This article is the final part in an ongoing series.

1. When I close my eyes and breathe in deeply, I feel … joyful presence.
2. If I could sit with my younger-self right now, I would tell her … how amazing she is + how rewarding life will be.
3. To know the power of yoga, is to know … everything you need, is inside of you.

As mothers, many of us get stuck in the “tug-of-war cycle” with life and its growing demands. There isn’t always much time to meditate on motherhood — on or off the mat. Meet a deeply-grounded mother of two sharing the importance of showing up as you are, being present and leading by the light within.

“Yoga is a lifestyle. It is a way of being. It’s about staying connected to the moment and with the people around you. The world is a challenging place; it is constantly changing and we know that children are faced with anxiety associated with increase and overuse of technology,” Pillin Anice shares.

Photos courtesy of Pillin Anice

While soft-spoken, Pilin’s wisdom roars. Unshaken by her busy schedule, she relies on her disciplined yoga practice to allow for two opportunities to connect on the mat, first to her innermost self in the early morning and then with her children in the afternoon.

“Children mimic our behaviors. Whenever they see you doing something, they naturally want to get involved in it and try it out themselves.”

When we, as women and mothers, take care of ourselves, naturally our worlds  will shine brighter. Pilin is a believer that removing the concept of “perfection” and “expectation” will set your Mommy + Me Yoga practice free.

The goal, as she says, is, “Just to move! Have a complete and total family fun space to connect with your child, that is what it’s about.”

So, what does this look like for mothers who struggle to get their kids on the mat or simply to focus?

“Play games [such as]…follow the yogi, yoga-freeze-dance or blow on feathers to support breath work. It’s either playing a board game or having yoga time [are] on the list of things to do when there is nothing to do!”

But Pilin gently reminds us that just lying on the mat and cuddling is just as special.

Now raising a teenage daughter who has shared her mat, watched her teach and has seen her practice daily yoga for the past 13 years, Pilin beams with pride at the lasting effects of introducing yoga at such a young age.

“My daughter has her own practice. She has created space for her own meditation that she has carved into her day as a freshman in high school. She now understands the benefits of it from simply being with me.”

Regardless of what life season they are in, Pilin shares hopes for her children by saying, “[Yoga] will always be part of who they are and it will be part of the way that they care for themselves throughout their lives. I can already see evidence of that.”

Yoga becomes part of us. Pilin’s offerings ask us to show up as the “best mother on a mat” we can be, for our practice and for theirs, and to allow our children to be showered in our mindful presence.

“There is a light within you and that is really what I’ve shared with them.”

Micaela V. Rosario lives with her husband and daughter in New York City. Becoming a mother, divinely reshaped the way Mica chooses to show up in her life, in her yoga practice and in the world. With her writing, she wants to empower mothers, women and young girls to prioritize honoring their authentic spirits in order to fill the world with the greatest feminine superpower: empathy. Her dream is to spend the rest of her life living near the ocean writing: copy for wellness brands, short stories, poetry and prose centered around motherhood, wellness, relational growth and spiritual development. Follow her @thecopymami and at meditationsinprose.com