Oh, mamas, we KNOW how hard it is to make it to your mat. Between the early (and not-on-your-own-terms) wake-ups, the laundry piles, working, cooking, and the overall busy bee-ness of parenthood, carving out even five minutes of yoga time can feel wildly luxurious.

Photo by Tanya Villano.

And guess what? Even five minutes — or even two minutes! — of mat time can help bring clarity, calm, breath and focus to your day. Ahhh.

For those times you do make it to your mat, how does yoga make you a better mom? That’s the question posed by MindBodyGreen.com to six “Rock Star Yogi Mamas” in a recent post sent my way from Blooma teacher Nan Gane. Check it out.

Then tell us: how does yoga impact your ability to parent? Do you have a favorite yoga class or a go-to pose that brings you back to center?

Love,

Alisa, Sarah & the women of Blooma

Few of us expect our babies to wind up in the NICU. That’s why we wanted to share this guide full of helpful information about how to nurture and bond with your baby even if he or she gets off to a difficult start.

If you have a friend who needs the information, please pass this guide along.

If you had a baby in the NICU, what piece of loving advice would you share for moms and dads out there?

Love,

Alisa, Sarah & the women of Blooma

Hello, sweet mamas! We’re wishing you a day full of much love, caring, and understanding for yourself on this day.

Motherhood is surely the most difficult (and most rewarding) job you’ll ever do — and for this, you deserve a bubble bath, mimosa, massage, and flowers. But mostly, you deserve a day off! A gold medal!

For all the sleepless nights and times you’ve kissed boo-boos, for all the lunches you pack and ways you teach and guide your little ones, Happy Mother’s Day.

To mamas who may be suffering from postpartum depression or anxiety, we know this day may not be one you feel like celebrating at the moment, and that’s okay, too. For help, see our list of resources.

Wherever you are at in your stage of pregnancy or motherhood, we at Blooma wish you this:

• much loving kindness toward yourself
• an inner knowing that you are a good enough mom (you don’t have to be perfect!)
• a tingly, sparkly feeling that says, “you are loved beyond measure!”
• a day off to simply be

Big hugs to each and every one of you!

Love,

Alisa, Sarah & the women of Blooma

With their permission, we’re sharing a little love note from new parents Amy and Russ. Congratulations on Liam’s arrival!

Love,

Alisa, Sarah & the women of Blooma

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Sarah,

I just wanted to let you know how helpful your couples class was for Russ and I during our late stages of pregnancy and labor and delivery!

Thanks to you, Russ was very aware of the stages of labor and he was an amazing coach for me! He was supportive all the way through even when labor got very difficult.

We welcomed our precious little Liam on March 7, 2012. It was an amazing experience and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way!

I was determined and felt confident in our decision to have a natural childbirth and was thankful for our nurses at Fairview Southdale who also were very supportive of our birth wishes.

I am thankful for the class that you offered and have been recommending it to all of my pregnant friends. I will be looking into your baby and mom classes as I begin to venture out with Liam!

Thank you for supporting all the mamas!

Amy, Russ & Liam

With so many wonderful ways to support mothers both locally and abroad, we at Blooma thought we’d offer a few Mother’s Day gift ideas.

• Support local mothers in need (and support doula care) with this gift to your mom or to yourself — become an Isis Rising founding mother! Isis Rising is a prison-based pregnancy, birth, and parenting program provided to women at Shakopee Women’s Prison.

If you donate $25, $100 or another amount in your mother’s name, she’ll receive a hand-made Mother’s Day Card. Donations of $100 or more will qualify the honorary donor as an Isis Rising “Founding Mother,” and their name(s) will be incorporated into a public art piece to be hung and displayed at Isis’ parent organization, Everyday Miracles Pregnancy Center. Donations of $500 or more will also include a bouquet of flowers hand-delivered by an Everyday Miracles volunteer (if in the Twin Cities area).

• Near and dear to Sarah’s heart  is Shanti Uganda, which began with a vision to bring the healing power of yoga and conscious birth to communities experiencing trauma in Uganda. (This is where Sarah helped build a birth center in 2010 with the generous support of Blooma families!).

The gorgeous beaded jewelry (necklaces, bracelets, and earrings), handmade yoga mat bags and handbags sold through Shanti Uganda are available in celebration of Mother’s Day at 40% off, AND support women who’ve graduated from the Income Generating Training Program. Each woman must be HIV positive and either a grandmother taking care of multiple grandchildren, a widow or in a situation of extreme poverty. Just enter  ”springcleaning” at checkout for the discount.

• The book from National Public Radio called Mom: A Celebration of Mom from StoryCorps ($14) makes a great gift for your own mom, grandmother, sister, or new-mom friend. ”Meet mothers and children of all kinds—immigrants, adult children caring for an elderly parent, a woman remembering the sound of her mother’s laugh, and visit families in moments of profound joy and sadness, courage and despair, struggle and triumph.”

• And of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t recommend a Blooma gift card for your loved ones — great for using toward any of our yoga classes or a wellness service such as a massage or acupuncture.

Happy (almost) Mother’s Day from Blooma!

Love,

Alisa, Sarah & the women of Blooma