We caught the train in and I was happy when a kind man stood up so that my Mum could sit beside Archie and I. Of course the little munchkin fell asleep, all snuggled in the carrier, about ten minutes from South Brisbane... I was worried he would end up sleeping through the whole yoga class!
Arriving at QPAC it was obvious that this week is ALL about Out of the Box! It was really so wonderful to see the spaces that had been set up for all the festival goers in their pre-children-erized state. I could see just how much work has gone into (and at that time was still going into) making the festival fun, comfortable, and practical for both parents and kids.
The three of us quickly made our way to the eeni meeni miini moh marquee in the Cultural Forecourt to get ready for our yoga class.
Archie stirred before the class began. I woke him gently so that we could give this Baby Yoga thing a go. I have done a fair bit of yoga before, but obviously never with a baby, and definitely not since I was a very pregnant lady. The class began with a fun, gentle and engaging yogababy sequence for the bubs. We stretched and played with their arms and legs, and held them in strategic cuddles so that us mums could also do some stretching and gentle exercise.
Now, I'm sure the four hours of broken sleep that I got last night may have contributed to my emotional state this morning, but I literally felt overwhelmed by tears when I saw how much Archie was enjoying the class. My little man is usually very quiet, serious and observant with a frequent side of "cuddle me or I'm going to cry!". But when we followed the yogababy sequences he was cooing, giggling and squealing like a crazy child! It was so, so beautiful to see, especially after our last few weeks of winter flu, painful wind and troubled sleep.
Grandma watched on, equally surprised and heart-warmed by Archie's reaction to the class, and quickly insisted that I must do this every week with the little guy! If only we lived closer to the yogababy studios at Paddington.
I have to be completely honest and say that if it wasn't for this free Baby Yoga class at the festival, I never would have had the opportunity to try it out and see just how wonderful it is. The other babies, most slightly older than Archie, enjoyed tumbling and swinging and cuddling into their mums so very much.
It's obvious that baby yoga is not only a beautiful way for parents to connect with their bubs, but I can see how it is also fantastic for the development of strength, confidence and engagement in these special little people in our lives.
Towards the end of the class Archie started to grizzle (not surprising considering how little sleep he had last night!), and I was very happy then that Grandma was able to cuddle him while I got to finish the class. I stretched some muscles that I seriously though had turned to complete mush after my pregnancy!
But those muscles are still there. Oh yes, I can feel them. And I think that tomorrow they'll remind me of their presence even more!
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