Gaia: Yoga For Mommies

Re: shoulders and lower back

http://iwell.gaia.com — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 01:45:56 GMT

I've just realized that some of these posts are a year old, but what the heck maybe someone is reading. my baby is 16 mo and i taught about 15 classes a week up until having her. my pregnancy totally jump started my calm quiet gentle practice into a high energy endurance session. i think it is different for everyone really and you need do tune itno what is right for your body at the time. the vigorous movement plus eating every hour helped my nausea. since having my baby i couldn't stretch for over a year!! it sorta feels good now, but having a hard time getting back into it. i plan to start teaching again in a couple months...any suggestions. i hope to only to gentle intro classes.

oh yeah, my favorite thing while i was prego was shiatsu in my hips. if you can get your partner to use his elbow to apply pressure beside your sacrum- it'll just sink in. it helps sciatica and shoulder pain. a lot of that shoulder pain starts in the hips.

dancing

http://watersyoga.gaia.com — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 21:09:10 GMT

is dancing yoga? i say YES! and, a big yes! it has been a wonderful way for me to connect to my intuitive, primal self and just move anyway that feels right. it lifts my spirits every time and my son loves to join me.
plus, you always have a partner moving with you while being pregnant!
sending light, love and magic your way,
katrina

yoga for mommies dvd production date finalized!

http://watersyoga.gaia.com — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 13:58:16 GMT

the first weekend in march is the weekend that i intend magic to happen...that angels join me in creating the yoga for mommies dvd in such a way that it spreads the gift of health, peace and light to as many pregnant mommies as possible .... all over the world.
please join me in spirit this march weekend !!! sending your love and light would be very much appreciated!!!
thanks! katrina

connected to spirit

http://watersyoga.gaia.com — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 13:53:24 GMT

yesterday's practice was so full of life and i felt so connected to spirit and the magic therein! i've noticed a huge difference in my hips....as they begin to open and blossom. i felt very primal while practicing squats and hip openers yesterday. connected to that which is larger than who we are and what we can imagine. that magical place that yoga can take you .... and felt even deeper while pregnant. we become so intuitive during this time as females and it is an amazing experience to practice yoga while in this state! can you relate? is it not the best ever? truly humbling and delicious!
hope all bright!
katrina

Re: Suggestions for poses!

http://watersyoga.gaia.com — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 13:44:20 GMT

thanks for your feedback!! i will absolutely include that one. i'd almost say that that is the king of all prenatal yoga postures. and, one i certainly need a lot of (my hips have always been rather tight, but this pregnancy is going to shift that in a Major way!!),
hope you're well...
katrina

Re: Suggestions for poses!

http://folkmaiden.gaia.com — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 19:49:29 GMT

i really like the one where you squat down and hold your hands in namaste, pushing out your knees with your elbows. yummy!

Prenatal Yoga dvd that rocks!

http://watersyoga.gaia.com — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 00:29:34 GMT

i have found an amazing prenatal yoga dvd that i just love! it gets your heart going, is full of useful and inspiring thoughts and moves easily and smoothly between yoga poses. i just love it! Out of the three prenatal dvd's i've tried so far, this one SHINES! if you're in the market, go check it out:

Baby & Me Pre-natal Yoga
lead by Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa
The New Method

Happy Yoga-ing!

Yoga for Mommies dvd timeline

http://watersyoga.gaia.com — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 00:01:39 GMT

ok. so, have welcomed in the new year! time to get rolling on all of our plans and schemes for the wonderful 2007!
so, i am writing down my timeline for having the dvd completed...
the series of postures will be completed by February first
and, the filming will take place the first weekend in March.
after that, we'll need to edit it and get ready for sales.
(my baby just kicked. she's (or he's) rooting for it to be completed, too!)
so, there it is.
if you want to add any ideas, please post a reply here!
cheers to the new year and to new beginnings!
katrina

My Daddy is a Pretzel

http://watersyoga.gaia.com — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 13:17:03 GMT

have you seen this book for kids by baron baptist?
it's wonderful! it a colorful book about kids who are say what their parents do for a living and then they show a pose that illustrates something about what their parent does.
my two year old son has been doing these poses now for almost a year. ever since he learned how to walk, we've been reading this book together and i'd put him into the poses. now, he just does them randomly on his own. it's beautfiul to watch.
he's also coming up with ones on his own! i love it! kids are so creative and naturally in touch with what their bodies need.
have you found a kids yoga book that you like? please share!!
cheers to you and your yoga babies!
katrina

Come on in and introduce yourself!

http://watersyoga.gaia.com — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 13:12:23 GMT

if you've never practiced yoga before, please come in and introduce yourself! ask away on any quesions you might have. or if you'd like references to resources... or whatever it is! just come on in...we'd love to hear from you!

Suggestions for poses!

http://watersyoga.gaia.com — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 13:10:01 GMT

hi, all!
i am getting ready to create the yoga series for the yoga for mommies dvd. if you have any ideas on poses to include that have worked for you, please let me know! i would love to hear about what is working for you.
cheers! and happy yoga-ing!!
katrina

Side stretches

http://watersyoga.gaia.com — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 13:06:06 GMT

i am growing fonder and fonder of stretching out both sides of my torso as my pregnancy continues.

some of my favorite poses right now are (i am 17 weeks along)

- triangle (the iyengar way, not the bikram way, though both are wonderful)
- sitting with legs in a wide v and stretching to both sides and forward (i could hang out here all day!)

*note: i have been a bikram yoga instructor for about the past three years now. and, i have practiced other hatha styles, such as, ashtanga, kundalini and general hatha flows before the bikram. so, now that i am branching away from bikram right now, i've gotta get refreshed with the names of poses that are used in other yoga styles. so forgive me if at times i just explain what i am doing without using the proper name.
i am all about creativity and creating your own poses, too. so, what i suggest may not always have a name for it....yet! ;) i will always be a rebel ...ur, i mean....creator at heart !

come join me in these discussions! what poses are working for you right now? wherever you are in pregnancy or afterwards!!

cheers!
katrina

i can do more than i think i can!

http://watersyoga.gaia.com — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 06:49:38 GMT

i took a yoga class today...and, often my little voice in my head tells me that i can't do thiings, or that i'm not that flexible. see, growing up, i was REALLY unflexible. couldn't touch my toes and i was really embarrassed about it.
well, yoga continues to prove my little voice wrong because today, i did something i would have sworn i'd NEVER be able to do! i almost couldn't believe it ...even after the fact!
the beauty of yoga to me, is to show me that we are beings full of possibility....that our bodies are magical, and that our minds often lie ...and we believe it!
the more i practice yoga, the more integrated my mind and heart will be. and the more integrated my heart and mind, the more clear i will be about what i can and can't do. and, the more clear i am, the less i'll be stopped by my fears, and that will lead me closer and closer to dreams fulfilled!! bringing yoga to the world....one breath at a time.

Re: Katrina Here

http://myownzen.gaia.com — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 21:31:22 GMT

My name is Kristen and I have been a stay at home mom since my daughter was born 5 1/2 years ago. I hardly remember the person I was before that. I worked in the Corporate world for over 9 years and about 4 years into it, I knew that was not the place for me. I've never experienced such complete lack of human kindness or concern. I also have a 3 year old son. And, I love love love being home with my growing kiddos. I can't believe that we have really left the baby/toddler world behind and are embarking on kindgergarten and preschool these days. No more sleepless nights and diaper changes and worrying about feeding every 3 hours. Since I have regained some sense of a regular sleep pattern, I'm ready to see what else the world has to offer me that I may pass on to my kids and husband! I'm glad to have found all of you.

Kristen

Re: Katrina Here

http://SlumberingSages.gaia.com — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 16:30:39 GMT

Namaste Fellow Yogis!

As the mother of a 14 month old daughter (Ashlyn) and an Elementary School Nurse, I am constantly amazed by the beauty of our children. They are incredibly insightful and sensitive. What amazes me the most is how our children emulate us. They may not always hear what we say, but they ALWAYS see what we are doing. Our energy patterns imprint on our children in deep and permanent ways. Because I see striking examples of the implications of this every day in my work with children, I have become acutely aware of the messages I am constantly sending my daughter. I have embarked on an ongoing journey to calm my ego and embrace my spirit so that I may feed my daughter nourishing vibes with which to mold into her blossoming sense of self. Yoga is an important part of this "yoking" of Spirit in my life. Whether it is finding strength and endurance in asana, or feeling oneness through ahimsa, Yoga gives me the tools to be a strong foundation for my daughter. I hope that someday Ashlyn will join me in her own Yoga practice, but if not I will have learned compassion to embrace her choices and respect the Spirit expressing itself through her.

Thank you for giving us this forum to unify our thoughts about such a wonderful practice. And thank you for helping to spread light into the next generation of caretakers for this struggling world. Namaste.

Re: shoulders and lower back

http://watersyoga.gaia.com — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 00:09:38 GMT

you know i don't have bolsters and blankets...i've done restorative poses very little...but, when i have they are quite delicious! i am going to start checking out some prenatal yoga classes here in town and i'll share what i learn from them. i'm glad to hear you're not sick anymore! and eleven classes a week is quite a handful...take care of your self and sweet baby and i'll write soon!
katrina

Re: Katrina Here

http://plums.gaia.com — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 17:15:57 GMT

hello!
i'm just enetering the second trimester with my first baby. i'm 41. so happy to be pregnant, and marvelling at how sensitive my body is and how my intuitive capacities have become so powerful! i know exactly what to eat and when (though i don't always get to follow the guidance), when to rest and when to withdraw and when to emerge and interact. when to be vigorous (rarely!) and when to be slow. i love the way my connection to my inner world is enhanced by pregnancy and the magical privilege of helping a baby to come into being.
i do look forward to having more energy again. it's challenging to fulfill my responsibilities to my students and to have sufficient time and attention to give to my partner, friends and family, and my body reminds me when i've forgotten that the priority is growing this beautiful being!

thanks katrina for creating this pod and for your enthusiam. i look forward to your dvd...

Re: shoulders and lower back

http://plums.gaia.com — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 17:04:34 GMT

i am also just finishing first trimester. so tired. i trust i'm coming out of it slowly. the nausea is gone at least. so yes, my practice has become practically nonexistent, though i teach 11 classes a week and move some while teaching, but i also spend a lot of time moving around the room and assisting. by the time i'm done with "work" i'm lucky if i have the stamina to walk around the block a few times. i do try to do very simple mindful movements, just to keep the energy flowing. simple shoulder stretches, hip circles, simple warriors and lunges, uttanasana, dog, prasarita padottanasana, tree, and lots of restoratives!

do you have bolsters and blankets you can play with? restoratives are so yummy!

Beep...Beep!

http://watersyoga.gaia.com — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 23:26:50 GMT

it's time to get up...it's time to get up...it's time to get up in the morning!
yes, that is the line for me right now. during my first trimester, i was tired and sick so i would get up when my child got up and not a minute before.
but, now i am feeling much better!! and, i'm really present to how much i miss having "my time" ...so now i am in the process of reprogramming my sweet self to get up early again so i can fit in my much needed yoga practice and time for myself.
even if it's just 15 minutes! it's worth it...and i'm worth it!
i am really clear that by not getting up for me time is not honoring my needs and well-being. when i get up early and practice yoga and/or journal, i am so much clearer all day long. i feel better about myself and my body feels better everywhere! i am more peaceful and am able to enjoy the day more!
wow! now that's worth getting up for!
what do you say?

Re: The chance to be a kid again!

http://watersyoga.gaia.com — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 23:20:33 GMT

can you imagine a world of people who take on life as a game? ... like everything you do is just a game...and, to make it fun and light?
DIG IT!