Pregnancy Yoga

In preparation for the ultimate test of a woman's body, I decided it might be good to look into some sort of class that would teach me the basics of what to expect. After looking at a few different child-birthing classes, I decided to join a pregnancy yoga class.

You might be thinking, that's not really a child-birthing class - it's an exercise class. Well, it's actually both. I used to practice yoga a few years ago and really loved all the benefits one gets from it. The breathing, the stretching, the stress reducing and yes, the exercising. I thought this would be a great way to stretch and tone my growing body in the coming months as we prepare for our little girl to arrive. The class I joined is a specific pregnancy class - all expectant moms in various stages of pregnancy. All the poses are specially designed to work with the growing belly and help ease the aches and pains of being pregnant (which, by the way, I'm still counting myself EXTREMELY lucky not to really be having any "side effects" of being pregnant... I feel great! Almost dare to say better than when not pregnant!).

The other ladies in the class have been fun to get to know also. Most of us are first timers, but there are a few with at least one birth under their belt. It's neat to hear them talk about their own births and things that helped them through it. At the end of each class, the instructor reads a "birth story" written by a mom who at some point participated in the pregnancy yoga classes. They have been very candid in sharing details and aspects of a birth that you might not get to read about in a book. Most also mention which yoga poses were helpful during contractions.

As the class progresses, we're going to learn more about how to apply the poses we've been practicing to the actual birth/contraction phases. Also, the slow and steady breathing is a helpful way to focus and settle. I think this will be very beneficial in dealing with the surely coming pain. I'm only a few weeks into my class, but so far have really enjoyed it.

Closer to my due date, they offer a one-day class that includes your partner. I might have to get Jonathan to come try some yoga with me...