Your Calm Parenting Path

48. Reconnecting With Yourself in Busy Seasons of Parenting, with Meg Summers

• Nina Visic • Episode 48

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If you’ve been feeling a little disconnected from yourself lately, this conversation will feel like a gentle exhale. In this episode, Nina sits down with yoga teacher Meg Summers to explore what it really looks like to reconnect with yourself in the middle of busy family life. Together, they reflect on how our needs shift through different seasons of parenting, and how we can begin to come back to ourselves in a way that feels supportive, not like another thing to do.


You’ll Learn

  • Why it’s so common to lose touch with yourself in parenting 
  • The difference between doing something and feeling nourished by it 
  • How communication and awareness can support reconnection


Why This Episode Matters

Reconnecting with yourself isn’t about adding more to your plate. It’s about noticing what you need, and creating small moments of steadiness that support both you and your family.

 

Small Shift for Big Impact

Bring a little more awareness to your communication today. Notice how you’re speaking to yourself and to your children, and gently shift towards something that feels calmer and more supportive.


Take the Next Step

Meg’s Reconnect & Begin course starts May 13. Use code RECONNECT for early bird pricing (valid until May 4). Links below.


Links and Resources


Let’s Connect

Want more support? Follow Nina on Instagram, or sign up for tips and updates at mindfulparentinglifestyle.com.au.
 

Have a question or parenting challenge you'd like addressed on the podcast? Send a DM or an email.
 


About the Hosts

Nina Visic is a mindful parenting coach and mum who supports parents to move from feeling reactive and overwhelmed to calm, confident and connected. Through simple, practical tools and a compassionate approach, she helps families create lasting change in their everyday lives.

 

Meg Summers is a yoga teacher with over 25 years of teaching experience and nearly 30 years of personal practice. Her work is grounded in her own lived experience, using yoga as a way to reconnect, find clarity, and support overall wellbeing. As a parent, Meg understands how easily these practices can slip during busy seasons, and how important it is to gently return to them over time.

Episode 48 Reconnecting With Yourself in Busy Seasons of Parenting 

 This transcript was created using Headliner. It has been copied and pasted but not proofread or edited, so it may contain errors or inaccuracies.

Nina: You're listening to Your Calm Parenting Path. I'm your host, Nina, a mindful parenting coach and mum, here to help you go from overwhelmed and reactive to calm, confident and connected with your kids. This show is for parents who want to raise their children with more patience, less stress, and a whole lot more joy. Because small shifts make a big impact and you can build the parenting life you've always wanted. If you want to see what I'm up to, follow me on Instagram indfulparentinglifestyle and don't forget to hit, follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode. Let's get started.

Nina: Welcome back to your Calm Parenting Path. If you're listening today, feeling tired, stretched thin, or like you're holding a lot, you're not alone. Parenting asks so much of us, and so often we're taught to push ourselves to the bottom of the list. In today's episode, I'm joined by Meg Summers, a yoga teacher and business owner, to explore a question that sits at the heart of mindful parenting. How do we care for ourselves in a way that actually supports our parenting without adding more pressure or guilt? This is a gentle, grounded conversation about wellbeing, presence and creating small moments of steadiness in the middle of busy life. Let's begin. Meg, thank you for joining me today.

Meg: Yeah, you're welcome. It's a. It's great to be here. Yes, thank you.

Nina: Now, Mick, for those that may be new to your work, can you tell us a little about who you are and what you do?

Meg: I am a yoga instructor. I've been teaching yoga for 25 years and, um, practising for almost 30 now. My yoga practise has been a very important part of my life and it's influenced my parenting. And, uh, I thought I might just, yeah. Share a bit about that.

Nina: Oh, I love that. So how did becoming a parent influence the way that you practise and teach yoga?

Meg: Well, that was probably one of the biggest steps, as we all know, because becoming a parent is such a change. Yeah, yeah. So I had to reprioritize because yoga was sort of my top priority, um, each day. And then it, it stopped being. And it's interesting that that should come up because now my children have left school and I'm having to find that priority again. And my yoga did slip a little bit too far down. So I've been going, okay, bring it back up again. Because, yes, you've got to. You do have to make sure, you know, your children get the support they need. Yes.

Nina: And I'm guessing as someone that doesn't do yoga, that there's a difference between teaching yoga and then having your own yoga practise or are they combined very separate?

Meg: Um, sure, I might do some of the movements, but it's not the same as that. Looking into yourself and sort of clearing that pathway internally so that, you know, you're more. Or I'm more present, um, more. More calm, just clearer about. Yeah. Ah, my own sense of self and my own well being.

Nina: Yeah. So when, when you're feeling depleted, when you're as a parent and you know, you teach yoga and then you still have to find time to do your own yoga.

Meg: Yeah, absolutely. But I also share what I learn in my own yoga journey. Really? That's the basis of my teaching. Yeah. Because without that I have. I'm just probably saying what someone else has said. It all, it all comes from within me. When it. Not when it comes to the anatomy and physiology aspect, because that's learned. But when it comes to my own integration of. Yes, that and also the meditative practises, then, uh, yeah, it's very much having to stem from my own experience.

Nina: That's very cool. Many parents feel pressure to put themselves last. What do you see happen when parents don't look after their own wellbeing?

Meg: It's likely that we fall into coping mechanisms that don't truly support our own well being. Um, in those instances, I mean, we can't be, you know, do it all right, but at the same time, you know, just to make that space, even if it's 10 minutes, that you can just allow your nervous system to calm down, just, just to come back to yourself a bit more, then it can make a, uh, big difference. Yeah, yeah.

Nina: So instead of using those coping mechanisms, actually go back to what you need. You know, instead of having a glass of wine in the afternoon, can you spend that time doing some kind of practise to help you self regulate and come back to calm?

Meg: Yes, to reset. Yeah. From all the pressure.

Nina: Reset. Oh, I love that.

Meg: What I

00:05:00

Meg: find is that, you know, there's so many pressures that are placed on sort of us and then we're also helping our children with their own pressures and, and wanting them to achieve. But things can seem important that aren't. Oh, yeah. And having a meditative practise like yoga, it just kind of seems to just snip those, uh, attachments, like those threads that we're holding onto things. So we just go, we can let those go. They're not actually of serving us in any way. That's just another thing I. Sometimes I like to think of, uh, my yoga practise, like, uh, defragging a computer. I don't know if computers still do this, but they used to because the files are everywhere, you know, and. And we're kind of a bit lost in them all. And then we put the files where they need to go and it just kind of, uh, gives us more space to breathe, to be present as we would like to be, rather than. Yeah. Just feeling drowned by it all.

Nina: I really love that. It's almost like a control alt, delete, isn't it, when you do the practise? I think that's what I would say.

Meg: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. That's cool.

Nina: So why do you believe that we can't truly parent? Well, if we're depleted or overwhelmed, I

Meg: guess we will react in ways that don't help us to open clear communication channels. So perhaps we react rather than respond. Or we're. Yeah, we're just caught up in sort of the stress of an experience and not able to then. Yeah. Respond to it sort of with clarity and rationally.

Nina: Yeah. It's almost like when you have all those files open and all those tabs open, you don't know which one to go to to manage a situation. So you just kind of like, freeze. I love this computer analogy. You just kind of freeze and you can't respond in the way that you want to.

Meg: Yeah, you can. You can freeze. But if we're talking about freeze, which is often said to be an aspect of the sympathetic nervous system, then we have the fight. Yeah. Flight or freeze.

Nina: Yeah.

Meg: So, yeah, we could react amidst that. It's important when we say, do start to look at, like, the nervous systems that we understand that sort of. We have the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system, but they're always both active. It's just whether or not one is too dominant. Yeah. Yes.

Nina: Could you speak to that a little bit more in terms of. So in a, uh, parenting situation, say your child is. Probably haven't dealt with this in a while, but refusing to get dressed for school in the morning. And you've got your parasympathetic and your sympathetic nervous system. Can you just talk to which one would come up in that situation and then how a yoga practise would help in that situation.

Meg: So obviously it would depend on the individual and what we're experiencing at that particular time and I guess how long we've been dealing with it. Ah. And, um, how overwhelmed we're feeling. And how we respond. But when we do bring more dominance to the parasympathetic nervous system, which is our, uh. It's often described as rest and digest. I like to call it rest, digest and meditate. Yeah.

Nina: Nice.

Meg: Because in order to go into meditation we need to be in. In that state more that we become more receptive rather than reactive. And it might be that conversations are needed, it might be that. That we need to talk to our child rather than just react to our child. And I'm sure we all do this, so. Yeah, I'm no expert on managing these things, but it could help and it would help. Yeah. If we're able to respond to things in, in a more calm manner. That doesn't mean there's not discipline, that doesn't mean there's not, you know, uh, consequence. Because this is all part of a. Part of parenting. But at the same time it's how we go about that that makes a difference.

Nina: But being able to access the parasympathetic first and foremost in those situations instead of the opposite.

Meg: Yeah.

Nina: And going down that fight. Vital freeze response. Yeah, I really like that. So for parents who feel they have no time or energy for a yoga practise or for self care, what does a realistic self care actually look like?

Meg: How.

Nina: I know you said earlier that yours slipped a little bit, but how did you keep it up? How did you keep the momentum going when your kids were younger?

Meg: It was actually easier when my kids were younger because there was more of a routine. I've had to re. Implement my own routine over the last year or so and that's kind of been the challenge for me. It's a good one. You know, life's always changing. But just in talking about that, I've also been changing my practise, um, just with the age I'm at, you know, my interests, that kind of thing. So bringing in more meditation and pranayama, not just so much of the. The physical practise. Yeah. So I think that one of the big things is saying yes to ourselves,

00:10:00

Meg: isn't it? Um, so because it's so important that we look after ourselves in order to look after others and when that slips too much, then we don't cope and we're not as present and we're not as adaptable and as a parent, so it's. Whether you or not, you make that just even a weekly commitment to yourself to perhaps do a yoga class of some form. There's many different styles and types that um, diff suit different temperaments and different Personalities and different physical needs as well. Or even if it was just a, uh, shorter, shorter practise like daily or two or three times a week, just what you could fit in. But it's. Yeah, it's a really interesting process of integrating movement with these meditative practises because of the way it shifts not only the way we think but what we're feeling and sort of moving us emotionally as well as mentally. So, uh, just that mind body connection. Mhm.

Nina: I really like that. As you're speaking, I'm thinking to myself, oh, I should really get started with yoga. I do a lot of meditating, but I've. And I know about mindful movement, but I haven't actually ventured into the world of yoga. So it's actually sounding really interesting to have that, that whole connection between the body and the mind and actually how they connect and how it can help you get into that state where you're able to be calmer for longer and not, you know, not rely on your reacting and be able to responding. So I hope we've inspired some, um, some new yogis out there. That'd be amazing, I guess. Another question I have for you, Meg, is with young children around us, can we still get the same effects of, say, if we're doing an online yoga programme and we've got our kids around, are we able to still get the same benefits if they keep interrupting us or if they're kind of doing it alongside us? Or is it the kind of practise where you need to do it alone, uh, without interruptions? What do you feel about that?

Meg: I think it's good to have experience of doing it without interruption. I guess I was quite practised when I got to that. Um. M. No, that's not really true. I probably had only been practising a couple of years before I had my first child and I did get interruptions. Uh, some of them just still cracked me up, like sitting in a low chest with my hands in the Jnana Mudra and ending up with a dinky in one car and a piece of Lego in the other. Things like that. But your kids get used to what you do and. Yeah, that's true and they adapt. So if you do need to do it with them apart, they might come and join you for a bit and then they'll wander off. Um, I mean, I have had times where I've stopped my practise and I've gone and made some toast, you know, and then I've got back on my mat again.

Nina: Yeah, nice.

Meg: I know that someone thought I did the wrong. Interesting. But I completely disagree. I was like, okay, I hadn't finished my practise. My, my child was old enough to get themselves ready for school. And then I walked them up to school, walk time and finished. You know, they're like, oh, how can you do that? You just got to be flexible yourself. You've got to be adaptable. You know, you don't finish, that's okay. It's just that you do something and just have that opportunity just to move, to breathe, just to reconnect a little deeper with yourself. So, yeah, there's many ways that it can look. Doesn't have to look a particular way.

Nina: Yeah, I think that's really important for busy parents to remember. It doesn't. You don't have to look like you've just come out of a yoga studio with your perfect, you know, your perfect active wear on and looking all lovely. You can actually just do it in your pyjamas with your kids around you if that's all you can manage. You know, it's better than nothing.

Meg: Oh, absolutely, yeah. And it's nice for them, the kids to see too because it's, it gives them, uh, a different outlook as well on, you know, what adults do and why they might do it. They might have questions, you know, it's a good perhaps conversation to have as well.

Nina: Oh, I love that. Yeah. I have done. When my kids were younger, I did Cosmic Kids yoga with them. Well, I say I did it, I put it on the TV and I watched them do it and I very rarely did it myself. And I'm thinking back of that time now and thinking, why didn't I just, uh, join them, you know, and demonstrate and show them that you can do these things together? Because my kids really enjoyed it, you know, with the storey time and the kind of little lesson at the end of each session. And it was really nice. And I think maybe that might be another way for me to integrate it into their lives because we haven't done it for so long and it was such a great thing that we enjoyed to do.

Meg: So.

Nina: Yeah, that'll be nice to do that with them.

Meg: Yeah. My children, I didn't have them doing yoga as, um, little ones, they. Because it's also about their father as well. And we had them going to do martial arts. One of them did ballet and music and things like that. But I think it was probably around, oh, it's a few years ago now that I said, well, if you're living here, you need to

00:15:00

Meg: come do yoga.

Nina: Gorgeous.

Meg: And it was kind of cool because they were like, oh, wow, this is what you do. And it gave them a new respect for me, which was, which was really nice.

Nina: Yeah.

Meg: And yeah, they're still doing it and getting a lot from it. So, yeah, that happened a bit later. But it's definitely makes a difference for the, for our children as well.

Nina: And I feel like as they get older, that meditative experience will be more profound and they'll get a lot more out of it. Whereas when they're younger, it's more about just listening to their body as they go through the movements, that kind of thing.

Meg: Yes. Um, I haven't taught a lot of, uh, yoga to children. I did teach at a primary school for a while and it was really great to see the difference between the kids when they came in and when they left. Yeah, I bet they were just more grounded, just more calm. Yeah. You know, and I always started with a balance because I found especially for the boys, when they had to stand on one leg, they had to focus.

Nina: Oh, I like that.

Meg: And that just really shifted their own mindset because, yeah, they couldn't stand on one leg if they were all over the place.

Nina: They were not concentrating. Oh, yeah, I might copy that one as well for my primary school kids. Um, so if someone was wanting to get started with yoga, you know, and has never done it before, what can you recommend? Um, as a few first steps for a busy mum or a busy dad.

Meg: Well, you look around what's local to you and, you know, just have a Google search if you would like to go to in person classes. I teach in Kwanana and, um, I've got a Reconnect and Begin course coming up in a few weeks. Fantastic. That's, uh, just once a week I also have an online begin class. Um, that's seven classes that are just about 20 minutes long. One of them's a bit longer, the last one, but that's just an introduction to yoga.

Nina: Oh, cool.

Meg: And different techniques that help the yoga practise because it's one thing to get on your mat and, um, do the movements. But yoga's very specific in its application and it has techniques that are necessary to help to, to calm the mind and to get a deeper connection with the body. Yeah, cool.

Nina: So I might put the link to that in the show notes and then if anyone's interested, they can cheque out your course to get started. If they can't find any, I guess in person classes around them, that might be a nice option to get started.

Meg: Yeah. Well, it's one of the things they might be around you, but it's whether or not you can get to them, isn't it?

Nina: Exactly. Yeah, that's a really good point. So how does modelling self care and self regulation help support our children as they grow?

Meg: My experience as a mother is just showing that our children copy us and they copy the way we respond and behave. Sure, they get to a point where they have other, um, role models in their life as well, but, yeah, the way that we behave is sort of a fundamental aspect of, of what they grow from, isn't it? So. So being able to care for ourselves and that, uh, enables us to be more present to care for our children. And. And interestingly, that might mean letting go of some of the expectations, whether they be social expectations or our own expectations that other people have of us on, you know, what we should be doing or achieving. Um, I often, when I teach these days, I often remind people that less is often more.

Nina: Yeah.

Nina: You know?

Meg: Yeah. And it was something I became really aware of when my eldest was at school doing ballet at an art school and so many hours and he stopped doing it. Uh, and it was like, oh, my goodness, I got my son back, you know.

Nina: Yes.

Meg: It's like, I mean, sometimes, sometimes, you know, we're sort of so busy trying to achieve that we forget about those sort of connections that are really important. Yeah.

Nina: Being in the moment.

Meg: Yeah. Yeah.

Nina: Having that time together.

Meg: Yeah.

Nina: Beautiful. Meg, if you could recommend one small shift that creates a big impact for parents is well being and their parenting, what would that be?

Meg: Communication. Mm. Being receptive and open to. To communicate clearly and to listen. Um, beautiful.

Nina: I love that. Meg, thank you so much for joining us today. Where can listeners find out more about you and your work?

Meg: I have a website, so, yeah, my website has got a lot of options. It's got options for in person classes, online classes, courses, challenges. So, yeah,

00:20:00

Meg: there's a lot of options there for. If you're interested in, um. Yeah, doing some yoga with me.

Nina: And I've seen you've started doing some nice reels on Instagram, is that right?

Meg: Oh, yeah. I never think about my socials. Dip my toe in the water for now. And again.

Nina: What? Your post is really cool. Your videos are great. So get online and follow some of Mick's social media posts there. They're looking really good.

Meg: Oh, thank you. Thanks so much, Nina. Appreciate that.

Nina: No worries. So, best place though is the website to get all the information?

Meg: Yes, absolutely. Cool.

Nina: Well, uh, thank you for sharing your wisdom and your lived experience with us today. If there's one thing I hope listeners could take from this conversation, it's this. Caring for yourself isn't something extra that you need to earn. It's part of how we show up for our children with more patience, connection and ease. You don't need to change everything. Even small, compassionate shifts can make a meaningful difference for you and your family. If you'd like to learn more about Meg and her work, you'll find all the links in the show notes. Thank you for being here and for walking your own calm parenting path.

Nina: I'll see you next time. Thanks for listening to youo Calm Parenting Path. I am so glad you're here and I hope this episode gave you something useful to take into your parenting journey. If you'd like to dive deeper, sign up to my mailing list@mindfulparentinglifestyle.com for more tips and insights. Or book a free chat to learn how we can work together. And don't forget to hit the follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode. I look forward to speaking with you next time on your calm parenting path.

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