Julie M Gentile

As a woman, wife, and academic in today’s society, the pressures to carry the psychological, emotional, and physical loads of assumed servitude are ever-present and exhausting! And let’s not forget the pressure to maintain today’s Instagram-rated health and beauty standards! I often find that I’m always berating myself, and would carry the constant guilt that I should always be writing, reading, working out, cooking, cleaning, making appointments, etc.
I began my yoga practice over two years ago in an attempt to take time for myself. But while I enjoyed yoga, I was never mindful- always rushing in and out of the studio, and not having the patience to develop my home practice. It was simply for the physical benefits and was lumped into the “things I did for myself” that often made me feel guilty for even doing. Cue to the never-ending list of responsibilities that were in the back of my mind! Reading this book helped me to break past these barriers and reset my approach to being mindful- not only to myself through general psychological self-care at its core, but in my own yoga practice as a lifestyle rather than just being something akin to a gym workout. It made me re-examine myself within my practice in a positive light, rather than critical.
The book is very accessible to both beginners as well as more advanced yogis, and travels through a duality of mental peace through clarity, healing, and self-gratitude as well as physical strength and progression through drishti and breathing. This duality works as a yin and yang, as a moving meditation, in which one side balances the other in order to make the person whole. However, the approach of reaching this access is through simulation of imaginative situations that we, as women, can uniquely all relate to.
While the title may direct itself toward the traditional motherhood role, all women in our society are both busy and mamas, regardless of what that looks like for each of us. Many of us typically share in a unique sense of mental and emotional stress, and sometimes feel guilty for making time and space for our own health. This book helps the reader to free themselves of that guilt and psychological “busy-ness” that is so ingrained in our societal norms for women. We often spend much of our lives nourishing the lives of others, but so very rarely take the time to do that for ourselves. This book has helped me to take small, manageable, but meaningful steps towards being better to myself. I highly recommend this piece to any and all busy mamas out there, and hope you will find it as fulfilling and meaningful as I did!… (meer)

We know that modern motherhood's expectations leave us drained. That's the undercurrent of every woman's magazine, while also instructing us how to make pinterest-worthy crafts for our kids' parties, decorate the cutest cupcakes, and simultaneously shed 10 pounds. If you're tired of being tired, this book's message can be a lifeline: "It is not acceptable to sacrifice your self-care in the face of busyness."

The author reminds us that self-care is not buying a new purse or binge-watching Netflix, but actively mothering ourselves - giving ourselves the care we so readily give to everyone else in our lives. As someone who is easily overwhelmed by personal growth books that prescribe a complete overhaul of one aspect of your life, ignoring the fact that you can't put the rest of your life on hold, it is reassuring that each practice is small. She tells us to try them all, in any order, and keep only the things that work for us - refreshing.

The book focuses on yoga and ayurveda - breaking them down into bite-size, understandable pieces - a relaxing t-shaped twist to help digestion but also encourage ourselves to 'do' less, tracking water consumption for a week and noting how it makes us feel - and also links these physical practices to our emotional well-being. There are writing prompts to help us recall our motivations, values, and what excites us. Need more patience? There's a yoga pose to help build it.

For those already overwhelmed with their to-do lists (all of us), the author encourages with stories from her own life - working full-time, writing, teaching yoga, and mothering small children. "Something had to give, so I gave to myself."

My mind-shift started on page 3, as I questioned whether I could add new ideas and habits to a life already full (with work, dishes, and the guilt of not-cute-enough cupcakes). "These...practices don't take time; they give you time." Oh. Maybe I will put down the magazine and try that yoga pose.… (meer)