a yoga mat, a blanket and a cushion to sit on during meditation. One should be able to walk into this space and feel completely physically and mentally removed from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the house and the world. Anyone can use it at anytime, but it must be for only quiet contempla-tive events. When the person goes into it, no-one should disturb them. Don’t laugh, even toddlers – or harder still, husbands who can’t find the salt – can be taught the sanctity of such a space. You just have to explain it very clearly to them and stick to your guns for a short while.
   Such a space will also become an important haven after the birth of your baby. Even knowing you have a place into which you can retreat from everyone and everything (other than sleeping in your bed) for a short time each day for relaxation is a most rejuvenating thought. Creating such a space will also make it easier for you to keep up your yoga practises when the focus of your life and house has shifted to the needs of a growing child   
   Over time, the simplicity and ambience of your sadhana “room” will begin to permeate the rest of the house and hopefully the other people in it (they can even use it too for its designated purpose!) so that gradually your domestic life will become much more a place of retreat and less like the rest of the world.

	~Family Relationships~

   The domestic situation is never just a physical arena of push and pull, but also comprises that complex area of human relations. One would hope, that as a couple sets out to create a new life together, their relationship is built on common goals which provide an underlying current of acceptance and support for each others needs. But this is not always the case. A woman’s pregnancy can put enormous strain on a relationship, particularly if that relationship had weak bonds beforehand.
   Sometimes when a woman takes up yoga, if the partner is not the type to learn yoga along with her, he may begin to exhibit strange behaviours! He may consider yoga as “a load of rubbish”, and frequently say so to tease you or get you to stop. He may think you are being brainwashed by the teacher, or that the changes within you are coming from some arcane doctrine, rather than your own realisations. He may be jealous of the time you spend on your practices, or the friends you make through it, or the workshops and retreats you go to, and

he may then subtly sabotage your yoga time. When he realises that yoga is making you a stronger individual and through that you are challenging his nonsense more often, he may rebel against something of which he was originally supportive. He may, deep down, feel left behind as you make leaps and bounds in the areas of personal growth and understanding. All these possibilities can be very saddening, and are to be avoided however possible by using your own awareness and wisdom to communicate your understanding of his position and his reactions.
   If the adoption of yoga into your life is causing additional conflict, rather than forcing him to get into yoga in the hope that he will love it as much as you do, firstly point out to him how good it makes you feel and how that will have flow on benefits for everyone else, including him. Of course this must be manifestly true through your own actions that he can measure. Tell him how much you feel it is benefiting your (and his) baby in utero, and how it is helping you get ready and focussed for the baby’s arrival. Over time, if he is being honest and open to these changes in you, he will accept that yoga is OK and he may even get interested of his own accord. The main thing to remember in avoiding conflicts of time and lifestyle priorities is that yoga is infinitely flexible. It can fit in wherever needed, so there is no need for you to be rigid and create friction between yourself, your partner and yoga.
   On the other hand, if your partner is as excited and keen to learn yoga as you are, that’s a bonus. There will be spiritual support, energy support and time support all for each other and the baby. Just one thing though – always try to maintain your own private time of yoga and meditation practice without any need to have the two of you (3 actually) all in the “special yoga place” together. Yoga is a one-to-one thing and your partner should allow you that privacy as you would equally allow him.
   If you are living in a share household or with other family members, then communicating about your needs is especially important. Not just needs arising out of yoga, like dietary changes or wanting a quiet space for meditation, but your need for privacy and consideration of your baby’s personal space. It is wisest to address these issues very early on, as these needs will grow as fast as your belly does. After the birth, such things will be even more critical, and therefore establishing a harmonious domestic situation well before the birth will make things flow a lot better when the new baby arrives.