How Yoga is a Powerful Self-Care Tool for Parents and Carergivers in a Neurodiverse Family

If the word ‘yoga’ has made you want to not read or stop reading because it’s ‘not something that’s for you’…

Keep reading as I’m not suggesting that you should be trying to put yourself into postures that look like only acrobats can do!

It can be challenging to fit in and prioritise self-care in your daily life amongst the challenges of advocating and supporting a neurodivergent child.

You might be neurodivergent yourself which can bring additional challenges and experiences to navigate. 

In this blog, I discuss ways that you can start integrating accessible yoga practices that can be added to your self-care toolbox to help you have more energy (without needing several cups of coffee) and improve your sleep.

Everyday Yoga 

Yoga can feel like something intimidating for some people or bring up other feelings of discomfort. 

I've heard many people say that they “aren't flexible enough” or “can't do yoga” and believe that it's just something that isn't for them.

However, what a lot of people don't know is that yoga isn't only a physical practice. It is also how we live our lives each day. 

For instance, Ahimsa (non-violence) involves practicing non-violence, this includes reducing negative thoughts and self-talk towards ourselves and non-violent communication towards others. 

You can practice self-care by starting to become aware of what thoughts you have about yourself and your life.

You could do this as a brain dump, writing down words and phrases that come to mind.

Then, spend some time reflecting on whether the thoughts that have come up are helpful or unhelpful. You can count how many are helpful and how many are unhelpful.

If you notice that you have a lot more unhelpful thoughts that you believe to be true, in your everyday life practice labelling the thoughts as unhelpful when they come to your mind.

Many of our thoughts are often negative and repeated in our head several times a day. 

Try saying to yourself “not all my thoughts are true” and try reframing the thought to something more positive. For example, if the thought is ‘I'm not doing enough’, you could change this to “I'm doing the best that I can with my time and energy.”

This can help you become kinder towards yourself and create pockets of self-care moments.

Instead of at the end of the day, when you finally have time to yourself ,spending your energy mindlessly scrolling for hours, or another habit that you would like to change, you can connect to yourself and start changing your thought patterns.

By regularly doing this short practice, you can begin letting go of the guilt and mental load that you carry that you “should be doing more.”

Yoga Postures 

If you are curious about trying a yoga practice with postures, I find Yin Yoga to be particularly beneficial to help slow down the mind while releasing physical tightness and stress in the body. 

It is the first style of yoga teacher training that I undertook (it's my favourite physical practice), and the main style that I teach. 

I believe that it is one of the best types of yoga for parents, carers, and guardians in neurodiverse families.

This is due to the fact that it is a very gentle practice where the postures are held close to or on the floor. Each posture is held for a few minutes at a time. That means you can slow down physically and your mind gradually becomes quieter.

Restorative Yoga and Yoga Nidra are the other two practices that I think are particularly beneficial. They are similarly deeply relaxing and restorative practices that release stress throughout your whole body.

All these styles of yoga and meditation have a calming effect and can help you feel more relaxed.

Before I entered the juggle of motherhood, I taught weekly yoga classes. My previous students shared their experiences with me, and I'm sharing them with you!

“I always look forward to my yoga classes with Natasha, such a relaxing and calming vibe and exactly what you need during a busy week. I’d always been a little intimidated by yoga thinking it was only for very flexible people, but Natasha makes it very accessible for all levels and gives you plenty of options and the confidence to push yourself.”

- Jillian

"Yoga Nidra helped me to reach instantaneous relaxation and completely switch off from the daily stresses of life. I often struggle to avoid distractions whilst practicing other forms of meditation but I found Yoga Nidra easy to fall into, and found the after effects much deeper than other forms of meditation. After the sessions, I felt as though I’d awoken from a deep sleep, with lots of energy, whilst at the same time feeling calm and relaxed, and without any grogginess."

- Emma

“I find these sessions very relaxing and a great way to just clear your mind after a busy day, or before a stressful week. I think the stretching is good for me, and is at a really comfortable level which isn't too energetic or difficult to follow. Natasha's a great teacher - she has a very approachable, calm manner and she absolutely knows her stuff. If you're looking for an easy way to spend a little time clearing your head, getting away from your day's worries, while also giving yourself a light yoga tuneup, this is definitely worth trying out.”

- Tony

If you initially thought yoga wasn't for you, I hope the words above help ease any nerves about the practices.

Reconnecting to You 

When you create pockets of time to look after your wellbeing and recharge your energy you can feel a sense of connection to yourself. This helps you rediscover your own needs and how you can balance your very limited time and energy.

It can be hard to simply have quiet time by yourself. 

However, even small moments of time can make a difference to how you feel. When you create some time in your schedule while juggling everything else in your life, while neurodivergent parenting/caring, you can start feeling more present.

This means that you can slow down and focus on one thing.

In this case, focusing on YOU.

Life can feel all consuming when you’re giving all of your love, attention, time, and energy outwards. That means that you won’t have the headspace to think about and connect to what’s going on inside your own mind and inner world.

By integrating short practices, such as yoga and mindfulness techniques, into your routine you can start releasing thoughts that drain your energy. So, you can become more intentional in life and have more energy to take care of yourself and your family. 

Conclusion

Self-care doesn't need to take up a lot of your time and energy. When you bring small moments of self-care into your life you can increase your energy, create a calmer mental space, and explore who you are beyond your caring duties.

If you would like more guidance on ways to bring small but meaningful self-care activities into your daily life, check out my ‘Self-Care Bundle’. 

I created this to provide you with different ways to start prioritising your wellbeing that don’t require you to use huge amounts of energy, that you probably don’t have, as I know that having caring responsibilities is hard.

It includes a variety of mindfulness and yoga practices that are beginner friendly.

You can find out more about how the self-care practices can make a difference to you and your family’s life by tapping here.