Why I Teach Baby and Me Yoga
Why I Teach Baby & Me Yoga
And How Baby & Me Yoga Could Benefit You & Your Baby
I had my son in August of 2020. The world was deep in the isolation of pandemic lock downs & my partner & I were alone…in our house…with a newborn.
My initial postpartum period was unique - as anyone who had a baby in the pandemic can attest to - but not totally unlike what bringing home a new baby is like at anytime.
…lonely, overwhelming, disorienting & exhausting
And although I 1,000% do NOT support the idea of “bouncing back” after labor & delivery (that’s a whole other blog post…), I knew that returning to a few familiar parts of myself was important as gradually moved into motherhood.
For me, one of those parts was my yoga practice - breath, movement, stillness, rest & a connection with something bigger through a connection with my own inner experience.
I had to figure out how to integrate yoga into a new version of my life. One that involved a seemingly permanent (albeit tiny) ride along (I’m referring to my infant son…)
And even though I have a partnership that strives for parental & domestic equity, and I already had a well established at home yoga practice, and my baby napped really, really well (bless him & bless Little Dipper Sleep)…I still couldn’t figure out how to make time for this important part of my life.
So…often times I ended up doing yoga with my baby. I was actually inspired & encouraged by Alexandra’s postpartum yoga class where folks would show up (online) all the time with their baby. And Alexandra would remind us that no matter what our practice looked like that day (changing a diaper, feeding, swaying & cradling, etc.) that it was all yoga.
At the same time I was learning all about mindful parenting & Montessori-inspired methods for the home environment & simplicity parenting & gentle parenting & the benefits of exposing your infant to the natural world. You know…all the things you see on your Instagram feed too (I did read some actual books too).
And that’s when it started to CLICK.
The same way that our movement practice in yoga shows up off the mat, our ability to practice yoga in the presence of our child is rehearsal for how we interact with our children off of the mat.
TLDR: Why do I teach Baby & Me Yoga?
Because I realized through my own parenting journey that practicing yoga with my baby helped me to practice the type of parenting I wanted to implement off of the mat - present, connected, calm, simple & mindful.
Baby & Me Yoga regular, susie, practices yoga with her baby Luna.
How can Baby & Me Yoga benefit you & your baby?
Baby & Me Yoga class creates a space for practicing mindfulness while in the presence of your baby. This can help alleviate anxiety while caregiving & helps to support the parenting choices you want to make off of the mat (like being connected, gentle, compassionate & patient).
Baby & Me Yoga class creates connection between you & other parents moving through a similar phase of parenthood. Every class begins with a check-in where we share, listen, validate & support each other (and talk about how cute your baby is).
Baby & Me Yoga class creates an opportunity for modeling healthy nervous system regulation & movement for your baby. Plus babies find it incredibly engaging & interesting to see grown up bodies move into yoga postures.
Baby & Me Yoga class offers gentle, supportive, strengthening movement for your postpartum body. And you’ll walk away with some easy to remember sequences that you can practice at home whether or not your baby is present.
Baby & Me Yoga class benefits your baby by offering simple yet impactful movements for their body that encourage appropriate motor skill development, nervous system stimulation & gentle strengthening (think tummy time). You’ll also leave class with easy to remember sequences for baby so you can practice yoga with your baby anywhere, anytime.
Baby & Me Yoga class encourages bonding between caregiver & baby. You know how you leave a yoga class feeling more connected to yourself or more comfortable in your body? Practicing yoga with your baby works like that too! The mirror-neurons are firing - the oxytocin is pumping.
And I’ll be completely honest…practicing yoga with your baby, whether it’s in one of my Baby & Me Yoga classes or it’s at home in your living room, is not always pretty. Babies cry. Babies squirm. Babies say no. Babies poop. Babies spit up. Babies get hungry. But just like we have to accept where we are in that moment when we roll out our mat for ourselves, Baby & Me Yoga gives us an opportunity to practice acceptance in our relationship with our baby too.
Have you tired Baby & Me Yoga before? What did you enjoy about it? What did you find challenging? I’d love to hear from you either in the comments below or directly at erin@wholemamyoga.com.
See you (& your baby) soon!