Becky Reflects on Her Yoga Practice as a Mom, Her Practice at Home, & Practicing General Badassery
This post is WAY overdue, and for two reasons:
1) because People Who Practice hasn’t had a post in over three years (DAAHH), and 2) because I first asked these questions to Becky Uri in 2016, then proceeded embarrassingly and inexcusably to forget I asked them to her, only to then re-ask her the same questions three years later (SMH).
Because she’s the best, Becky answered the questions a second time, and we then thought…what if we did this as a side-by-side: reflections on her yoga practice in 2016 pre-pregnancy and then the same questions reconsidered in 2019 with a toddler.
I love and can relate so hard to pretty much everything she offers, especially what it’s like to maintain a home practice, studio practice — ANY YOGA PRACTICE AT ALL — as a mom. I’m so grateful that she did this interview. Twice.
Heads up! This post contains affiliate links, and at no cost to you, I will be compensated if you click a link that I’ve shared. Thanks!
People Who Practice, Edition 6
Name & age (if you’d like to share it)
| 2016: Rebecca “Becky” Uri, 33 |
| …2019: Just turned 36…now closer to 40 than 30! |
When did you start practicing yoga?
| In the fall of 2010, I took my first studio class at Inner Power Yoga and began to practice regularly. |
How many years of a consistent yoga practice?
| 9 years…but some more consistent than others. |
How long have you been teaching yoga?
| 2016: I finished my teacher training course in February 2016 and have taught a few informal classes since then, and I JUST started my first regular teaching job at a local rock climbing gym! |
| …2019: Not teaching any regular yoga classes at the moment, but I teach the anatomy sections of Inner Power Yoga’s teacher training yearly. |
Why did you start to practice?
| I first practiced yoga in 2003 when I was spending a college semester abroad in India. I felt the benefits of the practice then, and planned to practice after returning home but didn’t follow through. In 2010, I had just quit my job and was preparing to go back to school for a career change, and I had free time. I was thinking a lot about travel and thought, “Hey, I could go to India and do some yoga” and then decided before I travelled across the world to do yoga again, I should probably try doing it locally to see if I still liked it. I found Inner Power Yoga, my local vinyasa studio, online. After a few classes, I was hooked on the postures, the breathing, and the strength of the practice. Plus, all my teachers were so nice and cool. |
Check out the full People Who Practice series here!
What other kinds of physical exercise or activity did you do regularly before yoga? Have those activities been affected by yoga, and if yes, how?
| 2016: In college, I gained weight and was not very physically active; I had a lot of unhealthy habits. In 2006, a very healthy roommate inspired me to join a gym and start running regularly. After that, I began doing circuit/weight training videos on a regular basis. So before starting a regular yoga practice, I was an avid exerciser – working out made me feel great! For the first three years of my yoga practice, I did yoga in conjunction with workout videos and running. The tight muscles I would get from running and lifting would then get stretched at yoga, and I felt very well balanced. Plus, my background allowed me to bring strength to my yoga practice. Gradually, yoga has become my primary form of physical exercise — it’s just more fun than everything else! A few years ago, while working with nursing home patients as a Physical Therapist Assistant (squatting, lifting and bending), my knees began to bother me. Switching to more yoga and less running/weights was helpful. I don’t do workout videos anymore — the physicality of the vinyasa practice keeps me strong. I still take an occasional run (maybe three to four times a month), and find it very relaxing (at least, AFTER running, I feel relaxed!). I also love an intense hike and a yoga-stretch session afterward. |
Yoga as a Mom
| …2019: Oh boy. A lot has happened since this first entry! Shortly after I answered this question in 2016, I became pregnant with my daughter who is now almost two. Pregnancy was not very fun for me physically. I wasn’t the gorgeous bad-ass pregnant lady in yoga class. No: I was nauseous on a daily basis throughout the first two trimesters, and with a fairly physically active job, I didn’t have much energy for ANY kind of additional exercise when I was pregnant. I’d regularly take walks and occasionally enjoy an extensively modified home practice. Mostly, I found my zen by taking long luxurious naps. I continued teaching at the rock climbing gym weekly throughout my pregnancy, and many of the times I went, I was not confident that I could make it through class without vomiting. But I always felt energized by teaching and being there. |
…As a mom, it is so, so nice to feel like a bad-ass whenever possible.”
Becky Uri
| After having my baby, it was very hard to find time or energy to practice yoga as a new mom. I returned to work twenty hours a week, which, with my job, usually stretched into more time than that. I’d practice vinyasa as often as I could muster the energy and time, often with my sweet baby crawling around me on the floor. Only after I cut my work hours significantly (almost a year after my baby was born) was I able to practice often enough to feel like myself on the yoga mat again. But here’s the thing, guys: there’s no going back, only going forward. Am I physically the same now as I was before I had a baby? OF COURSE NOT. Is my yoga practice now as a mom “at the level” it was before I had my baby? NO! It is so, so different. But in terms of my practice now, as a mom, even if I might not be as strong, I am much more flexible. Some things that were easy for me pre-baby (doing a ton of arm balances) are not so easy now. And at the same time, I am doing things today that I could never do before baby (working on drop backs and Marichyasana A, B, C, and YES OMG D). |
What does daily or weekly home yoga practice look like for you? What style(s)?
| 2016: At home, I practice a short-form ashtanga practice from David Swenson’s The Practice Manual. Occasionally, I’ll get together with a few friends and do the full ashtanga primary series. I like the mindfulness of this practice and not having to decide what comes next. Of course, sometimes I’ll work on my Pincha or work toward handstand whenever it fits in. Don’t call the ashtanga police! While I tend to be a “yang” yogini, of course there are days when yin is what my body orders: after a hike, or on days when all I want to do is breathe and quiet down. I have a special yoga spot where I get to look outside at trees in the backyard. It helps me to feel calm. Home practice generally happens two times a week when I work in the evenings and some weekends — whenever I can fit it into my schedule/can’t make it to the studio. |
| …2019: As a mom, home practice is now usually during my daughter’s nap time, mid-afternoon, or occasionally in the morning should I find myself inexplicably awake. I either start doing ashtanga primary series and see how far I get, or I do my own vinyasa sequence. I have a few sequences that I’ve written down which I often follow loosely. At one point, I created a very “front-heavy” sequence that would pretty much allow me to work on as many tricks as possible as quickly as possible. Lately, I’ll just do a few sun salutations whenever we are hanging out downstairs. I still have my beautiful spot by the back door. |
Do you also practice yoga in a studio? What style(s)?
| 2016: YES! I practice at Inner Power Yoga, warm vinyasa/power style three to four times a week most weeks. I love it. It never gets old because my teachers do a great job pushing me forward toward the next thing. I am a Physical Therapist Assistant, so I spend all day telling people to do various exercises and how to do them. When I get to the studio, it’s my turn to enjoy the simplicity of listening and doing. |
| …2019: YES. Oh boy. I’ll tell ya, lately, I have really needed my studio. Still IPY, still vinyasa, and now also Mysore Ashtanga. Usually Monday afternoons, and any morning I manage to wake up in time for sunrise vinyasa or Mysore. |
Is there anything you find challenging about either a consistent home yoga practice or just practice in general?
| 2016: Practicing yoga at home by myself can be a challenge. Since my schedule usually allows it, I like to eat breakfast and then wait an hour or more before practicing. That way, I’ve digested my food, and I don’t walk away from my practice mid-vinyasa due to being SO HUNGRY. I’ve also structured my work schedule in a way that allows me to get to the studio three days a week after work – this was not easy for me, but it was worth it. I’m a better employee and a better therapist when I get my yoga time. If it’s important to you, get it. |
2019’s question changed a bit: Is there anything you find challenging about either a consistent home yoga practice, practicing yoga as a mom, or just practice in general?
| …2019: Being a full-time parent and part-time PT Assistant, I have a lot on my mind and time is in short supply. My sleep is still not as regular as I would like, though my daughter has slept almost blissfully through the night since she was five months old. Quite frequently, I choose a nap instead of a home practice. So I do what I can, when I can. |
For someone who’s just getting started with yoga (or a home practice…or whatever), what advice would you offer?
| 2016: Start from where you are. Be patient with yourself and your body. If a posture hurts, don’t do it!! (And if you’re not sure, talk it through with your teacher, physical therapist, or doctor.) Also, talk to people at the studio! Even just a little bit! If you see someone do something in class that knocks your socks off, tell them! Then they will probably tell you they have been working on it for a LOOONG time. And talk to your yoga teachers or others about your home practice. If you’re struggling to fit in that home practice, send your friends/fellow yogis a message after you do it — you might inspire them! Also, even if you just have fifteen mins to practice, just do something. Chances are you’ll feel better after you do. A short fifteen mins of Sun As and Bs and seated twists, and/or balancing in tree and lingering in child’s pose before you have to shower and go is better than nothing. |
Implied within the 2019 Question: What advice would you offer to a mom who is trying to develop or maintain a yoga practice?
| …2019: Thanks three-years-ago-self (see above). I needed that advice about squeezing in practice! |
What’s the biggest change — physical or otherwise — you’ve noticed since you started to practice yoga?
| Physically, I have slimmed down a bit, my muscles aren’t as bulky as they once were, but I certainly enjoy my yoga practice at home and in studio more than pumping iron. I have good physical endurance in general, and though I have a very strenuous job and am a very small person, I have not had any significant injuries. |
What’s your favorite pose…or poses?
| 2016: Right now, Pincha Mayurasana (forearm stand). I had to work for it. For like…years. I can’t take it for granted, ever, because there are still many days I just can’t do it. There is NO time I am more focused and present than when I take Pincha in a room full of people. Falling is not an option. |
| …2019: Oh, Pincha. You’re still the one. I had to work AGAIN for you post-pregnancy and now in my yoga practice as a mom. Still there are days when I can’t hold you, but whenever I do I feel like such a bad-ass. And, as a mom, it is so, so nice to feel like a bad-ass whenever possible. |
What benefits does yoga offer to you, off the mat?
| 2016: I definitely take my practice with me into my work; I am learning to be less of a perfectionist, to practice ahimsa, or non-violence, toward myself. In addition, I am so thankful for the community of people at my yoga studio and the dear friends I have made through yoga practice. |
| …2019: Yes, I’m a mom, and I practice yoga as a mom, but yoga is my “me time.” It is where I continue to feel strong and capable, and where I can put myself first. And even though my daughter is very small, I have begun to share it with her in little ways. I am thrilled that she will grow up simply knowing what yoga is. |
How do you find your ‘om’ when you’re not on the mat?
| 2016: I’ll often pause and take a few minutes of breathing and meditation in my car before starting work in the morning. I take some calm into my day, and when I treat patients, I often remind them to breathe, and I breathe with them. I do my best, but some things matter more than other things, and I have to let some things go and not try to be everything to everyone. |
| …2019: It is so easy to put too much pressure on oneself as a working parent. I find ‘om’ when I take naps with my kitty, watch birds, and sit under trees, simply reminding myself to do less and be present with my family. |
Anything else you’d like to add?
| Thanks for letting me share! Go have fun with your yoga! |
Be sure to check out Becky’s blog (which I just saw includes an AMAZING RECIPE FOR HOMEMADE GRANOLA OMG) among other blogging excellence.
And if this post resonates with you (…developing a home yoga practice, trying to practice yoga as a mom, trying to practice ANYTHING mindful with ANY kind of consistency as an adult), please comment! And share! <3
Thanks again for this, Becky! It’s the best advice…and something I should probably read daily. <3