LESLEY'S STORY:
Yoga has been a part of my life for over ten years and when
I became pregnant I started searching for a prenatal class.
I had been regularly attending Monica's yoga classes and
when I tried a few prenatal classes, I found them incredibly
slow and boring. I had an amazing midwife who encouraged
me to trust my body and listen to its cues for when I needed
to back off, and so I continued with Monica's class, empowered
to trust myself when it came to prenatal health. I attended
classes until the week I delivered, and I participated in
inversions, backbends, and everything else that felt so good,
(especially hip openers like malasana and cat/cow!) One thing
my midwife told me was that I was training for a marathon,
so I had better be in marathon shape!
When my labor began, it was early in the morning and I sat
and meditated for a while about the amazing transition my
life would soon take. And then I did yoga. My labor was long,
(30 hours), but my baby was born at home, with no medical
interventions and I used my yoga breathing (pranayama) throughout
the entire labor. After growing up watching movies of people
doing lamaze breathing, I find it laughable to think that
people are taught that. It was all about slow, deep breaths
that kept me centered and grounded. Delivering a 9lb baby
at home was intense, but there was never a moment when I
considered it suffering, and I firmly believe that a lot
of that had to do with my yoga practice. My body was fit
and toned and up for 'the marathon' and, just as important,
my mind was fit and toned as well. The birth of my baby boy
was amazing and I was given the blessing to make the pregnancy
and labor truly my own. I honestly believe that Yoga helped
make this happen.
I was able to start my yoga practice a month after the birth
and, although I am not sure my tummy will ever be the same
again, I do feel great about my post-baby body, which is
important!
I strongly encourage any woman to get into a yoga class and
find your flow, pregnant or not.
Namaste . . . Lesley Swick,
July, 2010 |
