Baby Yoga & Play classes are offered in 4-8-week series. Full registration required, no drop-ins.

We 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 require 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.

Flexibility in Baby Yoga & Play

Because it’s hard to convince babies to be born and maternity leaves to be set on our schedule, we offer lots of flexibility:

• Generous Makeup Options – 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.
• Late or 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.

See additional policies for:

• Pricing & Registration
• Siblings / Twins / Nanny Shares
• Withdrawal and Refunds

There 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, all be it a very cute one.

While there’s nothing wrong with any of these approaches, that’s not what we are doing at in Baby Yoga & Play.

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.

Babies 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

We blend baby moves with postures for parents

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.

Most appropriate from 6-weeks until baby is mobile. Moms, dads, grandparents or other caregivers welcome. No previous yoga experience necessary; be prepared/dressed for movement.

So how about Breathing Space Postnatal Yoga?

Please bring a baby blanket and small, quiet toy to all our class locations.

Most of our venues have a few yoga mats to lend, but you may prefer your own yoga mat for hygiene or comfort. If so, please bring one.

Students should wear comfortable clothing for movement that is not too stretchy and be prepared to practice in bare feet. Our venues have yoga mats to share, but carrying your own may be preferable. We have all the other props you might for exercises during class. Please bring a water bottle and you may wish to bring a small towel or cloth to cover your eyes during relaxation.

Our pregnancy yoga classes are held at 641 Pennsylvania Ave SE, lower level.  The studio is within one block of the Eastern Market metro stop and convenient to many bus routes along Pennsylvania Ave SE and 8th Street SE. Read more about locations.

Yoga practice during pregnancy is designed to help expecting parents build strength and fitness while accessing the inner resources to face the challenges of labor with confidence and calm. A our prenatal yoga class might involve:

• Breathing. Prenatal yoga breathing techniques might help you reduce or manage shortness of breath during pregnancy and work through contractions during labor.
• Stretching. You’ll be encouraged to gently move different areas of your body, such as your neck and arms, through their full range of motion while standing, sitting or lying on the ground.
• Strength Work and Dynamic Movement. Students in prenatal yoga are working to maintain fitness for a comfortable pregnancy as well as train for the endurance event that is labor and birth. Holding your bodyweight in postures while working against gravity is a great way to build strength. We’ll also do pregnancy appropriate vinyasa, moving with breath, to build fitness.
• Cool down and relaxation. Every prenatal yoga class sets aside time for conscious relaxation. You’ll relax your muscles and restore your resting heart rate and breathing rhythm. You might be encouraged to listen to your own breathing, pay close attention to sensations, thoughts and emotions, or repeat a mantra or word to bring about a state of self-awareness and inner calm.

An in-person prenatal yoga class with a qualified instructor offers benefits you simply cannot reap on your own in front of a dvd or streaming video. Personalized sequencing, a watchful eye for alignment corrections, and customized adjustments complement camaraderie of a group class. Breathing Space prenatal instructors are also knowledgeable about birth, babies, and resources in Washington DC.

Absolutely. Our classes are all levels, with variations offered for newer or more experienced students. We have plenty of props and adaptations ideas for moms who are not super flexible and offer postures and exercises specifically tailored to pregnancy and beginning students. All students should be cleared for exercise by their healthcare provider.

Expecting parents are welcome anytime and we often have people in class who are anywhere from a few weeks along to counting down the days to baby.

During your first trimester, you may find you prefer your regular yoga class or fitness routine or that are too tired/uncomfortable for exercise. Consequently, many people start prenatal yoga during the 2nd trimester, as early pregnancy discomforts ease or because the growing belly and pregnancy discomforts compel them to seek us out.

We also have students who start class in their final month. It’s never too early or too late.

Prenatal yoga classes focus on the fundamentals because so many women start yoga for the first time during pregnancy. We work to build flexibility, strength and fitness through modified postures and movements designed for pregnancy. We focus on exercises that might address common pregnancy discomforts and prepare for the endurance event moms are training for: birth.

More experienced yogis who take care to adjusting for their changing bodies may try to keep up their non-prenatal weekly class well into pregnancy. That’s fine, but I still recommend adding prenatal yoga to your routine.

The breath-exercises, concentration, and therapeutic work we do is not typical of a non-prenatal asana or vinyasa class. Also, the pregnancy-customized postures you learn can be incorporated into your non-prenatal yoga classes when the group instruction isn’t appropriate for you.

What worked for me (Jen) was continuing my one regular weekly class (with self-modifications as my belly grew) and one prenatal class for pregnancy and birth specific techniques and  to be in community with expecting moms. 

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.

It is not designed as a workout for caregivers, but you do need to be prepared to move and we hope you will leave feeling better in your body than you arrived.

Comfortable, stretchy clothing is important and jeans are not recommended. We spend a good portion of the class sitting criss-cross or in other positions on the floor and we get up and down several times. Almost every class incorporates lunges or squats while holding baby as well as some shoulder or low-back exercises for caregivers. All postures can be modified to address caregiver movement limitations.

Generally, class is most appropriate after 6 weeks. We strongly recommend that you be cleared for exercise, especially if you had a surgical birth or complications. Baby too tends to be more ready to participate after about 6 weeks. A 45-minute class is a long time for a newborn. Very young babies often sleep, eat, or fuss their way through class.

That said, you are still welcome to come. We’ve had moms happily start class as soon as they are ready to be out and about, modifying exercises that are too strenuous (such as skipping the abs) and addressing baby’s needs as they arise. Sometimes, just being at class is what mom needs. If that’s you, please come.

If you would like to wait until the six-week mark but class is already starting, don’t fret. Late registration is welcome for several weeks into the series as long as there is room in the class. We are happy to reserve your child’s spot in advance if you contact us.

Your baby will cry.

Let’s just get that out in the open. That’s how babies communicate; it’s totally fine.

Even the fussiest babies are welcome in class. Your instructor will not be distressed and is happy to have you there and, I promise, the other moms/caregivers have been there and will be far less upset about your baby fussing than you will be. Please join us.

That’s fine too. We are not running baby boot-camp.

Baby Yoga & Play classes, for newborn to pre-crawling babies and their grownup(s), contains dozens of yoga-inspired movements, postures, songs, rhymes and activities designed to support baby’s development. Each class is filled with calming, nurturing ways to enhance bonding, soothe the inevitable cranky moments, and improve baby’s sleep.

Babies 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.

Grownups 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.

Most appropriate from 6-weeks until baby is mobile. Moms, dads, grandparents or other caregivers welcome. No previous yoga experience necessary; be prepared/dressed for movement.

In this all-levels yoga class, students will cultivate the flexibility, concentration and strength needed during the transformative time of pregnancy and childbirth. Enjoy the community of other pregnant parents while we practice modified yoga postures, breath work, vocal toning, meditation, and relaxation. No previous yoga experience necessary.

Read more about prenatal yoga.

We offer classes in multi-week series. There are lots of benefits to committing to a weekly class but we understand that life happens. We have a very generous makeup policy. We allow students to make up in nearly any other class on our schedule in the same semester and allow family members to take makeups in the registered student’s place.

This is quite flexible. For example, if you miss a baby yoga class and there isn’t another that suits your schedule, you may bring your toddler to Little Family Yoga as a make up. If you miss Little Family Yoga you may take a prenatal yoga class or come to Baby & Toddler Singing Time (weekly class, not weekend workshop). Parents of children enrolled in a class make take any adult mat class on our schedule as a makeup. Students may make up in any location.

Note: Due to space constraints and safety considerations, students may only makeup in a trapeze class if they are registered in another trapeze class.

Makeup Scheduling Online

There is a makeup scheduler in the MainStreetSites registration system. You must be logged into your account for the makeup scheduler to appear and you must be enrolled in a class for makeup spots to be available.

Once you are logged in, simply choose an appropriate makeup from the classes that appear. The student drop-down must match the enrolled student. If you are sending a different student than the original enrollment, just note that in the text field.

Note that toward the end of the semester, there may not be any available makeups in your desired class. We recommend scheduling your makeup as soon as you know you will miss and when you can attend instead. Makeups do not carry over to the next semester.

Yoga Trapeze Makeups

Note: Due to space constraints and safety considerations, students may only makeup in a trapeze class if they are registered in another trapeze class.

Students who miss a trapeze class may make up in any other appropriate class, trapeze or mat-based.

• Use the makeup scheduler to reserve another Yoga Trapeze class or
• Use the discount code “trapezemakeup” to drop-in to any adult-mat class – all levels, prenatal, etc;
• Email us to let us know you’d like to attend a family class.

Workshop Makeups: Infant Massage, Birth & Baby Series

Many of our workshops are one time events and there is no makeup option if you do not attend. See our workshop enrollment and refund policies for details.

For short series classes such as Infant Massage, students may attend the same class in a subsequent series as a makeup. Those makeups are not in the scheduler. Email us to confirm.