Activated Mama Yoga

I’ve spent the past 9 months creating virtual experiences for mothers. It’s something I am most proud of about what I’ve accomplished in 2020! While I mourn everything that this past year should have been...... I’m actually grateful that it’s turned out nothing like it should have. In February I launched the Motherhood Empowerment Series. Through mindset work, group coaching, yoga and meditation I experienced the power of a sisterhood with whom I could grow and transform. In March when the pandemic hit, I didn’t miss a beat. I offered virtual yoga classes for all 60+ students that were currently enrolled in studio classes with me. But classes doesn’t really sum it up. Every time we gathered we began with deep, meaningful conversation. It a world where the rug was being swept from beneath all of our feet, the reflections of these mamas were poetic - our conversations were heartbreaking and beautiful all at once. I am a gatherer of women. I know it in my bones. It heals me, and it heals others. I have a gift of holding space. In these continued times of uncertainty, I know this. We need one another. We need safe space to express ourselves. Stillness is paramount for finding one’s way back home to one’s self. Please join me at one of my current or upcoming offerings. Don’t let this time slip away when it’s the perfect time to dig deep and access a higher version of you. You can join me at... The Prenatal Empowerment Series A Mother’s Circle HypnoBirthing The Motherhood Empowerment Series DM me to inquire about my programs - I’d love to hold space for you P.S. What are YOU most proud of from 2020? Comment below!

It is December 22nd, Christmas is days away and many of us in Ontario are staring straight into another lockdown (if we aren’t already there). Last week I checked in with my group of mamas and asked how they were doing. So many important words showed up - hopeful, tired, overwhelmed, foggy, grateful, trapped, heart broken, exhausted and lonely. If you were one of those mamas who weighed in or any of those words resonate with you, know this...... I literally wanted to reach through the screen and gently rest my hand on each one of your shoulders and tell you you are not alone I wanted you to feel my sincerity when I told you it’s ok to be grateful AND tired... hopeful AND lonely. It is OK to experience this polarity of emotion at the same time. For many the lockdown will be a trigger for unwanted emotions to crash in. This grief needs to be seen and felt. We are in the darkest season both literally and figuratively right now. But what is coming is the light. By holding space for every emotion that surfaces at this time AND connecting over the humanness of it all, we heal. We grow stronger. So mama this is your invitation. Join me in circle on New Year’s Day. We will talk. We’ll breathe. We will connect to your inner wisdom so that you walk away feeling more calm and capable entering this new year than you did before. Are you worried this isn’t for you? Are you telling yourself you don’t have the time/space/permission to be present for it? All you have to do is ask. Ask yourself and ask anyone you need to support you to make it happen. A Mother’s Circle. Join me virtually at 8pm. New Year’s Day. Link to register: https://www.amotherscircle.com See more

Mama, we have something special to support both you and your baby. I am honoured and excited to feature the beautiful Amanda Everitt as a member of the Activated Mama team! Amanda Everitt will be leading the upcoming Postnatal Recovery Series at Dundas Yoga & Fitness .... This series is perfect for the mom who is looking to create measurable results in her physical and emotional well-being, while connecting with her baby! Join postnatal yoga teacher, Amanda Everitt, and Pelvic Health Physiotherapist, Kristen Parise, for this 6 week series, beginning Friday November 6, of Mom and Baby Yoga classes designed to support your postpartum body's healing journey. Each week, we will engage in meaningful discussions about motherhood followed by a yoga practice with exercises chosen to rehabilitate your core and pelvic floor muscles. This program includes a Blueberry Therapy Initial Pelvic Health Assessment before the program and a Follow Up Assessment after the program to monitor the progress of your pelvic floor health. Note: This program can be billed through Physiotherapy Insurance Benefits. What will baby do? Your pre-crawling baby joins you for this practice and will be engaged in a sensory experience with songs and movement. That being said, if your baby is napping, let them relax while you enjoy a well deserved stretch! This class is an inclusive and relaxed environment where you are free to pause and nurture your baby while also enjoying the healing and strengthening benefits of yoga. Link to register: https://linktr.ee/activatedmama Please note - the first pic is from last year’s series in a pre COVID world. Mats will remain 3m a part, mask wearing is mandatory to the mat and optional on the mat, and mom and baby count as one family. Class sizes are kept small!

Hi there! I'm Jessica - I offer virtual prenatal yoga, HypnoBirthing and motherhood coaching. I help overwhelmed mothers align with their full potential and teach about matrescence - the complete transformation a woman goes through when she becomes a mother. Learn more about my work at https://www.activatedmama.ca Photo credit to the amazing Sara of Noah's Ark Photography - Lifestyle Portrait Artist Sara Marina!

Last night in my prenatal yoga class, one of the expectant mamas was shocked to find out this: Babies feed every 2-3 hours. She is over 20 weeks pregnant and as she put it, there is no going back! But she was shocked - why had no one told her this?... I wish I had the answer. All I could say is - you are right. THESE are the conversations we need to have to prepare women for motherhood. Real, raw honest conversations about the reality of motherhood. Before I became a mother, I had a very clear picture of what a good mother would strive for. She would have her baby naturally. She would breastfeed - obviously. Everyone knows that is what is best for your baby. I heard it was hard, but I would persevere. There was no doubt in my mind. A good mother certainly would never leave her baby to cry it out. For any reason. A good mother takes the full maternity leave available to her. Who wouldn’t want to spend that amount of time solely with the new human they created! What with the deep bond a good mother creates with her baby, she certainly would know exactly what to do to take care of her baby. A good mother would look for ways to make it possible in her life to spend MORE time with her children as they grew past babies. She would do before and after school pickups, and have cookies waiting on the table plus meals planned. But most obvious to me before I became a mother was this... A good mother would love being a mother. All the time. And what I know now is that what makes a good mother is none of these things. We set women up for distress and overwhelm when we allow them to measure up against impossible standards. Do you agree? Comment below See more

I invite you to A Mother's Circle. Learn more and register at: January 1, 2020 at 8:00pm - Early bird pricing on now! https://www.amotherscircle.com... #motherhoodempowerment

I am so excited to share that I have a gift for you! Affirmations have been a part of my journey for over a decade, but in pregnancy and motherhood they became essential reminders to choose thoughts that make me feel GOOD. Sleep deprivation, meltdowns, and stress are all things that can trigger overwhelm in a mama. ... I wrote this intro to one of my yoga classes 2.5 years ago: "I have been struggling lately. Motherhood can be a lot. I am working through some emotional triggers and when my energy is low, my children sense this. Even my baby seems to act differently when I am not myself. This in turn makes me feel overwhelmed and I can almost stand back and witness myself spiraling. An email arrived in my inbox yesterday from a Peaceful Parenting forum that I forgot I had subscribed to. As I scanned through the contents, once sentence stood out to me. Resist the overwhelm. It was a reminder that the power to stay calm exists within me. I was so busy looking at external factors my son’s behaviour, my daughter’s fussing, but really these are just symptoms of the energy that I am putting out. So let’s start our class today by returning to that place of calm and confidence that exists in each one of us. The story we tell ourselves is louder in our own heads than it is to anyone else. Let’s control that internal narrative to stay in a positive mindset! Last night I wrote myself a few reminders on my chalkboard: 1) Resist the Overwhelm 2) Take a DEEP BREATH 3) I am calm, I am capable, I am strong" I'm so proud to say I've shifted my mindset in motherhood massively since then, but it’s encouraging to see how in the darkest moments affirmations can be the spark of light that you need. Have you ever had to Resist the overwhelm? Comment below! Download your free printable: https://aw1656bd.aweb.page/p/25a55102-5d9a-4ad3-80b2-402420

Your invitation awaits... https://www.amotherscircle.com

Exciting news! I am honoured to be expanding my team in partnership with this divine human being and mama to three - Caroline Phillips. Do you ever meet someone and suddenly just know she is a soul sister? This is how I felt about Caroline 3 years ago when she showed up in my prenatal yoga class! She has always shared her story so openly and vulnerably. When her son was born on the same day as my daughters were - the summer solstice - it just felt like ano...ther sign we came into one another’s lives for a reason. Caroline will be taking over my upcoming In Studio 6 Week Mom & Baby Yoga Series! Join Caroline at the Yogashala Waterdown Thursday, October 1 - November 5 at 10:30am to bond with you pre-crawling baby and heal your core and pelvic floor. Read about Caroline’s journey in her own words... My journey with yoga began during post secondary school, as I worked my way through a fitness, health promotion, and kinesiology degree. During this point in my life I was diagnosed and began treatment for breast cancer. Yoga served me physically, emotionally and spiritually in my recovery. As my life evolved and I became pregnant, yoga continued to serve me in the most empowering ways. I became a yoga instructor after my second pregnancy, specializing in pre and postnatal instruction, in hopes that I can guide other mothers as I was guided; with knowledge, understanding, and love. Now as a mother of 3, I hope to bring comfort and compassion to other mothers through yoga and my shared experiences, both expectant and postnatally. Link to register: https://www.wellnessliving.com/rs/event/yogashala Spaces are limited and already filling up. The Yogashala maintains a high level of cleanliness, filtered air, social distance and mask wearing to your mat. You and your baby are in good hands mama! @ The Yogashala Waterdown

I’ve enrolled in a new program to enrich the way I serve my motherhood community. Mama Rising. I’m 1.5 modules in and holy shift. This is the language I’ve been missing to truly talk about the spiritual awakening that is motherhood.... The Maternal Mandate The Inner Split Matrescense Self Silencing At the end of this training I will become a Mama Rising Facilitator. As a facilitator I can share these teachings, designed to help mothers deeply understand how their entire being shifts as they transition into and through motherhood. The journey of motherhood has been one that has shaken me to my core and allowed my own rebirth into embodying a higher vision for myself. I feel empowered to finally have the words that really fit how transformational this experience has been. And I’m so excited to be a part of a revolution of mothers committed to changing the way we talk about motherhood. I will be sharing this work alongside the practices of yoga and meditation in my upcoming Motherhood Empowerment Series. Early Bird Enrolments are open for this 12 week virtual program that will allow you to end 2020 on your own path to activating your highest potential! DM me your email address to receive a FREE deck of printable motherhood affirmation cards. Stay in the know as I share more details about this motherhood revolution! Comment below - how has motherhood transformed you? See more

This is my beach bod. It’s taken me a long time to find peace with it. After Gavin’s birth I had a stretch mark or two - only visible to me. But after the twin pregnancy, I knew I would have to come to love my belly, stretch marks, loose skin and all. ... After my body failed me when we suffered a loss, it’s been enough of a journey just to love my physical self now. Do you relate to this? Has motherhood triggered a sense of failure in your body? Birth trauma, loss, and many other unexpected outcomes can wreak havoc on a mother’s mind. I had to come to a place of peace where I have chosen to love myself NOW and not wait until I get my body back. Because that’s not really what I want anyway. I don’t want my old body back. THIS one has been stretched beyond capacity and produced miracles. Have you struggled with body image after the birth of your baby (babies)? Comment below or DM me!! I would love to hold space for you. See more