CLAIRE ROTHER
CLAIRE ROTHER
on being, yoga, motherhood & everything in between
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
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Why giving advice can be a selfish act / I'm tired and no I don't want baby sleep advice

I’m much more selective who I talk to about my sleep issues these days. Firstly, there is the fact of boring myself with the same answer to the question ‘how are you?’ But more significantly, I have stopped relaying my lack of sleep to most (m)others because it is almost always met with some advice. There’s nothing wrong with giving advice to others - when it is wanted

Dealing with sleep deprivation as a new mum


I read a statistic the other day that new mothers lose an average of 720 hours of sleep in the first year of motherhood. The fact that my first thought was ‘mm, is that all?’ should tell you a bit about that state of my sleep at this time in my life. If my sleep were a person it would look like Pete Doherty on a bad day circa 2010. Seriously though, 720 hours is a lot.  

Recovery; it's more than okay to be okay.
Recovery; it's more than okay to be okay.
Two magic words you need to hear about legitimising your feelings
Two magic words you need to hear about legitimising your feelings
Cultivating Insight
Cultivating Insight
Motherhood So Far: 2 Weeks In
Motherhood So Far: 2 Weeks In
Being Real About The Magic of Pregnancy
Being Real About The Magic of Pregnancy
To the depressed - you have nothing to be ashamed of
To the depressed - you have nothing to be ashamed of
Is your yoga practice doing this?
Is your yoga practice doing this?
The feather boa effect
The feather boa effect
 
 
 
 
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And on that note...I’m off to South France for a week 🌺. . And if I do say so myself I seriously deserve some R.E.S.T. Recently I’ve been feeling so busy. Working every day again has left me with little time to myself, and having to push myself more in the evenings to get home things and admin done whilst Juno is in bed. Getting the balance whilst being a mother and working is no easy feat. And finding the time to be with myself and nourish my soul outside of motherhood. I love my life but still...life is full of challenges, isn’t it? But there can be real beauty in how we navigate these. In fact, I think it’s one of the most beautiful, life affirming things. To watch others (and ourselves) rise up, as we face the difficult and challenging aspects that every life has to offer 💖. It is there that so much meaning is given🌹
Today we celebrate this little ray of sunshine’s first birthday. What a year it’s been. My live is forever changed by her presence. There are so many words, so many feelings. But mostly, this; the deep gratitude I have that of all the souls on the planet, I get to be this lady’s mother. She is beyond awesome. My heart beyond full💜💜💜. . . . Photo by the wonderful @lindenlark aka Aunty Oons 🖤
I’ve certainly been on my own journey with this one. But everyday I’m leaning more and more into this. Embracing all the things that I don’t know, the things I’m still working on, the mistakes I’ve made. These things don’t make us any less. The only thing that gets to decide if we are enough is ourselves. Life is such a journey and there is always more...more...the next thing and the next. We’re all learning, growing, making mistakes, Doubting ourselves, feeling afraid, all basically winging it. So show up for yourself, just as you are. And don’t be sorry about it 💖
Did you know that your brain can’t really tell the difference between an affectionate hug or loving touch coming from another or from yourself? Regardless, the incredibly sensitive organ of our skin will respond to the physical gesture of affection and warmth by stimulating the brain to release oxytocin - the ‘bonding and love hormone’ that helps to counteract the effects of stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol, and induces feelings of security, comfort, trust and calmness. .... So although it might feel pretty stupid at first, it’s a wise and helpful thing to make the most of the way we are biologically programmed to respond to tender physical touch by giving ourselves a good old hug when we need one. Who’s with me? ... The first time I did this in a meditation I did feel like a bit of an idiot. But I went with it and reminded myself that it was normal to feel that. It’s strange at first because we are so unaccustomed to being tender towards ourselves, but my goodness does it feel good when we are. ... Try it for yourself. Allow yourself to feel silly and go for it. And if you’re in a public place - you can also make some wise use of your mirror neurons by simply imagining giving yourself a warm hug - and you will get a similar effect💖. Self-compassion is seriously smart. ... Have a lovely weekend gang xx
Wow. An abso-bloody-lutely huge yes to this. Who’s with me? Shame is such a big one, isn’t it? And so hard to talk about because of its very nature. • I love this idea of showing up and not being ashamed as an act of rebellion (personal, societal). Our society suffers from the sickness of perfection; and it tells us that our personal struggles are parts of our story to be hidden because they denote a weakness or a flaw of character...and we can feel the need to deny our past or the parts of ourselves that don’t measure up to the image we have been fed of the well balanced, whole, successful person- the person who always has their shit together. I felt a pang of this the other day when I told someone I used to have an eating disorder... I felt the pull not to share it and the pang of shame when I did... • I think cognitively we can see through this, but behaviourally we still struggle with our imperfections - we still too often harbour a lurking sense of shame. The only cure I know for this is an immense amount of self-love and compassion. And in this, to show up anyway. To teach our shame that it is irrelevant and misplaced. To slowly rewire the brain by interrupting that cascade from thought to behaviour. Not allowing shame to cut us off from the healing that is part of the story, or to cause us to be a human apology. Be a rebel 🖤 Love, C xxx
Moving into the weekend like💖 • I am such a party animal these days;). Never in my life have I appreciated rest as I do now. But I have also never been so challenged in my ability to rest or nap when I want it. And what I’ve learned is how powerful just 10 minutes of rest can be. I have a mindfulness meditation that’s just 10 minutes. I lie down, put my eye pillow on, and focus on my breathing. This is me often. We don’t need to have loads of time to get some much needed rest in - sometimes we have to steal it in little moments but there’s still so much value in that. With meditation it is possible to rest the body and the brain without sleeping. • So party hard this weekend folks 😉💖