This lady, two rows in front of me is about half way through the most phenomenal transformational time of her life and I guess her to be about 20 weeks pregnant. The teacher is carrying on with her class like she doesn’t exist as she tries to work around the belly and her baby… I have to physically stop myself from getting up, interrupting the class, to go help her and guide her through this (and not educate the teacher on how to include preggie yogis).
Dear mommie to be, why are you in my regular practise class? Do you not know that you are connected, physically plugged in, to the Source of Creation? You are embodying pure prana and pure Shakti energy. A regular yoga class is not the place to honour and explore this dimension of existence. You are on a different planet, energetically, mentally and emotionally, and yes, maybe the physical aspect of the practise is beneficial, but what you need, dear mama, is a proper well structured, well guided class. A class that is customised especially for your expectant body. Don’t pretend that being pregnant is not the most amazing life changing thing that will happen to you. Do not believe the ‘norm’ that is just something to get through. I know you know how you want to raise this child, and want to give birth. But also remember that we are not living in tribal times and the support that we once knew, is sparsely scattered.
I know you read somewhere that yoga is a good idea for coping with the dynamically changing expectant body, but do you even know that there is so much more available for you in a specialised class with a teacher who is passionate about guiding you on your journey? Can you even phathom the depths, the expanded horizons and the unlimited wisdom available at the tips of your fingers…. because I can promise you, that teacher standing in the front of your regular yoga class, might not, and she might not have the opportunity, resources or knowledge to guide you to dance on the edge of existence, where even angels tread with a whisper. A place so sacred that you will not remember it with your ‘sober’ post preggie, post breastfeeding brain. It will all be a blur to you. If you allow yourself to go that distance, to surrender control and drift in the eternal ocean of consciousness, to go with the flow, you will reach a place inside of you, you never knew even existed. A place so powerful it might even scare you, but a place so familiar you will wonder why you don’t go there more often and why women don’t harness it, talk about it and revel in the joy and make it their constant companion.If you allow your mind, soul and heart to expand like your body is doing, to grow like the moon, to become full and shine, you will tread on the edge of existence and dance between dimensions. You will know when the time has come for you to reach into the realm of souls, hold on for dear life onto the soul that chose you, and guide it with love, grace, conviction and confidence into this realm. Because you know, dear mama, that when you birth your baby, you also birth a mother. The one you knew as yourself before birth, falls away, disappears into the deep pools of pure consciousness that resides in your baby’s eyes. And let me tell you, if you haven’t prepared for this, this can be a seriously daunting life shattering event, instead of a mindful peaceful transition.
I don’t want to tell you about the benefits of yoga during pregnancy because you can find tons and ton of information on the internet. I DO NOT want to convince you that preggie yoga is the best thing for you during the three trimesters (and even fourth trimester). I DO want to tell you that these 40 odd weeks, will be the most profound time in your life (until baby comes of course), and that you need to find ways to tap into it as often and as efficiently as possible. Yoga is a good way.
If you’re keen on joining a class, let me know.