At 39 weeks, I feel like it’s finally safe to say that yoga has made my pregnancy a much more enjoyable experience. Granted, in a couple of weeks, I will let you know if it was also helpful in the dreaded labor and delivery process. Still, yoga has improved my quality of life for the last nine months so much that I was afraid to write it all down for fear of the jinx factor. Nevertheless, all of it (ok, pregnancy brain has probably messed up my memory just a teensy bit) is still in my head.
It starts with the fact that although my belly is huge, humongous, shoot, GINORMOUS, I have been able to maintain my weight right within the “healthy range” recommended by my OB. Yep, just 32 pounds. To me, that’s not too shabby, considering the fact that I have had incredible cravings for cake and ice cream the entire time. I would love to say that I was the strong-minded yogi who could turn it down, but most people who know me know that if I commit to something, I go all in, which means, I should have bought stock in Blue Bell, Ben & Jerry’s, Betty Crocker and our local bakeries. For those of you who noticed a rise in your stocks, it was my gluttonous pleasure. (Feel free to repay me by spreading the word about yoga and encouraging your friends to take a class at Bayou Yoga!) Seriously, there have been days where nothing but a slice of white cake with fluffy white icing only to be followed by a bowl of Phish Food would do! Yes, I know as a yogi it is important to be mindful of what we put in our bodies, but at Bayou Yoga, we also preach about making the food decisions that make our body feel good both at the time of ingestion, digestion and the aftermath. Honestly, it felt good at every stage so this is one of those journeys that I will not harp on and just let it go (yeah, we preach about that too!).
Then, I hear the complaints of my fellow pregger peeps that include back pain, hip pain and general exhaustion. I can’t say that I have experienced any of it any excruciating level. I am not gonna lie– there’s been some achiness, but it’s been after a couple of days of doing pretty much nothing. As soon as I figured out that my preggo body needed the yoga, I didn’t back off a bit. And, I’m so glad I didn’t! Sleep comes easier; my flexibility is still there; and dagnabit, I took advantage of those extra stretchy hormones in my hips, and I have made monkey pose into what we at BY like to call “our bitch.” Yep, that’s right- I’m the 9 month pregnant girl in full-on banana splits; ahem, I mean, hanumanasana. (I didn’t go to India to eat the fertile orange for nothin, but then I digress again- damn pregnancy brain).
And for my final example, just take a look at how handy a strong solid yoga pose comes! Half Moon Pose (or ardha chandrasana) is perfect for reaching down and picking up those pesky little toys. I mean you could always squat, but where’s the flair? And, let’s be honest, if you haven’t been doing yoga your whole pregnancy, you probably won’t be able to get up… At least, not gracefully.
So, if you’re pregnant, and you want to keep the weight gain to the healthy range, avoid the aches and pains, and look pretty snazzy behind that big ole belly, then I recommend some yoga. Understanding it’s importance, I think we may need to make it available on a regular basis over at Bayou Yoga… But, let’s talk about that in 6 weeks!
Namaste.