Amy Pastore has been practicing yoga for 20 years and teaching for over a decade. Last spring, when Amy received the good news she was expecting, it never so much as crossed her mind to stop practicing yoga. As you may imagine she has faced critics along the way, mostly in the opinions of other moms who did not agree and were not shy letting her know what she should and should not be doing as an expectant mother.
Amy shakes it off and says she feels we all have an inner guide, she calls it her intuition. She believes this intuition is innate and always there for us to access if we’re willing to listen. She believes that as a woman becomes a mother this inner compass will grow even stronger and so it’s important that she stays tuned in and follows its direction.
Amy is due 3 days from now on Christmas Day but she still practiced yoga today. She acknowledges that as her body has changed and with her baby at full term, it’s very different from earlier in her pregnancy. With her belly at maximum capacity, her center of gravity is changing as often as the baby shifts, causing her to be present in a very intuitive way.
You will not find Amy guided by the advice found in pregnancy books or a doctor and most of all not from opinionated mothers. Instead, she is constantly moving from a place of feeling and sensation while understanding that well-meaning advice is coming from people who do not know her history, body or health better than she does.
Amy with her husband Freddy
She feels that there is a very basic knowledge that lets an expectant mother know what to and what not to do. If something doesn’t feel right, a mother will naturally protect her child inside and out. She believes that if you’re moving from a place of feeling and intuition that with intelligence and care, you can and should continue your activities throughout your pregnancy. When asked what she thinks of those who disagree, Amy says she has no problem tuning them out, after all she practices yoga.
Amy and her husband, Freddy Pastore, are the creators of iflow Yoga and host teacher training and retreats locally and internationally. Amy generously shares with her students what has been valuable and what has worked for her from her vast experiences.
Her most important message to her students: “This practice is a metaphor for life, the mat is a mirror. Each time we come to the mat, it’s an opportunity to learn something about ourselves. Everything we learn on the mat we can take and apply to life.” Amy is widely recognized and respected by her peers as a teacher dedicated to her practice and inspired by the love of sharing it with others. For more information visit amypastore.com and also stop by her Facebook Page for the latest updates and news!
