"The practice of Yoga brings us face to face with the extraordinary complexity of our own being."- Sri Aurobindo of Auroville fame
I don't know about you, but I've always had this notion that pregnancy was about being one with the miracle of life a woman is growing, and all that jazz. They don't tell you about the aches and pains, emotional rollercoaster, and this funny little thing called Hyperemesis gravidarum that you probably never heard of until Princess Kate, unless you're one of the few unfortunate ones to be blessed with its diagnosis. So, having been experiencing a bed rest ridden pregnancy, I was delighted when my midwives finally cleared me for prenatal yoga, and encouraged me to start taking it twice weekly. Mind the Mat has come up in my searches for the perfect studio before, but I decided to wait and try it for whenever I got pregnant. Well, lookey here.
I had some questions about what the pilates classes entailed, and Becky was quick to respond to my e-mail inquiries. The schedule boasts a wide array of classes including yoga barre (can't wait to try this after baby), pilates barre, yoga, pilates, HOT YOGA!, and pre and post natal classes. There is truly something for everyone at at time that works for our busy schedules. Online booking was a breeze, and I scored a new client special of 5 classes for $39. I chose to attend Paige's Sunday morning prenatal yoga class, and was very excited to try her out since we are Yelp buddies. They have a couple of parking spots behind the studio, and there is plenty of metered and unmetered street parking nearby. I was able to park right in front of the studio. Check-in was easy peasy, and I waddled my way up to the second floor studio. The first thing I noticed, was the cushioned hardwood floor. It felt great to my feet. The window filled studio was inviting, clean, and spacious. There's a bathroom in the studio in addition to plenty of props and storage space for your belongings.
The class had about 10 women in it all in various stages of pregnancy. The class was glorious. The only way I can describe it is with the quote above. Paige helps you work with what you've got going on, and just be kind to yourself in this current stage of life. With that being said, this was not your boring prenatal yoga dvd. This class had some flow y'all! Much to my giddy delight, there was pigeon pose, half moon pose with the wall, and a few planks. Before you click off- it was as easy or as challenging as you needed it! Remember it's prenatal yoga. so there was no need to compete with yourself or others. We used props and the wall, in addition to taking breaks and modifying the poses. Paige was mindful to tell us how the poses would help us for labor and birth, as well as breathing through what is here as well as to come. I felt like I got a workout, relaxation, labor and delivery prep, and new friends all in one 60 minute class. Afterwards, people chatted with one another, and I appreciated the friendly faces. I haven't made a lot of friends since moving to the area, and it's nice to connect with other local pregnant women in the area. I loved the class so much, I plan to sign up for one of the 6 week prenatal yoga workshops starting soon. They also have a large pilates following, and pre/post natal pilates and yoga workshops.
Long story short- this has been some of the best yoga I've had in six months. Wait, it's the only yoga I've had in six months, but amazing all the same! read more