The yogic concept of effort, discipline, or tapas, is one of the niyamas, the five practices yogis pursue to access and align with universal intelligence. In turn, this alignment allows us to live in a way that flows more naturally, as we are better in tune with our own nature, needs, and purpose.

As moms, yogic discipline can be practiced on the mat during our yoga practice, then applied to our real lives. It shows up when we choose to live, behave, react, and mother in alignment with our truest selves, not with the default version of ourselves society has shaped us into or the habits we've formed from the stressors of a hectic life.

It starts with noticing your current behaviors through self-awareness, applying self-care so you are in a regulated and healthy state, and then using discipline to adjust your daily rhythms to better align with your highest self. This process is part of mothering intentionally by developing a clear understanding of the mother you know you can be and actively shifting your daily rhythms, lifestyle, and moment-by-moment behaviors and reactions to live into that self.

At LaRose Wellness Collective, that shift is always toward slower, calmer, and more connected to and aligned with nature. In this space, we prioritize a yoga practice designed to be carried off the mat and into our lives so that we may mother and live more closely and in tandem with nature's rhythms and our own personal values.

A shift to a slower lifestyle and motherhood journey is inherently difficult in a world and society that values productivity and ambition. Thus, tapas is necessary to decide, day in and out, that the slower path is the one you will choose. Even slow, gentle living requires effort.

Meditation:Tapas in Motherhood

This tapas meditation offers a space for you to visualize focused discipline through planting a garden. Notice which portions of the meditation challenge you, which feel easy, and where your focus falls as you move through different segments of the meditation.

Journaling Exercise: Tapas in Motherhood

This journaling exercise offers space to explore and understand where you might apply the concept of tapas to your mothering journey. Allow this reflection to integrate into your day, especially as you interact with your children and complete necessary tasks around the home amid your myriad other activities as a busy or working mom.

1. Name one area of your life where focused discipline could shift your experience from your current reality to the version of yourself you know is in greater alignment.

2. What, specifically, would that shift require? How would you need to prepare the foundation, when could you plant the seeds, and what kind of maintenance would be required to keep the weeds out of your new garden?

3. Reflect on the effort you laid out in the previous question. Name the one action you can do today, even if it feels like stepping outside of your default habits (especially if it feels like tapas!) to shift your path toward the vision you imagine.

Commit to Your Slow Motherhood Journey

• The online yoga studio for busy, working moms seeking a slower way of life offers monthly pre-recorded yoga and meditation you can use to sink into a slower pace, plus a slow down framework where you can restructure your most overwhelming challenges into peaceful, rhythmic routines that support you and your family.

• Two-minute Reset Meditations for Routine Calm Days includes ten completely free two-minute meditations for you to capture a moment of calm right now, without spending an hour at the yoga studio or taking paid leave.

• The Mama Naturalist on my website and Substack is a space where I share both conceptual and practical guidance on slowing down, connecting to nature, and living seasonally.

• Mindful Moms Digest offers exclusive yoga and meditation classes, nature stories from a wildlife biologist (me!), and free, supportive resources including links back to every blog post for busy, working moms journeying toward a slower, more seasonal way of life.

• Cultivate Calm Mornings is a structured series of three yoga workshops that supports you in transforming your morning routine from chaotic to calm.