Rewriting Samskaras through Intentional Motherhood
The practice of yoga is something that can be taken beyond the yoga mat and into everyday life. Samskaras are one component of yogic philosophy that are easily translated and manifest into day to day life, whether we notice or not.
Read about samskaras in the context of intentional motherhood and use the journaling prompts below to examine and rewrite your own behaviors and habits.
Note: Sutras quoted in this article come from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, an ancient text of yogic wisdom compiled and organized in the Sanskrit language by Patanjali sometime in the early centuries CE. Translations and quotes describing the sutras are from Tantra of the Yoga Sutras: Essential Wisdom for Living with Awareness and Grace by Alan Finger with Wendy Newton.
What are Samskaras as Described in the Yoga Sutras?
In Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, samskaras are described in sutra 1.18 as "karmic impressions and impulses that are at the root of our 'I-ness,' or individuality, and they drive all of our unconscious behavior in life."
1.18 Virana pratyayabhyasa purvah samskaraseso'nyah
They are like trenches in our mind that subconsciously guide how we how think about, approach, interact with, and experience ourselves and the external world.
Samskaras can be positive or negative, and we can reshape unwanted patterns by cultivating the opposite of the existing pattern. As explained in sutra 2.33, "working with the yamas and niyamas to bring to mind opposite thoughts and emotions changes the brain's patterning..."
2.33 Vitarka badhane pratipaksa bhavanam
Thus, through focused effort, we can change negative patterns we've been living in our day to day lives into new, supportive patterns that reflect who we really want to be.
A less philosophical way to think about samskaras is to consider a negative samskara as a bad habit. Even when you know you don't want to continue that habit, it's all too easy to fall into it, day after day, week after week. In these cases, you are literally falling into the trench of your negative samskara.
When you make a decision to change that habit, think about how you will feel and act when that habit has shifted, and actually execute on your decision, you are actively installing a positive habit. This new, positive habit will become as easy to fall into as the bad habit used to be. You're creating a new samskara, or rewiring your thoughts and behaviors to align with the way you want to live.
Intentional Living and Mothering
Intentional living is the act of living in alignment with your personal values and priorities. Intentional mothering is an extension of intentional living, showing up as the mom you want to be for your kids, not the version that is created through society's pressures and expectations.
When you live and mother intentionally, you guide your own life based on your own values. That may mean working full time, part time, or not at all. It might mean putting your children in daycare or keeping them home. It could mean living in the suburbs or on a homestead. On a smaller scale, it could mean taking an intentional pause when a toddler tantrum is sending your mood into a downward spiral.
Regardless of the choices you make for how you're showing up as a mom, making those choices intentionally means you are mothering on your terms.
Rewriting Samskaras through Intentional Motherhood
When you know your mothering is out of alignment with your values, whether from external stressors or ingrained bad habits, it's time to rewrite that pattern into something that feels right for you and your family.
On The Mama Naturalist Blog, our path is always moving to slow down, lean into nature's rhythms, and maintain a softer pace while still working, keeping home, and raising littles. With a busy life comes busy habits, which often reflect as contrary to the slow, seasonal lifestyle we are cultivating.
For example, rushed mornings lay the foundation for hectic days and exhausted, perhaps even irritated, evening routines. Being intentional about setting up a peaceful morning routine for your family can literally rewrite the story you've had around getting out the door in the morning. You can reshape the bad habit of your rushed morning routine and, in time, fall into a slower pace on autopilot.
Journaling Exercise
Reflect on who you are as a mom right now. How are you showing up for your kids each day? Get specific and be honest about the tasks you do, the interactions you have with them, and the way you move through your days with them.
Are there any moments during your day (either every day or that pop up on some days, depending on everyone's schedule and mood) in which the mom you are does not align with the version you want to be? Write down what those moments are and describe how and why they are out of alignment. Notice any emotions that come up as you analyze and reflect on the moments you are out of alignment.
Now describe what the moments in prompt two would look like if you showed up as the mom you want to be every day. What would be different than the way they are now?
Reflect on the intentional shifts you can integrate into either those specific out-of-alignment moments or your day as a whole to alter the outcome of those moments. What kind of support, tools, or other resources do you need to ensure making that shift is something you can intentionally decide every single day?
Commit to the shift, and begin to rewrite your samskara.
More Ways to Ease the Overwhelm
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.
