Mami and Baby Yoga- an (im)-possible undertaking?

Here I was thinking that I'd have plenty of time to blog when staying at home with the kid... Oh well, not so much so far. But I do feel like I want to share a lot - just because this is such an intense time during which you learn incredible amounts. It's fast moving and slow at the same time - very difficult to describe to anyone who hasn't experienced it herself. Our little boy is already almost 7 weeks old and it feels like he is making giant leaps every day, growing, gaining weight and discovering the world around him. Since my body feels a lot better and the scar has pretty much healed by now, I have been feeling an urge to practice some more yoga and get back into my asana routine. Yet, it's obviously difficult during the day that I have the little one with me- except when he decides to grace his mum with an extended nap in the morning like today. A good friend gave me a voucher for an online yoga page and I saw that they also featured some "mami and baby yoga classes"- I was a little sceptical at first but then decided to give it a shot. After all I want the little boy to be exposed to as much of my hobbies as possible and I think kids yoga is a great thing that you cannot start early enough. Yet our first class turned out to be a disaster with the little boy complaining by minute 2 and me thinking about stopping the entire time but thanks to the encouraging words of the teacher (who demonstrated with a four months old who was screaming even louder), I stuck with it. The class turned out to be more of a test of how I could get the little one to calm down while still trying to move a little. I was slightly disappointed in the end and thought- oh well, there goes my yoga practice for the next year or so.

But then I kept thinking about it and decided that one try was not sufficient and gave it another shot yesterday. Thank God I did because the class was wonderful - I learned that I needed to change my approach and not expect it to be anything like the regular yoga classes I have attended or watched online before. Instead it really is a joined practice with the little one and he determines when to start and when to stop - once you come to terms with that, things fall into place more easily and you start enjoying everything the little one allows you to do- whether on or off the mat. So here we were practicing together again today. For those who cannot imagine what you can do in such a special class: for instance forward bends are ideal as you can interact with the baby lying on the floor or a pillow at the same time. There are also lots of arm strengthening poses you can do and if you need to take a break to cuddle- so be it :-) Today we did a lot of cat-cow variations and my little boy kept giggling at the funny moves his mum was doing. I noticed of course that it does not replaced your regular yoga practice which is why you still need someone to watch your baby for your alone time ;-)
Yet, it was very apparent that I need to get back into shape, especially since the baby is growing and you want to have the strength to carry him for some more time...

My belly certainly feels like the muscles have been lost over the last few months and I am slowly starting to incorporate some core strengthening, careful since you need to tone the pelvic floor first  in order to get to the powerhouse of your body. Just like during prenatal yoga, postnatal is all about feeling and listening to your body. Something we sometimes have trouble with since we want everything to move fast and function well. But think about what the female body has been through during pregnancy and have some respect for this amazing time- follow your gut and you'll be fine. That's the theory - of course I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impatient but the great thing about this time is that I can actually start working on everything. It' a journey that I have embarked on and I don't think I'll ever get to its end :-)