By Hannah Schenker
Spilt Milk Yoga: A guided self-inquiry to finding your own wisdom, joy, and purpose through motherhood, by Cathryn Monro, was launched back in August and is making waves throughout New Zealand. It is a companion to the inner journey of motherhood. Approaching motherhood as a path to greater self-knowledge, Wellington author and artist Cathryn Monro combines personal experience, honesty and humour to ask:
- Will motherhood ruin my life?
- What happened to my body, and my career?
- Am I doing it right?
- Whose anger is this?
- Is an ordinary life good enough?
- How do I achieve anything?
Cathryn Monro has practised meditation and yoga for the last 26 years, but is quick to point out her book is not about how to do physical yoga poses. Rather, Spilt Milk Yoga approaches motherhood as a path for engagement with our most profound relationships, offering life’s richest and most confronting lessons on love, acceptance and joy.
“Motherhood is like the most intense retreat you could ever go on, all the exits are blocked, you meet your habits, your best and your worst behaviours, and no matter what you have to show up every day and be Mum, even when you don’t feel up to it,” says Cathryn.
“And it’s especially when you don’t feel up to it that we have the opportunity to find a new way forward, because what better place to practice love, compassion, tolerance, and understanding than with our relationships with ourselves, and our children?”
Spilt Milk Yoga is designed to be mother-friendly. Its 52 short chapters are written in an easy-read font for sleep-deprived eyes. Each chapter has a quick-grab aphorism. The author shares her honest and often humorous personal mothering experiences, and provides a practice applicable to each situation. There is also a page of guided self-inquiry in each chapter, ensuring that Spilt Milk Yoga is relevant to every reader’s situation.
Spilt Milk Yoga is a companion guide for mothers who want to experience the happiness, peace, and purpose available in each moment, who want to be more present and connected to themselves and their children. Spilt Milk Yoga is about thriving, not just surviving, in motherhood, and finding your own wisdom, joy and purpose while you are in amongst it all, not in spite of motherhood, but because of it.
“Spilt Milk Yoga is the book I wish I’d had when I became a mother” says Cathryn.
Here is a little of the book launch at Unity Books in Wellington:
Kara-Leah Grant from The Yoga Lunchbox, has also shared a wonderful interview with Cathryn, below. Head to the site for the full review.Â
There is also a short and sweet interview on Radio Live HERE.
We can’t wait to read it!
Cathryn Monro is a proÂfesÂsional artist, writer, eduÂcaÂtor, facilÂiÂtaÂtor and mother of two. She rates mothÂerÂing as by far the most chalÂlengÂing, creÂative, imporÂtant and fulÂfillÂing of jobs. Cathryn’s life, trainÂing and work comÂbine her creÂative drive, a comÂmitÂment to meanÂingÂful eduÂcaÂtion, self-inquiry and group learnÂing processes, and yoga and medÂiÂtaÂtion pracÂtices.
Cathryn holds a BFA and MFA from the Elam School of Fine Arts, UniÂverÂsity of AuckÂland, and has a 30+yr career as a proÂfesÂsional artist. Her work includes large scale pubÂlic and priÂvate comÂmisÂsions rangÂing from bronze and weathÂerÂing steel works to instalÂlaÂtions involvÂing 200,000 strung beads, to gallery exhibÂited sculpÂture and works in paint, phoÂtogÂraÂphy, light and drawÂing.
FolÂlowÂing her interÂest in colÂlabÂoÂraÂtion and comÂmuÂniÂcaÂtion processes, Cathryn spent a year trainÂing as an actor in SydÂney, AusÂtralia. It was there, in 1990, that she began her yoga pracÂtice.
On return to New Zealand and alongside her stuÂdio pracÂtice, Cathryn began a 20+yr teachÂing career in NZ‘s preÂmiere terÂtiary arts instiÂtuÂtions. Her interÂest in eduÂcaÂtion and inquiry-learning prompted 6 years trainÂing as a facilÂiÂtaÂtor of active and interÂacÂtive group process. This lead to work in a variÂety of setÂtings includÂing workÂshop facilÂiÂtaÂtor for parÂents for 2 years with the Anger Change Trust, PlayÂback for Teenagers for youth theÂatre, and 11 years as scriptwriter for the charÂity Books In Homes, proÂmotÂing a love of readÂing and book ownÂerÂship to thouÂsands of disÂadÂvanÂtaged schoolÂchildÂren throughÂout New Zealand.
In the year 2000 Cathryn gave birth to her first daughÂter and in 2003 to her secÂond. Cathryn jugÂgled her career and life as a work-at-home mum alongside her stuÂdio pracÂtice, writÂing, and facilÂiÂtaÂtion and spent 6 years in hands-on early childÂhood eduÂcaÂtion with the parent-led PlayÂcenÂtre organÂiÂsaÂtion.
Over the last 10 years Cathryn has worked with terÂtiary stuÂdents and proÂfesÂsionÂals leadÂing inteÂgraÂtive, group-learning, practice-based inquiry processes, drawÂing on the expeÂriÂences of group memÂbers to deepen learnÂing, build colÂlabÂoÂraÂtive relaÂtionÂships and enrich workÂing culÂtures.
Cathryn lives with her husÂband and daughÂters in WellingÂton, New Zealand.
