Seeing a child move with freedom can inspire us to look at our own lives.  The timeless wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita encourages us to ask ourselves: is our outer life (svadharma) a refection of our inner world (svabhaga)?  Are we living with integrity?  The Gita teaches us that submission to external authority can move us away from self-integrity.  The yoga teachings encourage us to develop our inner nature, relate to the world in ever new ways and thus grow into freedom where the integrity of the self is never compromised.

I experience the Great Spirit as a Goddess. The Mother of all Mothers. The Creator; she gives Life and She also takes it. I feel Her energy as exquisite Love. I see Her form as formless; countless shapes, sizes, colors, textures; all encompassed by radiant light. We all come from Her. And, we all go back to Her. She is Life and She is Death. When I remember Her Love, when I take time to connect with Her, even the fear of Death lessens. Even the sadness of those who have passed, decreases.

I took it very easy on my physical yoga practice while pregnant and during Mila's first year.  When I recently told a friend that I had a hard time finding the time and energy to practice asana the first year, she laughed and said, "I barely brushed my teeth the first year!" "Yes," I thought, "I like this mama.  She is so real!"

When Mila, my daughter, was four and a half months old, she was having a lot of problems with constipation.  Ryan and I tried every remedy suggested to us.  The problem continued so we took Mila to a cranial sacral therapist who specializes in working with babies.

I learned how to relax and trust my body so that at the moment of birthing, my mind would allow my body to do what it perfectly knows how to do.  Birthing became a meditation where I let my thoughts, anxieties and fears go, and connected to my power; my shakti residing at the core of my being.

Motherhood has brought yoga teachings to life for me.  My daughter, Mila is sixteen months old.  Being receptive to her wisdom and love helps me embrace the beauty and challenges of motherhood and realize some of yoga's most profound lessons.