Yoga + Mamahood

When I became a mother, I had already been a regular yoga practitioner for over a decade. It was a part of my daily ritual, my lifeblood, my sanity. Though, something happened to my practice after I gave birth. It changed. MAJORLY. Not to mention the immense changes during pregnancy I had already encountered, this was a whole `nother thang. My body was SO different now. My mind, my breath, everything!

With these changes, I struggled to find who I was in this new role. I felt insecure and lost somehow as I became a human pacifier whose body no longer belonged to her. Thankfully, the yoga continued to keep me sane and give me a breath of fresh air. My practice became less about building confidence through handstands and more about surrendering to my breath during a crying fit. Yoga continues to support me through the ever changing ebb and flow of my life as I keep growing into this mamahood.

During this current stage, connecting to my breath and other like-minded mamas has been the key for me to keep moving forward. It has allowed me to be supported in a way that helps me to love my new practice, my new body, and being a new mom.

Yoga for Mummies: Starts March 9th 

For details:
www.megancrossfield.com

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Rest & Restore: My Top 3 Fave Yin Postures

Most of us are in constant GO mode. Reach higher. Do more. Work harder. Push further.

While having goals and ambitions is something I admire and also do, to be our best selves and have a positive impact on the world it is imperative to take time to balance out all of this intensity. Yin and restorative yoga is a beautiful and healing way to do just that. Here are my top 3 favorite postures to help soothe my nervous system and bring me into balance. If you are looking for a face to face practice, join me for an hour of VinYin every week!

1.) Legs up the Wall (Viparita Karani)


2.) Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Bhada Konasana)


3.) Corpse Pose (Savasana)

Being Happy Now

This time of year is an awesome opportunity to not only dream of new adventures but to reflect on the ones that have passed. New Year’s Eve is synonymous with resolutions, goals, and intentions – creating a strong vision for the year ahead.

But what if you chose differently this year? What if you realized that everything you are in this moment, everything you have and do right now is enough? I know it doesn’t always feel this way…but that’s when the practice of Santosha, or contentment comes in. I find it very tempting around this time of year to dwell on what hasn’t happened in my life or get fired up on making new goals a reality in the next twelve months. Santosha doesn’t mean sitting around idly watching the world go by, rather it means accepting and appreciating who and what we are already. Don’t get me wrong – I love a good vision board! It’s incredibly valuable to write down and set our sights on what we'd like to see in our lives. But to what extent do we keep pushing, striving, and reaching without having the balance of present joy and gratitude for what we have already experienced?

Tonight, the eve of 2018, I’ve decided to focus all of my attention on being grateful for what I have in this moment. Not who I want to become or what I’d like to accomplish, but appreciating all that the past 33 years has given me. The moment that all of those other moments has brought me to – being happy with exactly who and where I am, with exactly what I have – flaws, missed marks, unaccomplished goals, unrealized dreams, and ALL.

Today is my Birthday!

It’s been some kind of wild year! 

This time on my last birthday I was suuuuper pregnant and uncomfortable with my little one just weeks away from her arrival. It was by far one of the most exciting and challenging times of my 33 years. This morning as my husband brought my daughter in to wake me with presents and homemade French toast, I cried as I read his card. 

Here are some of his words: “What an amazing year this has been! You have gone through some huge challenges and changes and have come out stronger..."

He was right. Everything we have been through this year that has challenged us has also allowed us to expand and grow in new ways that are just preparing us for the next chapter. This is the flow of life - moments of beauty, of pain, confusion, and growth. Without friction the gem cannot be polished. This sentiment was affirmed in the yoga class I practiced this morning. In savasana I was reminded to let go of my attachments and that whatever I have achieved in the past is perfect and the things I can’t yet do or be are simply opportunities I’m in training for. I can let go of the things that were and are yet to be and feel into what is. This is what allows forward motion as we let go of dwelling on anything that is not in the now. 

The practice of yoga is presence with whatever is arising; the exact moment we are in. This is where our power lies and this is where we find beauty through the experience of growth, letting go, and being. Through our practice we can also find a sense of hope and security in knowing that each moment is fleeting - the precious and the painful. This is what I am reminded of so consistently through yoga because we are always in a fluid movement of change: the only thing that is consistent in life. We have the power to be free in that pleasure and in that challenges, and for that I am grateful. There is a beauty in our growth, our pain, and our changes.

Happy Growing <3 p="">

Megan x

My Belated Farewell to Wagga.

I know, it’s been months. And here I am finally writing my farewell note to you. I’m sure you understand though – having a new baby (who doesn’t sleep), and moving interstate while your hubs starts a new job requiring months of intensive training is a bit full on…to say the least.

But, here I am. I have been thinking about my Wagga friends, students, and acquaintances so much since we moved. I miss the connection and familiarity that 5 years had given me. We are in a new city, which we really do love, and I know this was the best decision for us as a family. Plus, I’m by the ocean, and I can’t explain how good that makes me feel every day.

Still, it takes time to settle in, to meet people you jive with, and to feel like it’s home. So, I write this all to say not only ‘Farewell’ but ‘Thank You.’ I am grateful to you for making Wagga feel like home for me, for welcoming me into your town not as a foreigner but as a friend, and for making me feel sad to say ‘Goodbye.’ I’m grateful to you for allowing me to share myself, my passions, and my life with you and for being a part of the process and learning I gained during my time in there.

Through challenges we gained strength, through joy we gained gratitude, and I thank you for your part in it.

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Love Always & Namaste, 

Megan

Welcome to Motherhood.

It's been four months.

Four incredible, sleep deprived, love filled, exhausting months. Being a new mom is definitely the most challenging and even more rewarding gig I’ve ever had. All the cliché’s are just so true. I can’t believe that in such a short time this girl has stolen her dad’s and my hearts so completely. It’s amazing all the change that one little being can bring.

With all this change and newness there is the realisation I’ve taken on a role that I’ve never trained or studied for and am now expected to do 24/7. Mixed in with all the moments of total beauty and bliss, there are these other moments of all consuming fear and doubt. What if something happened to her? Is this the right thing to do? Can I do this thing at all? The insurmountable responsibility is at times, more than I can comprehend: having this kind of influence over a human being’s life.

During these times, breath is an ever-trusty companion. Sometimes it simply escapes my lungs, so finding balance between output and input to maintain sanity can feel elusive. But, in the end, it finds me. The breath, the space, the calm. On days when I meditate I am infinitely more aware of what needs to happen next. I can be in a flurry of panic, stop for ten minutes to be still and then, ahhh.... I can breathe. This “taking time” I’ve found is actually “making time” where there is none. It gives my brain and heart the space it needs to make more intuitive decisions based on my highest good rather than the voice of my ego. In turn, my decision making process is quicker, more succinct, and more effective. This is an incredible gift, particularly as a new mother who is more often than not multi-tasking to “get shit done.”

 As a yoga and meditation teacher it would seem that I would have all this under control. But see, that’s not how human beings work. We are all flawed, have weaknesses, and need support. At the end of the day though, it comes down to choice. Will I take the ten minutes to be a better mom, wife, friend, and daughter? Or will I let it all consume me and take me down in flames. Some days the former, some the latter. But, every day, I have a choice. Every day, we can choose to begin again, and to make space where there is none.

Wow 2016. Just, wow.

Not sure about you, but the past year has brought on some very refining experiences for many. Personally, it's been one of the most challenging but even more rewarding years of my entire life. Putting this emotion into words is proving to be difficult, but I’m going to give it a go.

My last post was back in April when I announced that I was pregnant with my first child. Since then, I’ve gone through the rigors of new mom bootcamp called pregnancy and labor that have significantly changed me from the inside out. I have pushed through the mental, physical, and emotional obstacles that I never new existed and never dreamed I could achieve. But, I did. By breathing through each moment, not always calmly, not always present, but always in it, I grew stronger. I learned that I have more fight and beauty within me than I could have ever imagined. I’m getting teary writing this because I think of all the years I wasted thinking I wasn’t good enough, strong enough, brave enough. But 2016 has shown me that I am. I thought I knew that before through my years of self-study, healing, meditation, and yoga, but now, I’ve been taken to a new level of knowing. To my little angel who has made me a better human all around, I am forever grateful. I have officially learned the art of patience and surrender, though I’m sure I’ll need to learn this lesson again in the future.

Everyone tells you that becoming a parent is the most amazing thing you can experience. It’s the best ‘job’ in the world, and that you never fully understand it until it happens. They are right. Every parenting cliché’ I’ve ever heard is a cliché’ for a reason – it’s true. Looking ahead to the year to come, I feel hopeful. There are many who feel 2016 was ‘horrible’ and can’t wait for it to be over. For me, it was hard. It was gritty. It was raw. And, it was magic.

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Here’s to another magical year, no matter the lessons ahead of us and the challenges to be presented. They are there to cause us to grow and change into a shinier, more beautiful version of ourselves. We can choose to take on the challenge or not. But I urge you, open yourself up to the beauty that comes from being broken. You won’t regret it.