I’m back to blogging! Last night I attended my first pre-natal yoga class. The class was held at a local studio for new and pregnant moms where classes extend beyond pre- and post-natal yoga. They offer lactation support, labor and birth preparation, cloth diapering workshops and playgroups. I love the idea of the business, but I did not know what kind of yoga they would offer.
I have heard from enough people that pre-natal yoga is not nearly as intense as a beginning yoga class. Also, there is often a lot more talking and sharing involved in pre-natal yoga. So I changed my mindset from approaching this as a workout to more of a time dedicated to me. Luckily, I had a friend to go to class with. My neighbor (and running buddy) is just about a month ahead of me in pregnancy so we checked the class out together. It turned out there were only three students in the class and one instructor.
We did start the class by sharing a little bit about who we were, how far along we were and what our biggest fears of labor were. For that last one, I had to say, I still have a mental block up for labor and have not even thought about it. At 19 weeks, I still do not believe this whole pregnancy thing is real. So that was my cop-out. But after that, we launched into a solid, easy yoga routine. We stretched in all the right places, leaving me feeling very relaxed after the class. So it was a success.
However, after the class I noticed a mild shooting pain in my back. So I asked the instructor about it. Her face looked concerned and she said that sounded like a nerve issue that I should get taken care of sooner rather than later. She highly recommended a massage. Well, who am I to complain about that?
For Christmas, David got me a pre-natal spa day (including a massage, pedicure, facial, etc.). While i am tempted to use that now, I know I want to wait until I am closer to my third trimester when I know I will really need it. Instead, last night I got in touch with a massage therapist friend of mine. It turns out she has time to fit me into her schedule tonight. I usually hate spending money on things like yoga and massages for myself, but I am slowly learning that these things are beneficial for me at this time.
So if there is one thing pregnancy is teaching me, I guess it is that pampering myself is OK. While I know I can go the same yoga poses and stretches at home on my mat than in class, I feel like the class is a good opportunity to connect with others and to give me some time to myself.
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