Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Yoga

I got an email a few weeks ago about a family yoga class starting up and JUMPED at the chance. I joined the YMCA a couple years ago and ended up canceling the membership because the kids wouldn't tolerate the FREE DAYCARE that came with it. I am always trying to find some time for my own thoughts, self-care and brain- and body-improving activities in amongst our busy days of being a family.

We had our first Mom & Tot yoga class this morning. We were actually on time at 9 am downtown; the kids enjoyed their goldfish crackers for breakfast in the car. I had them both dressed in leggings and a t-shirt and at the last minute Pequita disappeared upstairs on some imperative errand. She reappeared having yanked on a purple gymnastics singlet on over her big shirt and leggings and declared it her 'yoga suit'. Oh-kay. Cute as a badly-dressed button.

The kids experienced a bit of trepidation as is there style with new things these days, but our instructor Amy has a young kid of her own and was really warm and friendly. We spent an hour in a safe warm room full of 9 moms and 13 kids from 3 weeks old to 4 years. Amy stressed that the kids will follow along if they want to, and the adults should just to do the yoga. I was able to do about 75% of the class, which was a huge and pleasant surprise. Pequita did several of the poses next to me on her own purple mat; Monito sat on me for many poses but chose not to use his own mat at all except for building a mammoth building with the foam yoga blocks. Nothing like using Mom as a slide while she's in a downward facing dog for exercise. I did the plank pose with 80 lbs of toddler on me. I want a prize, because I held the pose for 8 breaths like that. My prize seems to be that I kept up fairly well and was still pretty limber and strong despite not setting foot in a gym for years.

I was so grateful for the safe, chaotic, toddler-friendly yoga space that I gushed a bit to the instructor and her husband, a fellow instructor, before leaving. It was the attachment-parenting exercise class. I will sign up for every series they offer. I may get fit yet.


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

you definitely get a medal for the plank position with kids on your back! -- anke