relax and my nervous system to downregulate. It is heavenly not to ‘do’ for a while, and instead sink into supportive props and rest in some quiet.

Therapeutic practices tend to involve MFR balls and foam rollers to release some habitual patterns of tension – soothe my achy quads from all the walking we do and sore shoulders from our current “me carry you” phase.

Don’t get me started on the insanity that is bounceback culture. My body feels completely different, and I have changed my practice to be simpler and more supportive for my body in the season that I am currently in.

Truth bomb – these days I barely practice the arm balances and inversions that I adored before pregnancy. And, perhaps even more shockingly (at least to my yogi friends and past clients), my beloved vinyasa flow practice is now maybe a twice-yearly event.

Strength training hasn’t been a priority for me at all, and advanced asana doesn’t call me like it used to. I plan to build in some strength training to my life very soon, but in all honesty I don’t know whether astavakrasana and handstand work will ever make a comeback. We’ll see.

Breathwork is essential for me now – I steal 2 minute intervals throughout the day to sit and breathe, helping my physical and mental wellbeing so much.

Dysfunctional breathing habits is something I see SO much as a private yoga teacher, but I couldn’t believe it when I noticed that I had slipped into shallow and negative breathing patterns after a challenging few months last year. It really illuminated the importance of regular practice to me. Nobody is immune to high stress if you’re not doing anything to support yourself, even if you have nearly 15 years of personal growth, self awareness and yoga experience behind you.

Forget “strong not skinny” (anyone remember that from the 2010s?) – I’ll take regulated and resourced every day.

My daily practice before pregnancy = 1.5-2 hours daily early morning asana, strength training, a quiet walk and journalling. And that was just the morning hahahaha.

My practice now = 1-2x weekly restorative yoga and therapeutic practice, half an hour or so. Stolen moments of breathwork throughout the day and my gratitude journaling practice most nights before going to sleep.

Gratitude journaling dramatically shifts my perspective to a really positive one, and is essential for my mental wellbeing. I’ve long been a journaling advocate, and this quick 2 minute journaling practice is a game changer.

Does that look anything like my 90 minutes of asana and strength training pre-pregnancy? Not a chance – and I’m ok with that. We have no family nearby for grandparent duties, and with a non-napping toddler I’ve had to really maximise every spare moment I get.

Life has seasons, and I’m choosing to feel grounded and to fill my cup whenever I can. These early years are just a short phase in the grand scheme of things, and I’m prioritising the self care that my body and mind need right now.

Our self care rituals and personal practices change as we grow, age, experience illness and injuries and go through big life events. It’s essential to adapt the pursuits and practices that help us feel good, and to be flexible and open minded in how that looks.