Do you have a good relationship with your body?

Last nights yoga class was all about our intimate relationship with our body. For awhile now (since I was pregnant) my body and me have been on two different planets. Even at 3 months postpartum we still feel pretty distant.
My Monday night yoga class is definitely helping bring us back together. For that hour at least, I have control.

As i watch my son discover his hands and his toes for the first time, I am reminded of the importance of ones body and that taking care of it should always be top priority. Without health, we have nothing.

One of the ladies in class stood up last night and showed us some excellent poses she had discovered while researching. I highly recommend this one for lower back (great for new mommies) A seated cat/cow stretch.

1. From Easy Seat, bring your hands to your knees. On your inhale, arch your spine, pulling your shoulders back and looking up. 


2.  On the exhale, round your back, chin to chest. 


3.  Sync your breath to your movement, and do about 12-15 sets. 






Make sure you stop an listen to your body every now and again. You can often ward off illness (cold and flu) and injury (stiff neck, back) if you pay attention to the signs and signals. 

Is that a baby crying?

I went by my Monday night yoga class to say hello, introduce the little one, give Sandy (the instructor) a thank you card and make a quiet exit. I ended up getting there minutes before the class started and they asked me to stay. I wasn't sure how little B was going to do but I stayed nonetheless.

I don't think I realized how much I missed this class until it started. After months of being away, Sandy's voice took me right back to where I left off. So relaxing. I'm a little stiff but it wont take long to get back on track.

Unfortunately just before the end relaxation (my fav part), little B started to wail. It was feeding time. So I bolted, trying not to ruin everyone else's class. Sorry to those few. I even left my mat there...oops.

Next Monday I will go sans son. Looking forward to the silence.

Spiritual Gangster

Nope, nothing about christian hip hop here...just a t-shirt my yoga instructor was wearing last night I thought was cute.

So last nights Body Design yoga class was all about Fascia. A fascia is a connective tissue that surrounds muscles, groups of muscles, blood vessels, and nerves, binding those structures together in much the same manner as plastic wrap can be used to hold the contents of sandwiches together.

In it's normal state fascia's texture was described as "egg whites" but when you are relatively still for long periods of time (let's say sitting at a desk all day) your fascia becomes thicker and tougher around the muscles.

Yoga helps bring the fascia back to its smoother state helping you feel more agile and flexible.

Interesting? Aren't you glad you woke up this morning?

Whatever it is, I feel like a million bucks every time I leave this class.
 (Credit: iStockphoto)