Ep. 108 - Surprising lessons from lockdown with Tara Stiles

HealingWorklife juggle
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In this week’s episode, I’m super excited to be speaking with Tara Stiles.

Tara is the founder of Strala Yoga, a revolutionary approach to moving, being and healing. Strala is practiced in more than 100 countries, with 1000’s of guides leading classes across the world. Tara is also the author of a number of bestselling books through Hay House, including Strala Yoga and Make Your Own Rules Diet.

Tara became a mum a few years ago so I really wanted to talk about how she’s transitioned from running a hugely successful, international business into life as a mother to three-year-old, Daisy. We talk about how Tara has managed to slow down and how she now manages life and business as it continues to grow and expand.

We also speak a bit about her experiences of lockdown – Tara is full of energy and so I was curious to hear how the last few months had been for her. And of course, we talk about how to practice yoga with your children. Tara shares some great tips around how to keep it fun and let them be in the practice.

I think you’re going to love hearing from Tara in this episode. As always, the conversation continues over on Instagram so do come and join us there.

You can download a transcript of this week’s episode here.

Key takeaways from this week’s episode:

Becoming a Mother:

  • Tara is a mum to a three-year-old named Daisy. Life’s changed for her since the birth of her daughter. (03:52)

  • She entered motherhood at a time when her business was booming. (05:22)

  • She wasn’t worried about how giving birth would ‘squash her mojo’. However, she had uncertainties about how motherhood was going to be. (05:37)

Expectations as a First-Time Mother:

  • She knew she needed to create more physical boundaries. (06:13)

  • Tara thought about how her frequent travelling was not going to be sustainable anymore once she became a mother. (06:18)

Slowing Down:

  • During her pregnancy, Tara was still travelling full-time around the world. (08:02)

  • She realised she needed to shift to spending more time at one place as she got used to a hectic travelling schedule. (08:40)

  • She had to pause some things like writing books. However, she understood that motherhood could change her priorities, so it was no problem for her. (09:36)

Being a Driven Person:

  • Growing up, Tara shared that she has a surplus of energy. She was always doing stuff or organising something. (10:23)

  • She always wanted to learn new things and help other people. (11:08)

Finding Success

  • For Tara, success is not about things like being able to buy a lovely house. (13:24)

  • Instead of having an end goal, success is more of an ongoing process of trying to impact the lives of other people through what you do. (13:59)

  • Her goal is sustainability. (16:06)

Dealing with Adversity:

  • The practice she shares with others works for her too. (16:55)

  • You can use yoga and meditation to connect better with yourself. (17:10)

  • She knows that slowing down, moving with your breath, and connecting with yourself is right for her. (17:48)

How Your Energy Shows Up in Your Parenting Behaviour

  • When you’re stressed, it could show through a stiff shoulder or the way you approach the baby in general. (18:51) 

  • It took a while before Tara eased herself into motherhood. (19:19)

  • She learned to talk to kids like people. She sees beauty in communicating rather than controlling. (19:39)

Learning New Things About Yourself in Motherhood

  • Tara thought she has always been chill, but she tended to be rigid when she became a mother. (21:00)

  • Even though she teaches about mindfulness and moving in harmony, she still needs to continue practising these things to ease stress and fear. (21:28)

Finding the Energy to Say Yes to More Things:

  • We may get caught up with putting up boundaries and protecting our energies. But there is beauty in trying out new things and slowing down from your usual activities and routine. (24:07)

  • During this lockdown, Tara realised she needs to allow herself to relax to balance her work and life. (24:57)

  • She learned to give up the idea of doing the perfect thing all the time. Instead, she should just do the things that feel right. (26:11)

Connecting with Others During Lockdown

  • In the beginning, Tara found the lockdown to be quality time for her family to do new things. (28:11)

  • The digital connection has always been a part of her life since 2008. (28:53)

Her Daughter’s Lockdown Experiences

  • Her daughter Daisy had a few meltdowns, and it allowed her to express that she misses certain people. (30:28)

  • Because of the lockdown, she spends better quality time with her daughter. (31:03)

  • Tara shares that her daughter is trying to understand the virus. (31:21)

Changes in the New Normal:

  • For Tara, this period of slowing down has allowed her to do things she has been setting aside for the longest time. (32:04)

  • The virtual world has become an excellent tool for the yoga community. It allowed people to connect with yoga classes around the world. (33:14)

Doing Yoga with Kids:

  • With kids, it’s not really about having a structured plan but more of a guideline for the activities you will do. (35:24)

  • Daisy made her list of things to do and how she integrates yoga poses when playing. (35:43)

  • Yoga is an excellent activity for kids. It allows children to express themselves and get creative with it. (36:14)

On Modelling Things to Children:

  • How you feel about yourself is something people can learn from you. Keep this in mind when teaching your child to be confident in any circumstance. (39:13)

  • Tara shares how Daisy just picked up the little mundane things she does when they are out. (40:58)

  • Tara models compassion and kindness to Daisy more than anything. (42:21)

Resources mentioned in this episode

About Tara

Tara Stiles is the founder of Strala, a community built for healing and movement through yoga. She has travelled around the world to share her passion for the beautiful practice of yoga.

Tara is also a doting mother to her three-year-old daughter Daisy, and she continues to integrate yoga in motherhood. She has written a couple of books and is a renowned Hay House author. Her works include Make Your Own Rules Diet and Make Your Own Rules Cookbook.

Learn more about Tara and her practice through her YouTube channel, Instagram and the Strala website.

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