Practice Ways with Elizabeth Antonia

Practice Ways is a monthly feature on Balance Practice, sharing practice notes from writers, makers, and coaches, and offering perspectives on what practice looks like as real life is happening.

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A few years ago I came upon a book that changed my life. I had just moved from London to Northern California, a homecoming of sorts as a west coast native and simultaneously a move to a foreign land. I had been practicing and teaching yoga for over a decade, and had recently authored two books about balance, and yet found myself overwhelmed and anchorless — navigating an international move with a baby and toddler while searching for my voice and my feet as a new mother, shortly before the onset of a global pandemic.

Early Riser Companion: Rhythms & Rituals, Traditions & Transitions for the First 7 Years was a healing balm and drishti for my sleep deprived, scattered attention. It’s a family resource book that celebrates the season of childhood, and gently encourages us to more consciously shape our experiences. Since then, it has become one of my family’s most treasured companions, a guide we return to seasonally with our now 6 and 8 year olds, and its messages and practices take on new meaning with each turn of the year. If you’ve been here for a while this might sound familiar — I’ve written about Early Riser before as it’s inspired some of my favorite practices, especially as they relate to mothering.

We have Elizabeth Antonia to thank for this timeless resource, which she so beautifully created alongside her own mothering journey. I particularly love the way she compares our movement through the day to breathing — encouraging us to feel for the natural rhythm of inhaling and exhaling, working and resting (more on this in her notes below!). This is something I’ve long explored in my own classes and reading her perspective has felt like comparing notes with a dear mama friend. 

Also a California native, Elizabeth now lives in the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest, where she offers aromatherapy consulting and workshops designed to help us support households and ourselves. Her Good Morning and Dreamland blends are in daily rotation in my home.

It’s an honour to share her notes on balance and practice with you here.