Ashtanga Teacher Mariela Cruz on Yoga and Motherhood

May 24, 2025

The perfect capture of yoga and motherhood.

When I was pregnant with Kalindi I experienced a sense of universal sisterhood. Suddenly women could relate to me, even women who had never been pregnant. Suddenly everyone cared about my comfort – from messages on Instagram to doing whatever possible to make me comfortable in restaurants and other public spaces. For my part I appreciated this experienced, and looked for stories of other women who could help me approach this beautiful and special time in a healthy and balanced way. Most pregnant women do the same.

In particular I wanted stories from other yogis. How did they approach their practice when they were pregnant. What was the impact this experience had on their pregnancy and later motherhood. Was their practice changed forever? Does the body ever go back to the familiar shapes and contours of ‘before’? Although I found a lot of information on the internet, there was surprisingly little about the pregnant yogi’s experience. I decided to change that.

I came across Mariela Cruz’s story in a book called Yoga Sadhana for Mothers (which I’ve reviewed in this post.) Her story was intense, she was in and out of pregnancies for 21 years…

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Pregnancy/Parenting Notes

Are Inversions Safe During Pregnancy?

May 16, 2025

I stayed active throughout my pregnancy, going for long hikes, practicing inversions and eating healthy.

Inversions During Pregnancy: What You Need to Know

When I started yoga I looked at the headstand with the longing of a noob. It seemed like an impossible pose and the pinnacle of physical acumen. I did my first headstand during my YIC at SVYASA, after about three years of yoga practice. Since then I’ve come a long way – progressively getting stronger and more confident in my practice. I didn’t know then that inversions like the sirsasana and sarvangasana would become the backbone of my prenatal yoga practice, but they did and today I teach these to other expecting mothers.

So should you practice inversions during pregnancy? The short answer is yes, but read on for all the details on when, how, and why they might work for you

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Postpartum Pregnancy/Parenting Notes Wellness

Postpartum Healing with Acupuncture: Boost Energy, Balance Hormones, and Sleep Better Naturally

April 29, 2025

As a yoga teacher I knew that after I had a baby, I would have to be extra careful with the healing process. To rush to ‘get back’ could lead to nagging aches, chronic weakness, and a disconnect from my practice. But simply waiting for things to sort themselves out was also risky — a slow drift away from the strength and vitality I had worked so hard to build.

To answer my queries I caught up Dr. Shruthi Rao at the Bodhsara Wellness and Salt Studio. Our conversation focused on the benefits of acupuncture for postpartum women. From hormone support and emotional balance to better sleep, lactation, and pelvic healing — Dr. Shruthi Rao breaks it down beautifully.

Keep reading to learn what happens in a typical session, how it complements pelvic floor therapy, and how you can begin at home.

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Pregnancy/Parenting Notes Prenatal Wellness

Yes, You Can Get Pregnant with Low AMH — I Did

April 22, 2025

Attending a wedding in Bhopal during my first trimester. We had just started telling everyone.

“If you sleep more Pragya your AMH will come up on its own,” said the man who sat in front of me, a doctor in one of Bangalore’s most famous maternity hospital.

I looked at him unconvinced. None of the research I’d read connected sleep to AMH. And in any case, wasn’t it natural for AMH to decline with age? I had a sneaking suspicion that this man was misleading me, using his authority as the ‘expert’ to say whatever he wanted to a woman grasping for straws of hope.

I’ve spoken extensively about my journey to conception. It was circuitous, confusing and daunting. In retrospect, what helped was understanding and appreciating what I had control over. So I committed to practicing yoga more diligently, reminding myself of the miracles it had brought into my life. I made space for rest, journaling, and time with friends—and above all, I refused to let science and medicine intimidate me.

Here’s how I dealt with my low AMH, and you can too.

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Poetry Postpartum Pregnancy/Parenting Notes

Don’t Rush: 13 Lessons on Love, Loss & Gifts From a Year of Motherhood

April 10, 2025

Buddhas in a temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka, reminicent of the lingas in the Koti Lingeshwara Temple.

Don’t rush.

You’ll look in the mirror and long for the shape that once felt like home. But don’t rush to return to her. There is no going back—only forward.

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Postpartum Pregnancy/Parenting Notes

Pelvic Floor Health After Childbirth: Why Every Woman Should See a Specialist

March 28, 2025

diagram of pelvic floor muscles postpartum

The pregnancy and postpartum journey have been eye-opening for me. My fitness and yoga journey have been about building strength and flexibility. Post pregnancy I found myself in the somewhat daunting position of having to re-build my body, muscle by muscle, sinew by sinew. And like most women, pelvic floor health was the last thing on my mind. Sure, I’d heard about it on Instagram, but at the rate Instagram is devolving into a quagmire of sensationalised, fear mongering false news, who pays attention? Post delivery the focus is largely on regaining strength, losing ‘baby weight’, or simply getting through the exhausting newborn phase, but what about our pelvis – the part of our body that has endured immense strain and stress during pregnancy?

Unfortunately pelvic floor health is often overlooked in postpartum care worldwide. Whether you’re weeks or months after childbirth, seeing a pelvic floor specialist can significantly improve recovery and long-term well-being. I was also not sure of when to see a pelvic floor specialist after childbirth, but when my friend Shruti told me about her experience and recommended Dr. Anuja, I decided to book an appointment. My consultation with her was eye-opening, and I walked away with insights I feel are valuable for all women – regardless of whether you’ve had a baby or not.

I decided to delve deeper into the mysteries of the pelvic floor as an integral component of a woman’s overall health. In this conversation I had with Dr. Anuja Chandrana, we delve into the significance of pelvic floor health for a woman’s overall wellbeing.

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Postpartum Pregnancy/Parenting Notes

10 Overlooked Postpartum Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore

March 17, 2025

The three of us at Kalindi’s cousin Kai’s first birthday party. Attending this was poignant, as we were also about to reach this milestone.

When I had my daughter, I expected the usual postpartum struggles—sleepless nights, sore muscles, and a rollercoaster of emotions. As a new mum, the tendency is to focus on the baby’s well-being more than your own, so you largely write these off as “normal”. However, when my metatarsals began to ache, I was caught off-guard and promptly scheduled an appointment with my doctor.

Although it was nothing to worry about (she prescribed a calcium supplement), I realised that there are many symptoms that are typically ignored, and deserve more attention.

Here are ten commonly overlooked postpartum symptoms that you should discuss with your healthcare provider.

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Postpartum Wellness

My Journey to Aging Gracefully

March 8, 2025

I turned 43 this year. 43 looks different today than it did, say 10 years ago. At 43 women are now starting families, changing career paths, finding love….question and challenging their world views. I certainly found myself re-evaluating long held beliefs, thought and behavioral patterns. Including my approach to my yoga practice.

I’ve written extensively about my conception and pregnancy journey and the role yoga played in it. In retrospect I feel it’s important to point out that it was only the allopathic medical fraternity (“Western medicine” as many would say) that used the words “geriatric” or “old”. Alternative health practitioners, including my yoga teachers, never once saw the idea that I was too old to become pregnant as credible. To them, my body’s potential mattered more than my age. The irony is that many people think that this means according to yoga age doesn’t matter – but it’s quite the opposite.

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Postpartum Pregnancy/Parenting Notes

My First Birthday As a New Mom

February 19, 2025

…was my 43rd.

Many Iyengar practitioners take what I call the Light on Yoga birthday challenge every year – they practice the number of asanas from the book corresponding to their age. I’ve just recently started to feel my old flexibility coming back, after a deep tissue massage last month. But things had been so busy that I remembered this challenge only on Feb 1st. With everything else going on (read ramping up classes, taking care of a wriggly 11 month old, trying to get the nanny situation under control), I couldn’t really prepare for the challenge as I used to in previous years. In the end I just did my best and accepted whatever came my way. So my first birthday as a new mom was about acceptance.

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Poetry