Many yoga studios offer mom-and-baby classes. Search online for “post-natal yoga” and the name of your city to find one. This is your seventh weekly challenge.
Benefits of these classes include getting out of the house, being kind to your body, meeting other rookie moms, and sometimes learning a little bit of baby massage technique.
Sometimes there are “helpers” in the class who will hold a baby who needs some cuddling while mommy stretches. Our favorite pose is the one in which you just lie on the floor and do nothing. This is worth paying for.
I live in Berkeley, so keep that in mind when you read this excerpt from my personal blog, from an entry I posted when I went to postpartum yoga when Scarlett was 6 weeks old.
At this particular post-natal yoga class, each student’s station has a yoga mat for Mom and a cozy pillowy bed for baby. A bottle of massage oil, a clean washcloth, and a soft toy are set up, right next to your yoga brick and strap. When Scarlett got fussy, I was offered my preferred brand of swaddling blanket, and once she was calmed, an extra set of arms to rock her to sleep while I downwarded my dog and saluted my sun. At some point during the class, the instructor says something about how special your baby is. One mom was told that she looked like she needed a hug, and given one.
If you’re more in the mood to mock yoga than to practice it, the book Mommy Yoga celebrates the contortions of every day life.
Either way, it’s your practice. Namaste!
Did you complete this challenge? Love it or hate it, tell us how it went:
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- Or, link in the comments to your own blog post about this challenge.
[...] Once the bambino is crawling, you’re pretty much kicked out of postpartum yoga. Consider something like Gymboree- a safe place to explore that’s away from the house. Look for a free trial class to see if you like it. [...]
If you’re in Boston, Isis Maternity offers awesome pre and post-natal yoga classes! Check them out at http://www.isismaternity.com. They have three different locations, so it’s easy to get to as well.
I had two very different yoga baby experiences. In one, my screamasaurus wailed his head off, as expected, and the teacher said something along the lines of, “It can be hard for mothers to concentrate on their breath when there is a baby crying in the room.” I felt so self conscious and upset that I left with my wailing bean.
The other class I went to was much like you described here, where someone held my screaming baby so I could breathe and move. Someone else suggested holding him near the dehumidifier to see if he liked the white noise–a tip I took home! Another mom taught me about marching him up and down the stairs. Everyone hugged everyone and it made me feel like a million dollars.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Rookie Moms, Moms Who Blog. Moms Who Blog said: Activity #105: Practice yoga baby-style http://dlvr.it/GZv0L [...]
Yoga is good pre baby, post baby and when you’re baby is older and all grown up. Great challenge.
wow – if we had a yoga place like the one you posted about here, i’d be there in a heartbeat. my baby is currently and on-the-run toddler but i’m going to look into trying out this challenge with the next baby!
I’ve been putting off working out for almost 2 years now. I’d love to go try yoga.
If you’re in Walnut Creek or Palo Alto, DayOne (www.dayonecenter.com) offers Mom and Baby Yoga classes and prenatal yoga classes! Check out the calendar for more details.
That posted before I wanted it to! I’m the online coordinator for DayOne, and just wanted to point out the yoga classes we have available for new mommies in the Bay Area!
In the DC area, Lil Omm in the Palisades neighborhood is just amazing. It’s a family yoga studio with prenatal and postnatal classes plus offerings from newborns to crawlers all the way to teens and to adults. (There are even sessions for adults when onsite childcare is offered!) There’s a free breastfeeding support meeting and a new mom’s group plus a large variety of workshops. I’m going to an infant massage workshop next weekend. I’ve attended a few postnatal classes, and about half is adult yoga if babies are cooperative, and then you do baby yoga, which to me is like a repertoire of activities and movements I can do with my little guy when I am not sure what to do next. I highly recommend them!
[...] 7: Take a postnatal yoga class, with your [...]
I did it! http://houseofwoyaks.blogspot.com/2011/05/much-needed-yoga.html
Oh! And if there is anyone here from Birmingham, AL this is the place to go!!
http://www.babybellyyoga.com/Mom___Baby_Yoga.html
[...] to do a full week of posts dedicated to multiple moms. We get the feeling that when we suggest taking a baby to yoga or with you to a movie, those who are juggling more than one baby may be rolling their [...]