(Because I forgot on Friday.)
Am I one of those new moms who signs up for parent and child yoga classes? Totally. I consumed my own placentas, for crying out loud—postnatal yoga is the next logical step. But it must be fabulous. Thus, Mr. Brown and I packed up our brood and headed to Blooming Sprout Yoga (505.433.1171, bloomingsproutyoga.com).
Founded by two native New Mexican yogis, Cassey Elliott (who holds a master’s degree in early childhood education) and Kelsey Lenzmeier (whose communication master’s degree studies focused on family and child communication), Blooming Sprout classes are held at various locations throughout Albuquerque. Currently, they offer classes at Blissful Spirits Hot Yoga, Orange Yoga (where we attended) and Ms. Kelli’s House Early Learning Center.
“As parents ourselves, we know the importance of physical activity in children’s daily lives,” said Lenzmeier. “Our classes are designed to provide parents, kids and families with a fun and healthy way to bond, relax and re-energize, with the ultimate goal of improving overall quality of life.
We attended the Tiny Sprout Postnatal class. It was both cute and effective. First, the babies did some stretching, and then it was grown-up time. The babies cleared enjoyed hanging out on their padded mats and watching mom and dad stretch above them. Next, the babies were incorporated into the poses. It was the perfect level of stretching for my postnatal needs—not too much, but enough to make me work. Finally, Shavasana, the relaxing closure to the practice. We curled around the babies, and through the use of a lovely and deeply moving story reading (won’t tell you which one; you have to attend to find out) in hushed tones, Elliott and Lenzmeier helped us take parent/child bonding to a new level. I seriously cried. It was incredible.
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