MEET AIMEE
"Yoga has taught me how to breathe and feel and be in the moment. This has helped me live my life the most authentic way possible."
May is mother's month and it seemed like a perfect time to feature a mom as our Movement Ambassador for the month. A former corporate executive turned yoga instructor, Aimee Padilla (Yogamama) gives us a peek into her life from being a mom to yoga instructor and how she guides women on their journey towards motherhood.
1. What are the classes that you’re currently teaching?
Pre-Natal Yoga, Post-Partum Yoga and Vinyasa Yoga
2. What was life like before yoga?
Life was dull. I was stressed-out holding down a corporate job and I had a lot of anxiety. I was mostly on auto-pilot; just going through the motions of work and life without being fully present to the experience. Yoga has taught me how to breathe and feel and be in the moment. This has helped me live my life the most authentic way possible.
3. How did you get into teaching?
Taking a yoga teacher training was always on my bucket list. It just so happened the studio where I was practicing mounted a teacher training exactly when I had resigned from the corporate world. After graduating from the course I was offered to teach right away.
Photo by Nick Padilla
4. What’s your philosophy on fitness and well-being?
Fitness should be done with intention to keep it sustainable. It is an important part to one's well-being and it directly affects your mood and quality of life.
5. How does your typical day look like?
I wake up and prepare breakfast for the family. I do yoga while they have breakfast and I teach class afterwards. By the time I'm done, I prepare lunch. After lunch I usually have another class; otherwise I use the time to do some work for my online platform yogamama.ph. By late afternoon I assist Sancho for online school. We have dinner early so we can go to bed early. I take the dogs for a walk before bed and it's one of my favorite things to do. In between schedules there's a lot of chores like folding the laundry and cleaning up, in which I try to involve Sancho with.
6. How do you balance motherhood and teaching
It's a journey and you go through seasons. Surrender to it. I also have a solid support system in my husband.
7. What are the challenges of doing what you do? How do you keep yourself motivated?
It was challenging to shift online because I am painfully self-conscious talking in front of the camera but once I've adjusted I find it's opened up a lot of opportunities! I've recently launched my online platform- yogamama.ph to make Pre-Natal and Post-Partum yoga more accessible to mothers. There is still a long way to go and a lot to improve but what keeps me motivated is that with what I do, i'm able to empower mothers going through this transformational journey.
8. What is Pre-Natal and Post-partum Yoga and can you describe the feeling of being able to guide women through their journey to motherhood?
Pre-natal Yoga is all about empowering you in your pregnancy. It is designed to serve you and your evolving needs during your pregnancy - from keeping fit, alleviating aches and pains, and to physically and mentally prepare for birth. Post-partum Yoga is a beautiful practice that allows you to reconnect with your body and yourself as you adjust into motherhood.
It's very fulfilling and it's such an honor to be able to do such a meaningful service to mothers. You literally feel the gratitude multiply around you and within you and you develop such deep connections with others.
9. How and why is meditation important?
I've been practicing mindfulness meditation for 2 years now and it's attentional training for your mind. It's normal for the mind to wander and to get lost in your thoughts. And sometimes you end up overthinking things and end up somewhere in your mind that is so far from the present moment. This can lead to anxiety and depression among other things. Mindfulness cultivates present- moment awareness of thoughts, sensations, emotions. It allows you to get in touch with yourself without judgement but with kindness and compassion.
Find out more about Aimee and her classes through her website yogamama.ph or IG @yogamamaph