Practice yoga with your baby! 

Ohana and I will be teaching this class which focuses on helping mama
get back in shape physically and mentally. 

Babies will be indulged with infant massage and incorporated
into some of the asanas, when they're not sleeping! 

You will get used to feeling your body as a vital and powerful stream
that supports your family while enjoying taking care of YOU!! 
Be prepared to sweat and feel great. 

Rest, feed and diaper as needed : )

Use link below for registration.

https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=26858

Birth Story

3rd Time is a Charm

Our 3rd Baby arrived 10 days early after 3 glorious, powerful pushes, she left my body and entered the warm water of the birthing tub.  I loved giving birth to our daughter!!!  The Perfect Grand Finale.

I was 38 weeks and feeling subtle surges, some shifting discomfort in my pelvis, I knew the time was near but accepted that near could be 2 or 4 more weeks.  We had an active Saturday, morning yoga classes, a birthday party for a 2 year old friend, and a dinner with a mixed group of adults and children in the evening.

That night maybe around midnight I went on a bathroom trip and got a sudden rush of shakes, hormone shakes, they occur sometime in labor you might be hot but get sudden bursts of shivver shakes.  I climbed back in bed cuddled up next to my husband and knew something was starting to happen.  Around 3am I started timing the contractions, they were very consistently 10 mins apart.  Getting into the 4 o clock hour I woke Bradlee and said we have to call the Birth Center and my Mom in AZ, the baby is coming today.  He was very tired and asked me if I wanted to go back to bed and wait until the morning, NO!  The Baby is Coming!!!  The Birth Center told me to call back when contractions were 7 minutes apart and my mom booked the first flight of the morning, she would arrive at 8a.m.  I continued to breath through the contractions, taking rest in bed between them.

The kids had woken at some point and everyone was now in our bed.  At 7a.m. I decided to get up and shower thinking we could pick my mom up and drop her and the kids to get a rental car before heading to the Birth Center (always multi-tasking I am).  Once I was up moving and got in the shower, boom the surges were closer and stronger, 3 mins apart, 4, 5, I wasn't sure but they were right on top of each other.  I found great comfort in chanting the vibrations of the chakras, this really allowed me to relax and surrender into the passing waves.  I got out of the shower and decided a nutritious smoothie would be a good idea.  Surges still coming fast, took one drink of smoothie, had to throw up.  At this point my husband and 2 year old son had gotten up and were pressing on my low back and encouraging me with loving words.  Soon after my mom had landed but I knew we did not have time to pick her up, we had to get going, our baby was near.

Our dear friend came to be with the kids while they waited for grandma to get a rental car then pick them up to join us.  I had called the Birth Center and told them we were heading in, we arrived around 9:30a.m. and our daughter was born at 10:07a.m.  The easiest of my 3 babies, the smallest, the earliest.
I felt so amazed and empowered by the whole experience.  Such joy, love, and connection to a Greater Power, mystical, magical, mama energy.  I was in slight shock after the 2nd push when they told me the   head was out and that with 1 more push our baby would be out.  I felt strong, intuitive, and so happy I wasn't exhausted by hours of labor.

Having a newborn in the house is such a delight!  We are all so in Love with her.  I can watch her for hours, amazed that she was alive inside of me and now here she is looking around her new world.  Our family has been very blessed with an outpouring of support in the form of meals, gifts, time, and friendship.  We are deeply grateful to everyone that has contributed to the health and happiness of our growing family and made it possible for me to the recovery time needed and the bonding time we are enjoying.

The Perineum & The Placenta

37 Weeks!!!

I know our Love Child will come soon, I can feel my bones starting to shift and my body wants to slow down.  Within the next few weeks we will have a new Baby in our home.  So delightfully exciting!

I am preparing myself the best I know how and that involves my perineum and my placenta.  Perineal massage worked for me with our first 2 children, no rips or tearing, thank goodness!   Karin Rose, a mother and "kitchen witch" blends an amazing almond oil, solar infused with calendula, chamomile and rose petals, created just for the sensitive yet powerful massage that can help your baby pass through you while you stay intact.  A dear friend of mine, Joanna Papatsani of Golden Wings Wellness, gifted me a coconut oil blend infused with essential oils for perenium massage and stress relief. I have been using them both, starting around 34-35 weeks to allow ample time to make sure the delicate tissue is as supple as possible.  Massaging yourself is a great alternative to a painful tear or episiotomy that can leave uncomfortable scar tissue.  During labor make sure you have your doctor/ midwife/ or birth partner help you with this and remember you can use any edible oil including castor oil.  You do not need a fancy infusion, but it is a nice treat if you have the option and you can make your own blend.

Along with taking care of my body I know first hand how important it is to take care of my mental well-being.  I had post-partum anxiety with our 2nd, which was really awkward for me as a "yoga teacher".  Honestly I had never experienced anxiety before and it really took me for surprise and on an unpleasant journey.  I loved my baby boy from the moment I delivered him but I was grumpy and irritable with my husband and 2 year old daughter.  I felt weird, something was off.  Finally with the help of acupuncture and positive life-coaching I was able to ground and find peace.  I plan to avoid that huge hormonal crash this time by having my placenta encapsulated.  In fact I plan to take a little piece and make a placenta smoothie to really boost the positive hormone balancing effects.  Sometimes I hear or read comments that express encapsulating your placenta as yucky or gross.  For me being an un-fun, moody, wigged out, mama is yucky and gross.  If ingesting my placenta like most land mammals do can avoid a mood disorder, sign me up!  My go to girl for placenta encapsulation in the San Diego area is Trisha Olow at Zoe Bella Birth Service, check her out http://zoebellabirth.com

With a Belly full of Love,

Jen

Asana of the Month

Virabhadrasana II

The Warrioress

Stand with the legs wide apart, reaching the arms out in the same direction, the ankles should be as wide as the wrists.  Turn the big toes in feeling the pinkie toe edge of the feet root into the Earth.  Stay mindful of the orientation of your hips, allow the front of the hip bones to stay facing the long edge of your mat.  Turn your right foot to the front or short end of your mat, maintaining the angle of the hips.  If the back hip, rolls forward facing a side or forward angle you risk pinching the sciatic nerve as it passes through the piriformis muscle which can create sciatica and no one wants that!  Bend the right knee so that it lines up directly over the ankle.  Take caution to not let the knee go over the toes, this will create unnecessary strain on the knee joint.  By creating a right angle with the knee over the ankle you will activate the quadriceps and strengthen the legs.  Continue to reach through the arms opening the space between the shoulder blades and spreading through the chest.  If you turn your palms up to the sky this will allow the collar bones to roll back and the shoulder blades to reach down.  Taking the time to set up the proper alignment is very important for this asana to gain maximum benefit.  Additional tip, if you lift the 10 toes you will feel the inner arch of your foot engage, allow this lifted energy to rise up into the inner thigh, and up into the pelvic floor.  Breath smooth, calm, and steady as you gently hug your baby up and in by softly titling the pelvis.

To Vaccinate or Not

Love Your Choice & Respect Others

I have noticed that people can become very emotional around the topic of vaccinations. Parents have to create a truly personal course of action and feel satisfied with those decisions.  Often we receive conflicting information or information that makes us feel conflicted.  I would never tell someone to vaccinate or not but I do encourage everyone to become fully informed by doing their own research.  Our family has decided vaccinations are not for us.  Does that mean I think people who do vaccinate are "bad"?  No way, I think they are doing what they feel is best for them and their families.  I do not want to be judged for not vaccinating and vice versa.  What has affected my psyche in the past is the pressure from pediatricians to vaccinate.  My husband and I attended a lecture last month hosted by the National Vaccine Information Center that has lifted that guilt off of me completely.  I now feel fully confident  in our conclusion to decline vaccinations.  For more resources and comprehensive information on legislation that affects personal freedom of choice to opt out of vaccinations visit http://www.nvic.org.  What has been your experience with vaccines?  Please comment and share any thoughts, feelings, or enlightenment you have on the subject!

Asana of the Month

Goddess Squat 

You can enjoy the Goddess Squat in a variety of ways, this variation is not recommended for anyone with knee injury or sensitivity.  
This asana with toes curled under stretches the soles of the feet, strengthens the arches, and improves circulation of the toes.  With regular practice you will improve the health of your feet.  Rest your hands comfortably on your belly or hug someone you love and breathe deep, creating a comforting cadence for you and your baby to take pleasure in.

Big Girl Panties

Yup, I have officially gone up yet another size!

1st trimester I ditched the small skivvies and went up a size.
2nd trimester, packed away some more intimate apparel and went up another size!
Now 3rd trimester is here and all I want is to be as comfortable as possible.  If you buy your pregnancy underwear and think oops maybe these are too big,  no worries, you will thank yourself later.  Teaching yoga all the time I know from experience an XL thong is my friend, and believe me when not teaching yoga I never wear a thong and enjoy indulging in full coverage comfort : )
Oh and guess what, they do not have to be granny, although if that is what makes you happy go for it, plenty of darling options available in all varieties and flavors.  Does anyone want to share a granny panty story?  I am interested in hearing from you!

Xoxo

Jen
HiPMamaYoga