Spoiled Yogi

Hi, I’m Erica, and I’m so glad you found the Spoiled Yogi blog. I’m a prenatal and postnatal yoga teacher who is passionate about helping pregnant and new mamas love their lives more, manage stress, and find a healthier balance of all things that #momlife demands of them. Through yoga, meditation, mindfulness, self-care, a strong community of like-minded mamas, and a little bit of humor, I believe mamas can learn to take better care of themselves and live the happy, healthy lives they’ve always dreamed of. It’s time to stop making sacrifices that don’t work for you, kiss the mom guilt goodbye, and to start spoiling yourself (in a good way!) with the love and care you deserve. Do it for yourself and all the people who depend on you to be your best, You can do it. I’m here to help and support you along the way. xoxoxo, Erica

The History of Spoiled Yogi

When I started Spoiled Yogi, I hadn’t paid for yoga in five years. I studied with most of the best asana and meditation teachers in the world. In fact, amazing teachers came to my office to teach me (for free) everyday. All I had to do was walk down the hall, and sometimes I chose not to because I didn’t feel like it or because I didn’t care for a particular teacher’s specialty. Basically, I’m a spoiled, bratty, privileged yogi. Isn’t that an oxymoron, you may ask? Ummm, yeah! But then, I had an epiphany. As I was walking down the street to my cushy job, I thought to myself: “Isn’t the whole point of a yoga practice to live in the present? If you’re a yogi, shouldn’t you be content? You should be blissed out and healthy and praising Krishna for all your amazing blessings. What the hell is wrong with you? Wait, nothing is wrong with me, yoga philosophy says I am a spark of the Divine . . . so I’m kind of perfect. But really, I’m a total screwed up mess . . . Or am I?” I’m human, which is what this blog is all about. So, I started this blog with the intention of going back to the basics and approaching my yoga as the gift I know in my heart it is. I committed to practicing yoga a ton—sometimes alone, sometimes in a studio. I meditated (a lot!), and I’ll contemplated just what makes me really worthy to be a spark of the Divine. For years, I navigated my practice in the real world, sharing my story along the way, even when life conspired against me (yes, I’m spoiled AND dramatic!) It’s true. Practicing yoga when you’re working full-time and managing all of the stresses of modern life is hard. Then I became a mama … and everything changed. I quickly went from pampered princess who sometimes couldn’t be bothered to walk down the hall for yoga class in my mid-twenties, to a frazzled, work-from-home mama who took absolutely NO time for myself—ever! I stopped blogging here for a while because I didn’t feel at all spoiled any more—lucky, blessed, happy with my new life, yes—but definitely not spoiled. I barely got to sleep, much less had time for a regular yoga practice I was accustomed to in my mid-20s. My life just wasn’t about me any more. And I liked it that way … for a while. I kept teaching and writing about yoga. I unrolled my mat during my daughter’s short (but oh-so-sweet) nap times, but it wasn’t the priority. I wasn’t living the life I wanted for myself. I wasn’t practicing what I preached to my students or what I knew was best for myself. It didn’t take long for me to see that I was drained, exhausted, and burnt out. I did what any good former spoiled yogi would do. I decided to start treating myself the way I used to—like somebody that mattered—again. I stopped fitting my practice in whenever I could spare a few minutes and I started making it a non-negotiable part of my week. I took a lot of baths. I got massages. I started running. I made a new commitment to eating healthier foods that left me feeling nourished and energized instead of the fast, lifeless foods I had been eating. I had lots of conversations with other moms who were feeling the same way I was. Slowly, I started to get my mojo back. I want to help other mamas (especially pregnant moms and moms of little ones) get their mojo back, too. I got certified to teach prenatal yoga. I started working with moms and their little ones. And, just like that, the new Spoiled Yogi came to be. I hope you’ll stick around.