When speaking about motherhood and children, Yogi Bhajan taught that a mother and baby share an aura while the baby is developing within the womb.  Once the baby is born and the umbilical cord is cut, the auras begin to separate.  However the newborn still needs the mother's aura for the first 40 days to serve as strength and protection.  From then until the child reaches the age of three the mother and child are distinctly bonded.  The next three years the child develops a strong bond with the father.  And from then on, the child becomes more integrated with the world at large.  

My daughter turned three a couple of weeks ago, and it's amazing to note how much has already shifted.  I see her growing into her own self in a deeper way, and I do truly feel that on some level she has detached from me.  However, I know we will always share a strong special bond.  Another teaching Yogi Bhajan shared is that as long as a mother prays for her child, that child will be protected on some level.  Some believe that every child is connected with their mother through a cord of light through the navel.  

Something else has also shifted.  I have come to a new place as a woman, to feel my personal power in a new way and a desire to share my gifts with the outer world.  Being a pregnant mother is such a sweet and special time.  So much energy goes to creating life, and if you are sensitive enough, you can feel the radiance involved in growing a baby in your womb.  It is truly magical.  

You are beautiful.  

You are manifesting the Divine Creative Power of the Adi Shakti.

Honor yourself:  care for yourself.

You are the Divine Mother in your most beautiful creativity.

Honor yourself:  laugh and rejoice!

You have surrendered your body to give life to your child.

Honor yourself:  be grateful.

There is no greater sacrifice and no greater honor. 

You turn your own blood into milk to nourish your child.  

Honor yourself:  care for yourself, body mind and spirit

"Self-containment is the art of prosperity.  It is the highest spiritual strength.  There is nothing to match it."

--Yogi Bhajan

Having a newborn also carries it's own unique radiance!  The time of holding a baby so small and vulnerable and delicate is deeply sacred.  And in all honesty every single step of the journey is sacred, even those days, weeks and months that feel downright intense and overwhelming, where your body feels like it's no longer yours and you are so tired, you don't even remember what deep sleep is.  

Within our culture, there is an expectation that a postpartum mother will "bounce" back after nine months, maybe a year.  And some do. . .however, some of us need more time.  Two years, maybe even three years.  And the reality is, there is no back, only forward.  Your entire physiology shifts as you become a mother.  Some women actually grow longer and taller, or into a new shoe size.  Your cells and DNA changes.  Your priorities change.  And quite often your social circles shift.  Your familial relationships change.  And your relationship with your partner is forever changed.    

We as women need to honor this process in a gentle and loving way.  There is much beauty to embrace during this metamorphosis, but that doesn't mean that every step of the way feels beautiful.

In honor of my daughter's third birthday, I have made an agreement with myself to share my gifts with the world once more.  I will be actively blogging again, teaching yoga regularly, and facilitating Birthing from Within Childbirth workshops.  I invite you to join me on this journey.  Follow my blog and share it with your friends.  If you live in the Asheville area come to my prenatal yoga classes, my mama & baby yoga classes or my other kundalini yoga classes, or sign up for a workshop.  

Cheers to life and all that is~~

"The purest thing in the world is the heart of the mother. . .it can move the universe.  It can cause an effect beyond limitation."  

--Yogi Bhajan