How Can Prenatal Yoga Prepare Me for Birth?

Prenatal yoga is beneficial for many, many reasons. Among them? It can help prepare you for birth. In addition to bridging friendships and providing a sense of community, promoting bonding between you and your little one, and just giving you something to do that is specifically modified just for you, prenatal yoga can and does help prepare your body and mind for birth.

Prenatal yoga prepares you for the big day in a variety of ways.  Teaching pregnant people for the last three years has shown me that it is extremely effective at equipping expectant parents for birthing a new human and parenting said homo sapien. Even for the flightiest and spontaneous among us (I’m surely not talking about myself, cough cough), being even a little bit prepared is never a bad thing. And I can say “never” with about 98% confidence in this instance!

We don’t really acknowledge what goes through our minds or our bodies.  It is sort of just a passing glance in-between other thoughts or tasks.

 

So, how does it get you ready? Here’s how:

• The asanas, or poses, prepare your muscles by conditioning them. Squats, cat/cow, modified pigeon, and a slew of others exercise and strengthen your muscles so that they work a little more efficiently throughout your pregnancy and birth. In addition, the fatigue that they go through from being pushed a bit prepares you for the sensations associated with discomfort while simultaneously building endurance. Particularly, in the poses that generate heat, such as goddess (Grow clients love this one), the body becomes accustomed to the rising temperature and the work it takes to continue in the pose. In poses that rely on opening, or stretching, the body cools. This pattern of heating/cooling introduces you to the cyclical nature of pregnancy and birth, especially of the peaks and falls such as in contractions.
• Prenatal yoga increases body awareness.  Because most of us live hectic lives, we are often out of touch with our bodies and the different thoughts, feelings, and sensations we experience any given day.  We don’t really acknowledge what goes through our minds or our bodies.  It is sort of just a passing glance in-between other thoughts or tasks. You may not even recognize it between greeting customers, caring for other children, or taking your patients’ temps.  The brain barely registers it until…you try to sleep and then all of sudden, you are feeling anxious or restless, or else in pain.  The root of it all seems to escape you.  Prenatal yoga helps you get to the root by giving you the tools to catalog these rogue thoughts and feelings in an effective way.
• Breathing is the single-most important tool you can use on the big day, or any day really! Prenatal yoga classes should always spend ample time breathing. You have to catch your breath and learn how to regulate it for maximum benefit.  Breathing exercises are different and each one has an intended purpose with specific effects.  A lot of people hear “breathing” and automatically think Lamaze-you know, the old-fashioned “hoo hoo ha, hoo hoo hee”. What Lamaze got right (and it has been updated to reflect modern sensibilities), is that breathing is paramount to dealing with labor and non-laborious birth. Meaning: the breathing techniques are incredibly useful for both vaginal and cesarean birth, if for possibly different reasons and with different results. Whether you are seeking to reduce pain or reduce anxiety, practicing some ujjayi breath could be a big piece of the pie.
• Birth and parenting absolutely require adaptability. Prenatal yoga gets you closer to the type B than to the type A.  You’ll learn that one of the tenets of yoga, Aparigraha, or non-grasping, teaches us to question what we hold dear, what we identify with, and why.  Sometimes, what we clench with our metaphorical fingers the tightest doesn’t do us any damn good, other than giving us a sense of pride that really, is irrelevant. This is not to say that ego, preferences, materials, ideas, etc. are bad.  It just means that we often like or want things, even immaterial, that are not based in objective or subjective reality. When we realize that we hold steadfast to something that goes against our nature because it is “cool” or “right”, we learn to examine our internal motivations.  This all translates to becoming more adaptable because we begin to let go and allow new knowledge and new feelings to guide us in the present moment. So maybe you plan to have an unmedicated, vaginal birth but then baby turns breech.  Having practiced aparigraha on the mat might just prepare you to accept the current reality with little to no feelings of regret.
• Lastly, prenatal yoga can prepare you to relax. Like, really, truly let the mind become quiet and the body become still through meditation and yoga nidra practice. Not only is relaxation crucial to encouraging labor to start and progress, to pushing, to undergoing a cesarean section, to changing diapers, and to living somewhat peaceably for the next 18+ years, it is imperative for a healthy mind and body.  Knowing how to relax, knowing when to find a time-out (or time-in?), and letting yourself take care of you is a skill that is necessary. When you near the end of the practice in supine butterfly or side-lying savasana, your body will thank you by resting, and yet, simultaneously setting things up for you mentally and physically for birth.  Your muscles, bones, nervous system, emotions, and thoughts all “reset” so to speak, so that you are one step closer to being a little more prepared by simply being relaxed!

Of all the different ways you can prepare for birth, prenatal yoga is, or should be, at the top of the list for its multi-faceted approach and because it is, put simply, fun!

Grow Yoga is for EVERYbody

It may not seem like it, what with all the cool Instagram pictures, Pinterest links, and general visuals that make yoga seem like some incredible contortionist feat, but yoga is for everyBODY.

I hate it that so many people have heard that yoga might help them in their endeavors to better health, but then become discouraged because they don’t think that yoga is for them or their body. I get so sad when I hear from interested folk that they simply can’t go to yoga because they are too old, too big, too weak, too…different. Different from what they have seen as the newfangled brand of yoga fitness.

I am not opposed to evolution, growth, and change. By no means, am I a yoga purist. And truth be told, there is still worlds to learn about yoga philosophy and history. That said, one of the prevailing tenets and gems that can be found in modern yoga, is that yoga is for everyBODY.

• There is more to yoga than poses. Modern yoga includes breathing techniques that are meant to improve physical and emotional health as well as meditation (which isn’t as abstract or as difficult as it may seem) that enables us to more fully relax and calm ourselves in a fast-paced world. In fact, many classes, such as Grow’s Gentle Restore class, spends equal amounts of time focusing on breathing and beginning meditation. Of course, these practices aren’t as easily photographed, so that’s why we don’t see them.
• Yoga isn’t a competitive sport.  Unlike soccer, basketball, or gymnastics, yoga is not a sport in which one competes.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with competition. Yoga just isn’t it.  Yoga is about the individual; about the self, but not in a narcissistic, egotistical way. No, it is about gaining body awareness and appreciating ourselves as we are, or rather, accepting that there are some things we can’t change. And that’s okay because we get to honor our unique differences by listening to ourselves, becoming more body positive, and resisting the urge to put our feet behind our head and thus, avoiding hip dislocations. As we practice empathy to ourselves, we do so toward others.
• Yoga shouldn’t be about looks. Again, to repeat: yoga is not a spectator sport. While those photos of people back-bending over the Grand Canyon can be inspirational and really freaking cool, it is not necessarily something one should feel that they have to aspire or that they have to be able to do in order for their practice to be “real” yoga.  Note: I am not admonishing these practitioners, but I do feel that it should be acknowledged that this behavior can make yoga unnecessarily exclusive and maybe even dangerous.

So, if you have been thinking about attending a yoga class but have held back because you think that you need to look a certain way or need to have specific abilities, I encourage you to seek out a teacher in your area who is inclusive and encourages you to find a practice that works for you. Yoga is, and should be, for everyBODY.

Kid’s Yoga is NOT Kid’s Fitness

Sometimes when I am talking with people and they ask what kid’s yoga is, I hesitate to answer because honestly, I suck at elevator speeches and because going for the succinct answer doesn’t always supply the clearest picture!

Many people automatically imagine a bunch of calm kids stretching and meditating on their respective mats in a room as adults would. Well, this isn’t exactly the case. While one of the goals is to encourage a sense of stillness within kid’s bodies and minds through consistent practice, a kid’s yoga class is hardly a quiet, seated retreat like adult classes are. In fact, they are quite rowdy and full of rambunctious kiddos ready to get their wiggles out.

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Naturally, they must be the same beast of a different name, right? WRONG!

So then, what is the difference between a kid’s fitness class and kid’s yoga class?

Naturally, they must be the same beast of a different name, right? WRONG!

Kid’s yoga has three important components, just like adult yoga does. The only difference is in how it plays out during class. Those three components are asanas (poses), pranayama (breathing), and meditation (relaxation and mindfulness).  Kid’s yoga is about maintaining health in the body, mind, and spirit rather than just the body alone as in kid’s fitness classes. I want to make it clear that there is an absolute need for fitness classes! They tend to be more cardiovascular in nature and fulfill the need for our increasingly sedentary lifestyles. Kid’s yoga fills an entirely different need and is complementary to other kid’s fitness classes and sports.

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So, what does a kid’s yoga class look like and what results from regular attendance?

A typical kid’s yoga class with Grow Yoga includes fun music and follow along poses, games to increase flexibility, cooperative skills, balance, and self-awareness, activities that inspire kids to think about the world around them and their impact, as well as stories, crafts, and relaxation exercises.

All music, books, and arts and crafts supplies are provided, as well as special props and materials for games and activities.

What results from regular attendance is kids who become more physically and mentally “fit”

What results from regular attendance is kids who become more physically and mentally “fit”. Kids who are more emotionally intelligent and spread their compassion and empathy to everyone around them. Kids who have extra tools in their box to face adversity and develop skills to alleviate anxiety and stress. In short, kids become happier and calmer. Pair yoga with their favorite sport or favorite fitness class, and you are on your way to setting your progeny up with a toolbox filled to the brim.

If you’re curious, come to The Language Learning Center on Saturday at 10:30 AM to find out what all the hype is about!

May the 4th Be With You: How Prana is Like The Force

Star Wars and yoga go together like peanut butter and jelly. Huh? Well, I was watching Star Wars the other day with my young padawans and as I was listening, I immediately saw the analogy between The Force and yoga (addressed by a certain Jedi). Specifically, one of its driving principles, prana and its relation to our lives.

Have you ever been in a yoga class and heard the teacher say the word, prana? What the heck is that? What do they mean by feel your breath and ignite your prana? Or, with each breath, you are inhaling prana? It may sound hokey, and sometimes can be, but at its most basic level, the concept of prana is actually very interesting and is legitimate.

So, what is prana and how the heck does it have anything to do with Star Wars? Obi Wan Kenobi explained it the best:

It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.

Just as The Force is within us, all around us-just as it is responsible for creation and life cycles, so is prana. It is more than the air we breathe or the blood rushing through our veins. Prana is our life…force.  The same star stuff that has created and sustained the universe resides in each of us. We are all connected by the very simple atoms that comprise everything. Prana, or The Force, can be chaos or calm, happiness or despair. It drives change, feels compassion, and mobilizes our bodies and minds. In some theologies, it is called the soul. In science, it is called electricity, physics, and chemistry (and more). In yoga, it is called prana.

Even R2-D2 feels The Force..err… prana. His are just electrical!

And also just like Jedis and Siths, we can channel prana. We feel it best and can more easily recognize it when we take a step back, remove our egos, inhale deeply, and become cognizant of our physical, mental, and emotional bodies through yoga asana, meditation, and service to others. We may not be able to wield a lightsaber, but we can direct the flow of energy within us and around us to be beneficial for all parties!

Go forth and be a yogi Jedi! Move like Yoda, breathe like Darth Vader, and be a badass warrior for good like Princess Leia. For more great Force knowledge, visit this site.

May the 4th Be With You ❤

-Heather

Super Yogis!

Today is National Superhero Day! As avid comic book fans-ask any Grow Kid, they’ll tell you how utterly excited we get about comic books, movies, and Wonder Woman-we are always ready to honor a day that celebrates what it means to be a Superhero. Bravery, resiliency, and standing up for what is right perfectly aligns with yoga philosophy. As a matter of fact, those are the characteristics we strive for by practicing yoga.

So, what is National Superhero Day? Well, it is a day started in 1995 by a group of Marvel employees to encourage everyday people to step up their game, to become selfless. i.e practicing the yama apigraha.  In yoga, we learn that part of following the eight-fold path is to become selfless and help others in need. One of the best ways to do this, and as part of National Superhero Day’s mission, is to go right into our very communities and become the hero that they need.

How can you encourage yourself and your family to practice apigraha and how can you cultivate selflessness? Easy!

• Ask yourself or your kiddo what kind of superhero would they be? What powers would you/they have? Why? What would you/they want to be named?
• Don your capes and look around in your community on foot, or on social media and notice what needs improving. Become aware of your community’s strengths and weaknesses, and most importantly, try to reserve judgement and instead, think with a problem-solving mindset. Network and/or form a group where you can not only provide help but where you can practice the other aspects of yoga together. If you’re in Camden County, Ga, come to yoga every Saturday and we can be superheroes together 😉
• Support the individuals in your community who are lonely, isolated, or otherwise harshly judged. Practice empathy and friendship. Senior centers and hospitals are places that require bravery and companionship, yet few people go and devote their time to making the experiences of those patients even just a little brighter.
• Repeat the following mantra to grow more selfless and to become a superhero yogi:

The World needs wisdom

I am wise

The World needs strength

I am strong

The World needs goodness

I am good

The Universe needs love

I am love

I am a superhero

• Lastly, celebrate the day! Have fun, be goofy, dress up, watch Superman (yea, we know that’s DC, but Superheroes are inclusive). Get into Superman pose, breathe like the Hulk, become a lion like Vixen, and get bendy like Mr. Fantastic. Just don’t become invisible like Susan Storm!

Remember, “With great power comes great responsibility”. Our responsibilities, as yogis, are to make the world a better place just as our favorite superheroes do. We do have that power, through our unique gifts and through our selfless service.

 

 

 

We hope you enjoy National Superhero Day yoga style!

Om: a Haiku

What is Om and what does it mean? I get that question a LOT! Om can be a difficult concept to grasp because of its nature but also because it has various cultural and spiritual origins. We yoga teachers are forever students and Om is one of the concepts that intrigues me so as I am on a quest for understanding, I wanted to share what I have learned so far in the form of a haiku! Sometimes, simplicity is better, yes?

Before getting all creative, I will say that Om is an idea, a mantra, and a sacred sound and symbol.  It is the universal vibration-the energy that exists in everything and how it manifests.  If we could silence everything around us, the thing that’d be left is that one hum-a hum we all hear and feel-produced by the energy from the stars. Its universality is quite beautiful.

Without further ado:

Connecting us all

energy vibrates, sings, hums

chanting, we say “Om”

Now as a science-lover, skeptic, and yogi, I find that thinking of Om figuratively, as the cosmic force behind the creation of the planets, galaxies, elements, and humanity.  When we are open to feeling that energy, it seems to vibrate and it encourages us to think of our place in the universe in relation to everything and everyone else.  It’s a great symbol for belonging!

Om, Om, OM shanti ❤

Friends Day-A Yoga Class for Comrades

Kids seem to make friends much easier than we adults do!  In my observations, kids love meeting new people, having new experiences, and in general, learning about others and teaming up with them.

Of course, some kids are shy or more introverted, but I have noticed that, for the most part, when encouraged and when modeled, even the most apprehensive kids interact really well and usually find a friend with whom they form a bond.

As today is “Friends Day”, I wanted to share tips for a Friend theme kid’s yoga class that is fun and that celebrates one of life’s truest gifts, friendship.

• Start with a friendly meditation and a variant of “Peace Begins with Me”.  Have kids pair up, or pair them, if you think that is better, and show them the following mantra: “You are a friend, I am a friend, We are friends” as they face each other to clap hands and knees ala pattacake style. The goal is to eventually close their eyes and cease the claps while they hold hands, and then eventually silently repeat the mantra.
• For a pranayama activity, have them pair up again, with a different friend, and sit at each end of their mat.  With a pom-pom (the kind from the craft store), they need to breathe in and blow the pom-pom to each other down the mat.  This exercise strengthens their breath and collaborative spirit.
• Partner poses are always fun and typically end in hilarity.  Some fun ones are partnered tree (interlace the arms and stand on opposite feet), Lizard on a rock, and whole host of other stretches that many kids think up on the fly.
• Together, as a class, make an acrostic for the word “FRIEND” using a poster or butcher paper.  Decorate the paper and hang it in your room.
• Do the Yogi Shake in fun costumes! The silliness and the all-out fun helps kids to see each other as their authentic selves without any fear or shame.  It is a great way to just BE.
• Encourage your students to check in with a long-distance friend or to form a new friendship via a pen-pal.  Learning about and communicating with those we don’t see on a regular basis is a great way to build friendship skills and to build patience and compassion.
• For the final meditation or savasana, have the kids lie in a circle with their heads in the center of the circle and their feet at the “edge”.  They can hold hands if they wish.  Guide them through a meditation or story about friendship.

Yoga is a great way to model relationship-building, to spread kindness, and to teach about embracing others (and ourselves) as we are.  Yoga helps us to connect in the here and now.  Use these tips for an amazing “Friendship” class or just as tool to teach your own kids throughout the day!

 

New Year. New Goals.Same You.

 

Well, another year has passed and time is just flying.  You might even feel as if you had wings and just flew through 2016, hovering above the surface of the Earth.  While each day, each month, and each year bring us time to reflect and renew, New Year’s Day holds a special symbolism for us to show our gratitude for making yet another trip around the sun and encourages us to reach for some new stars in the coming 365 days.

Resolutions, plans, and discussions often revolve around this new year being the reason to be a “New You”.  However, I like to think of our humanity as a cumulative progress toward our truest and best selves.  We don’t just shed all that we have learned, achieved, flopped, or felt.  No, we merge and build these musings and lessons into ourselves, our layered beings.  It’s what makes us nuanced and individual, yet relates us all to one another.  If we just  cast off those parts of us that we dislike, we ignore the chance to accept ourselves as we are and yet make intentional change-to morph the negative into positive.

Your SELF is an ever-changing entity and at the same time, it is a constant core of identity.  If you were to sit down and think about what makes you who you are, what words would you use to describe you?  What things have stayed the same since childhood and what things have changed?  What has caused the constants and what inspired the changes? Notice: changes, not change. You are still you.  There is no need to be a New You because you have integrated the micro-changes into your being and have become closer to your best, truest self.

As you think about this new year, what would you like to change in and around you? What aspects of yourself have you accepted?  What are you still holding onto that doesn’t serve you and that can be transformed without losing happiness?

Achievable and realistic goals are important and they allow you to climb a little closer to your true self.  They can be tiny to huge. They don’t have to morph you into somebody you don’t recognize or someone you don’t want to be.

Yoga, which means union, teaches us that we are a beautiful layer cake.  We can add more layers and still be that beautiful layer cake!  Yoga gives us time and space to reflect so we don’t react.  Yoga encourages introspection so we can find our wants and needs.  Yoga inspires relationships so we have someone with whom we can walk the path when it gets a little tough. Yoga allows us to accept ourselves as we are and allows us to understand that reaching for goals isn’t us casting off “the bad” because we incorporate it into our being for the better.

What goals have you set this year to meet your true self? This year, remember this mantra: New Year. New Goals. Same You!

 

Have Life, Have Gratitude

As we head into the holidays, particularly Thanksgiving, we hear a lot about gratitude and being grateful and giving thanks.

But what does that really mean? And why should we?

In my opinion, and from the perspective of a yoga practitioner, being grateful and giving thanks is a smidge different than having gratitude. And for me, the reasons are abundantly clear.  Not because I have some sort of enlightenment granted by yoga. No.

Instead, the events of my life and the way in which yoga has framed some clarity in my understanding and acceptance of them has helped me formulate and synthesize my list of aforementioned reasons and my perspective. It is not that yoga bestowed some universal truth on me and that is a clear distinction, and possibly a discussion for another time.

So, what is gratitude then?  As I have written about elsewhere and teach in my classes, gratitude is that feeling of gratefulness put into action.  In order to do that, we either consciously or subconsciously recognize the privilege that we have. We are able to acknowledge our fortunes and how we got them and that other people simply cannot have the same, unfair and unjust as it is.  Gratitude goes beyond feeling helpless and sorry for our fellow humans. It seeks to DO something to make someone else’s life a little better and a little more worth living…

Speaking of life…this is why we have gratitude. It is why we educate, volunteer, give, seek justice, open our hearts and homes.  Prana. In yogic terms, Prana is our lifeforce.  It is our Self.  It’s a part of the air we breathe, the functions of our organs, the water we drink, and the thoughts and feelings we have. The energy which sprouts a seed to a tree.  The energy that warms the earth and that powers the stars. The energy that we share with each other when we talk, hug, and fight. All of it.  The human experience is a part of what we call life, Prana.  When we meditate and become mindful of our breath, we are tuning into more than just our inhalation and exhalation. We are finding that universal force that gives us life. This is what we, as intellectual humans and as primitive mammals, tap into and instinctively know to protect.

Yoga and Prana, as it happens, tends to help us think of life as interconnected.  So it is hard to be just grateful for ourselves and our individual circumstances when we know other humans, with whom we share the experience of life, are suffering.  Often referred to as “cosmic energy”, we know that those molecules travel and are shared among us.  When one person’s Prana is impacted by fear, hunger, and sadness we feel the need to help.  We recognize our unique position of privilege, power, and fortune so that we can go beyond just saying “thanks” to doing more to share, empower, and uplift our fellow neighbors.

It sounds hokey, and I am not the best person to explain it-I’m not going to pretend that I am.  It’s especially difficult for those of us who are scientists to explain something that is definitely spiritual.  I reconcile it by noting that the human experience (in a vast interstellar and living universe) is sometimes puzzling and inexplicable by logic, and that is okay.

The point is simple-gratitude and Prana go hand in hand.  To share an experience with others and the universe connects us in some way-that lifeforce-is Prana.  We are able to BE gratitude by our togetherness and by our reliance on Prana.

This Thanksgiving, keep in mind that after you say your “thanks”, you can follow it up by embracing your brothers and sisters on this Earth in such a way to make their understanding of Prana a little happier.  Because we are connected by the universal energy, we can give of ourselves to better our communities, our friends, and our earth.