Moms Who Inspire: Elena Brower

I have been a yoga teacher for five years and during that time I have come across many thought leaders in the yoga space, but very few have intrigued me as much as Elena Brower.

I first heard about Elena a few years back. A friend described her to me as “A yoga teacher who doesn’t hide from her internal demons.” She said that Elena humanizes herself in ways a lot of other yoga teachers don’t. She doesn’t try to illuminate righteousness, but instead she lives her life, sharing the highlights and the derailments along the way.

For the next few years I followed Elena’s journey in raising her nine-year old son Jonah, in co authoring the book The Art of Attention and in starting Teach.yoga, a site that I regularly go to for inspiration and knowledge. Most recently, I listened to an interview she did on a podcast which later inspired me to attend a workshop with The Handel Group, after Elena spoke about how their coaching transformed her life.

It’s fair to say that in more ways than one Elena has impacted my life without me ever meeting her. That is until a few weeks back when I had the pleasure of attending one of her classes after I interviewed her for this Moms Who Inspire post.

Elena did not disappoint.

She was kind and compassionate. She did not preach, but instead opened the class speaking about forgiveness. She offered this concept out to us, so that we could apply it to ourselves in the areas in which we truly needed it.

But perhaps what inspires me the most about Elena is the way she shows up as mom. I’ve heard her speak many times about raising Jonah, and I’m always humbled to see that she often touches on the challenges of motherhood and how they help her to grow as a person.

It’s Elena’s openness and passion for helping others that makes me so happy to share her thoughts on motherhood with all of you below.

What’s your favorite part about being a mom?

1. Cooking. By far.

What’s been the biggest challenge being a mom?

2. Staying grounded in my child’s needs while minding my own.

Self-care can be a challenge for moms. What advice do you have for moms who want to incorporate more self-care into their lives?

3. Take at least one bath a week (at least) and get up before everyone else to meditate, practice, write, be by yourself.

What’s the one piece of relationship advice you would give to new parents?

4. Make time for one another twice a week – that could mean talking attentively, holding each other, rubbing each others’ feet – to ensure that you stay connected.

What’s one thing that people would be surprised to learn about you as a mom?

5. This talk will shed some insight ?

What lesson do you most want to pass on to your child?

6. Kindness.

Are you pregnant or a new mom? Expectful is a digital platform that makes meditation easy for expectant and new moms. Each one of our guided meditations has been created to support you throughout your pregnancy and motherhood journey. Our mission is to help you give your baby the best start in life. Go to wp.expectful.com and sign up for our free 14-day meditation trial.