What is Baby Yoga & Play?

by | Oct 23, 2018 | About Yoga, Articles, Baby Yoga, Family Yoga, Itsy Bitsy Yoga

What is Baby Yoga & Play?

Our class is a little different . . . .

baby yoga classThere are a lot of yoga studios advertising parent & baby classes, but it’s sometimes hard to tell from the descriptions what will actually happen in class.

Some instructors focus exclusively on mom. They keep the lights low and the room warm in the hopes that baby will sleep.

Some instructors incorporate infant massage and movements in the first few minutes of class and then shift their attention to adult yoga for the rest of the class.

In a lot of classes, baby’s roll is relegated to being used as a weight, albeit a very cute one.

While there’s nothing wrong with any of these approaches, that’s not what we are doing at Breathing Space.

baby yoga class

Baby Yoga & Play focuses on the interaction between baby and caregiver with lots of baby-centric activities, but we do incorporate postpartum appropriate stretching and strengthening for caregivers.

baby in tummy time poseBabies participate while on their backs, tummies, or held in loving arms. For grownups, this class is a special opportunity to meet other parents and caregivers, get support, and learn about baby’s emerging personality

As a parent and a long time yoga student, I just loved the baby-centric Itsy Bitsy Yoga classes I took with my daughter during maternity leave – way back in the 5th Street Capitol Hill Yoga studio era.

Itsy Bitsy Yoga for Tots with Jen Mueller

My zen baby (ha!) upside-down

I was back to working 3/4 time by the time my daughter was 2 months old. Our weekly baby yoga class was a time for me to drop-the to-do lists and rushing around that is a fact of modern life and just enjoy my baby in a community of parents for an hour a week.

Yes, I  always left feeling better in my body than I arrived, but during a time in my life that was sometimes disorientating and not all sunshine and rainbows, I left feeling just plain better.

Baby & Me Yoga Class

We blend baby moves with postures for parents

So, grownups in Baby Yoga & Play will also get to do a bit of postpartum-appropriate yoga themselves, including strength- and flexibility-building postures, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques to address common physical complaints and mental/emotional stressors during the new-parent period.

Breathing Space Baby Yoga & Play series also incorporates developmental topics and time for parent-to-parent support during class. Our hope is that the community built in yoga will carry over into friendships and playdates off the mat.

Yoga class was a special time and both my daughter and I loved it. That’s what we are trying to continue with Baby Yoga & Play at Breathing Space.

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jen headshot

Jennifer Mueller has been teaching yoga for children and families in Washington DC since 2008. Jen is a Yoga Alliance® Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RTY 200) and Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (RCTY) as well as a Certified Educator of Infant Massage, and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).

Jen teaches Breathing Space Baby Yoga & Play classes, Tot, Toddler and Little Families Yoga, afterschool classes, and directs day-off and summer camps . . . in addition to doing a bunch of behind the scenes stuff to keep it all running.

Baby Yoga & Play classes are offered in 3-6-week series. Full registration required, no drop-ins.

moms and babies in yoga classWe know it’s hard to get out of the house with a newborn, that naps are sometimes unpredictable, and life can be complicated . . .  and that’s why we are requiring series registration for this class.

Committing to the whole series makes it infinitely more likely that you actually attend. It far too easy to say “oh, I’ll go next week” if you are planning on dropping in. If you end up with an unavoidable conflict, illness, or disrupted nap-time, you can take advantage of our generous makeup policy.

Make Up Options for Baby Yoga & Play

baby & me yoga, warriorsBecause it’s hard to convince babies to be born and maternity leaves to be set on our schedule, we offer lots of flexibility:

  • If students must miss a class, they are welcome to
    • attend any other family yoga class as a makeup within the same timeframe, or
    • bring a friend to class as a makeup.
      See makeup class FAQs for details.
  • Any of baby’s favorite grownups are welcome in this class – mom, dad, grandparent, nanny . . .  and the same adult need not attend each time. Registration is for one adult-baby on a weekly basis, but occasional visitors are welcome to attend as well.
  • Partial registration: If there is room in the class once the series begins, late registration will remain open for the first 1/3 of the series. Registration automatically prorates. If you can’t complete a series but can commit to 2/3 of the series in consecutive weeks – say because you are going back to work before our series ends – contact us about partial enrollment.

So what does this mean?

  • If a full series conflicts with work or travel, feel free to attend multiple times a week during the weeks you can attend.
  • If you are going back to work and baby will be home with a nanny or other caregiver, feel free to have them attend in your stead.

Still not sure if Baby Yoga & Play is right for you? That’s why we have a no-risk registration policy. If you attend your first class and decide it’s not a good fit, we make it easy to drop a class series.  Read all of our class policies and FAQs.

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