We recently connected with Caleen Caseryn and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Caleen, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
When I was pregnant, many mothers told me that my body will never be the same after pregnancy and that a postpartum body will not be as beautiful, it will always have a mum pouch and flabby belly. I pondered to myself if it was true, as I still could see there were many amazing and beautiful mothers. So I set myself a challenge, to get fit again after pregnancy. Upon giving birth, as a breastfeeding mother, I found it impossible to go out for fitness classes as my son was breastfeeding every two hours. Hence, I resolved to create my own routine combining High intensity interval training (HIIT) and Yoga. By then, I had 13 years of yoga practice and understood my body well. By combining HiiT and Yoga, I was able to regain my abs within 2 months! I decided to share my progress online on Instagram and many women contacted me asking how I did it. As it was during the pandemic and all of us were at home, I did to share my practice and started teaching women how they too can transform their bodies through Hiit yoga, mindfulness and good nutrition. Since then, I’ve been able to help women from 4 countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Australia.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I started Yoga for Mums in 2020, with the vision to empower women to be their best selves through yoga and mindfulness. After conducting my first yoga retreat, I realized the importance of bringing women together in a safe space and created my Yoga for Mums Community in 2022. Since then, we have been doing community events monthly for women on different topics including mental health, beauty, wellness, parenting and yoga. This year in November 2023, we will be holding our first ever Enliven Women event, a 2 day mind and body transformation program to uplift women to be their best selves and create their personal vision.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The ability to break boundaries, the ability to create and the ability to practice compassion and empathy. These are the gifts that have empowered me through this journey of impacting women’s lives.
I believe that what Oprah Winfrey says is true ,”Surround yourself with people who lift you up in life.” Being with people who can lift us up whether it is a mentor, coach, parent, friend or within a community is so important as we will all go through seasons of difficulty and self-doubt. Those moments can propel us for growth if we are able to have the right mindset and support.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I would love to collaborate with women from other countries who would like to bring our Mind and Body transformation program to their countries. I believe in crossing borders and creating a a wider community and network of women, we can create a greater impact and support more women to be their best selves.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.yogaformums.org
- Instagram: Instagram.com/calcaseryn
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@yogaformums
