Itsy Bitsy Yoga

Last week, my momma friend Julie asked if I wanted to join her for a free baby yoga class at Destination Maternity in Natick. Julie's baby is seven months old, which made me a little hesitant to bring Caitlin. Mr. Seven Month Old is already sitting up, holding his head up high, rolling over-he's practically walking for goodness sakes! How could little two month old Caitlin keep up? Well, Julie talked to me into it and this morning Caitlin and I were on our way to Itsy Bitsy Yoga at 8:45 (which I think was a pretty great achievement in itself!)
After a little bit of traffic and a little bit of mom getting lost, Caitlin and I arrived in class two minutes late. I'd never been to a mom and baby class before and didn't really know what to expect. Would all the moms already be friends and wonder, "Who are the new kids?" What if Caitlin cries, or needs to nurse? When we entered the classroom I saw moms nursing openly, babies fussing and crying, and diapers being changed. I felt instantly relaxed in this safe, free to be you and me environment, so Caitlin and I sat on a yoga mat and got ready to work out.
You may wonder, how does a baby do yoga anyway? I wondered the same thing. I can barely manage a Downward Facing Dog, how is Caitlin going to do that? She can't even sit up without me holding her in a death grip. Well, the "exercises" were really more mom-based, such as mom pulling baby's legs, mom bouncing the baby on her lap, and mom swaying the baby from side to side. Nobody told me this was a work out class for mom, but no big deal. I need to get back into shape anyway!
About five minutes into class our Baby Yoga Master taught us some "poses" that aid digestion and calm an upset tummy. As the instructor said, "This pose may help a baby who has trouble going to the bathroom," my little yogi looked up at me, smiled, turned red, then unloaded a giant poop right on cue. The sound was so loud and lasted for such a long time that everybody in the class heard, not just the people sitting on either side. This was the kind of poop that caused us to go through not one, but two diapers and use about 27 wipes during the changing process. Thank goodness for the nurturing, safe environment I mentioned before. After changing her diaper, Caitlin went right back to some tummy poses quite happy and relaxed. We finished out the class without further incident and Caitlin thoroughly enjoyed her workout. I no longer have my doubts about baby yoga-it obviously works!