It all started with the Ithaca support meetings, then came the PPD SpeakEasy support phone chat. Since I added classes to the PPDtoJoy offerings, you now have 4 options to choose from. All of my events share these basic ideas: Motherhood is hard, you are not a bad mom, coping skills can make your life a lot better, and self-kindness is key. So how are they different? Which is right for your needs and can fit in your life? Here is a handy comparison. Clicking on the event title gets you more details on each one.
What: Tired Mama Yoga + self-kindness skills+ creative outlet.
Who: mothers with kids of any age who want to nourish their bodies and souls.
May I bring my baby? Babies and toddlers welcome. Older kids might be ok too; you know your kids and yourself best. Feel free to talk to me about your particular situation.
When: (Almost every) Tuesday morning from 10:30am to noon, optional extra creative time until 12:30pm.
One Sunday afternoon a month, 4 to 5:30pm, Not in a rush? Good, you can have optional extra creative time until 6:00. The next Sunday class in on January 22nd.
Where: the community room at on the Ithaca Commons.
The group: Drop-in, you come when you can, some mamas come regularly, new campers show up almost every week. 8 campers max.
Activities: Most of the time is spent in movement (50 minutes of Tired Mama Yoga, 10 minutes of Shiva Nata). Then shavasana (rest). Then a short time for creative writing or doodling. Sharing your creative fruits is optional. So far most mamas keep their writing and drawings to themselves. If you care to show/tell, we’d love to take a look.
Who’s talking: Most of the time it’s me, directing the yoga and presenting the self kindness kookys (kookys is the name I came up with for the emotional coping skills. Kookys taste better than tools. You can ). You are invited to share a little bit about yourself and what’s going on for you that day; sharing is totally optional, silent-retreating welcome.
Continuity and progression: Self-Kindness concepts served in a not quite random order, I pull them out of my Kooky Jar based on who is present and what needs are expressed, yet regular campers report a distinct sense of progress towards being able to access the comforting tools when away from class.
The mood: a compassionate silly side up frolic: we take ourselves lightly while giving ourselves full permission to feel and process everything that comes up for us.
Focus: self-care using the magic of gentle conscious movement to anchor the self-kindness ideas in the body, and accessing our silly sides in order to sneak around our fears and stuck patterns.
Homework: much of what you will learn can be used at home, and most campers report using the kookys away from Camp. But there are no worksheets to take home and bring back next time.
Cost: $15 per class, or $60 for a 5 class package (to be used within 10 weeks).
RSVP: via email for Tuesday classes. Pre-registration required for the monthly Sunday class.
In short: come-as-you-are fun, self-kindness magic without commitment.
This is just the tip of the ice-cream.
Who: mothers with kids of any age. If you have any sort of guilt, this class can bring you comfort. Helpful for those dealing with anxiety and depression, but this is NOT therapy.
May I bring my baby? It’s best not to, but if you think that bringing your baby with you could actually work, I’d be happy to consider, so feel free to talk to me about this.
Where: the community room at on the Ithaca Commons.
The group: a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 6 moms who commit to this special journey. Same group every week. Yay for continuity.
Activities: Most of the time is spent talking and writing, sharing is encouraged, but never required — silent-retreating is always ok. Some movement included (10 minutes of Tired Mama Yoga, 5 minutes of Shiva Nata during our in-person meetings).
Where: the community room at on the Ithaca Commons.
Continuity and progression: this is a carefully planned and gently structured learning environment. Each week builds on concepts learned before. If you need to miss one class you’ll do fine, but a commitment to attending the classes is important to get the most of the process.
The mood: safety, acceptance, and a growing sense of trust and community among participants. We spend more time being utterly serious than we do in the Comfort Camp, but we make sure to access our silly sides too, because that’s the safest way to transform our pain (why face-off with our demons when we can hop-scotch with them?).
Focus: deep yet gentle internal processing and learning new ways to create self-nourishing habits for the rest of our lives.
Homework: one (helping) handout every week (should take about 10 minutes of sitting down time) but most of the homework will be done in your heart and mind while your hands are doing all the mommy tasks of your day (We’ll plant seeds in class, and they will take roots while you are washing dishes, how cool is that?).
RSVP: Pre-registration required.
What: talking honestly and normalizing the struggles of motherhood. PPD is so common, we take away the stigma.
Who: mothers who are dealing with postpartum depression, anxiety, overwhelm and guilt. No official diagnosis required. If you are struggling while mothering, it doesn’t matter how old your kids are, please feel free to join us, you couldn’t be more welcome.
May I bring my baby? Yes. Absolutely.
When: First Tuesday of each month at 12:30pm. Dates sometimes change, please check the events calendar.
Where: The community room at on the Ithaca Commons.
The group: Drop in, varies in size. No limit on number of participants.
Activities: Most of the time is spent talking and writing, sharing is encouraged, but never required — silent-retreating is always ok.
Who’s talking: Mention your academic experience or any sell my essay online relevant work.This is a loving and gentle group discussion.
Continuity and progression: The themes are always normalizing the struggles and validating needs, but there is no structured progression from one monthly meeting to the next.
The mood: safety, acceptance, sisterhood. Tears & Tissues. Hugs (optional). Cute babies.
Focus: You are not a bad mother, having PPD and struggling while mothering are normal reactions, not proof of failure. Social support, this is not therapy.
Homework: nope.
Cost: free
RSVP: requested via email.
Who: mothers from near and far, with kids of any age, who are dealing with postpartum depression, anxiety, overwhelm, and guilt. No official diagnosis required.
May I bring my baby? If you can get someone else to be on kid duty that would be best, but we’d rather have you on the call and hear your kids in the background than miss out on you.
Where: the comfort of your own phone.
The group: amazing mamas from all over. Some call every month, but we have new mamas every time.
Activities: sequential sharing. You get the “mike” in the order you joined the call (if you need to share early or late, just let me know via email and I’ll accommodate). Sharing is encouraged, but never required — silent-retreating is always ok.
Continuity and progression: the themes are always normalizing the struggles and validating needs, but there is no structured progression from one monthly call to the next.
The mood: safety, acceptance, sisterhood. Lotsalove.
Focus: You are not a bad mother, having PPD or struggling while mothering are normal reactions, not proof of failure.
Homework: nope.
RSVP: helpful, not required.
About RSVPing
Planning on coming to one of my events? Awesome! I can’t wait to meet you.
please let me know: ppdtojoy at gmail dot com or tweet me, I’m @yaelsaar.
This is particularly important in winter, for snow days, sick days, and general shoot happens situations, I’d like to be able to save you the trip and the disappointment on the very rare occasion of a last minute cancellation.
RSVP amnesty: your RSVP helps a lot, but it’s not meant to lock you into a class or make you feel guilty if you RSVP and then life gets in the way. If you can’t come, try to let me know, I check my email on my phone before the class begins, so I’ll get even a last minute message.
Comment magic:
Help me make sure everything is clear as can be by asking more questions.
As always, whether you comment or not, hugs up the wazoo.