I did not love being pregnant by any means, but can safely say that I did love going to prenatal yoga. The body changes so much during pregnancy and it felt incredibly wonderful to take time to stretch and hold poses. It also felt rather amazing to connect with my baby in the womb during this practice. Houston area Moms-to-be, check out The Motherhood Center for prenatal yoga. They have fabulous instructors that will bring you to tears. I can remember sitting in class after a hard hour's work. Instead of laying on my back in Shavasana, I'd sit in Lotus pose, (Indian style) and would rub my belly. As told to by the teacher, I'd think of something I found funny, and I'd 'tell baby,' (in my head.) Then she would say, 'Now think of how much you love your baby, and will enjoy watching her grow...now tell her." Tears! It was pretty cool...
Now that I'm 6 wks post partum, I am back at yoga and brought my sweet baby girl to a Mom and Baby yoga class recently. I was hesitant as to how this class would go. Luckily, my daughter loved every minute of it and never cried. We started off by having our babies lying on the mat in front of us. We moved their limbs and massaged their bellies. Then we held poses like warrior and chair, while holding the baby. We also bounced on the ball towards the end. All the babies loved that! It was a great class and might have even been tougher than regular yoga because we held our babies! 10 lbs is no joke if you've been out of the game a while, and when it's adorable and giggling, it makes class so much fun!
Yoga has so many benefits. I personally believe more oxygen gets to the brain during yoga because you breathe more deeply and efficiently during class.
Yoga is great for babies and kids because it's a great sensory experience for them, and they get to be active as well. Regular movement promotes more settled behavior and also deeper sleep. Yoga's physiological and psychological benefits for babies include frustration reduction, multiple body systems stimulation and parent/child bonding and communication.
Yoga has countless benefits for adults too, and especially Moms! It improves posture, balance and sleep. Regular yoga activity burns calories and contributes to weight loss. It betters range of motion and also strengthens muscles and joints. It improves energy and endurance levels. Yoga is a full body workout both physically and mentally. It works everything from your brain to your bum. It truly softens the heart as well. It's fantastic for recovery from birth because of the stretching and stress reduction practices involved in a yoga session.
If you haven't yet tried a yoga class, I highly recommend doing so! Locate a studio in your area and ask to try the first class for free. You can also check class schedules at gyms like the YMCA.
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