15 hours training over the weekend!!
i honestly don't know how to blog about the experience i had over the weekend. i deepened my understanding of pre- and post-natal asana, of what it means to be pregnant and give birth, of the support available (and not available) to pregnant women, and deepend my convictions of the type of pregnancy and birth i would like to experience. the course i took was amazing, eye-opening, exciting, inspiring, and... did i say amazing?? i loved the energy i felt in this training, the women i shared time with, and the content of the workshop.
my favorite things that i learned/realized/was able to internalize:
1. it is a ridiculous idea to propoes that women must "carry on as normal" while pregnant
2. yoga tachers can offer a strong context of support to pregnant women
3. i can create space and give permission to pregnant mothers to relax and NOT do
4. not all pregnant women are excited about their pregnancy; react to new pregnancy admissions with "how do you feel about that?"
what i got from the workshop personally: (besides "a lot")
one of the exercises we did was to map out the physical, emotional, and psychological changes a woman may be going through during her pregnancy, as well as all of the different types of support she may have available to her. after this exercise, we were asked to respond with our impressions of the activity. i was surprised that this activity didn't increase my anxieties. in contrast, it really helped me to see all of the issues laid out on paper, and it helped me to know that other people think about these things; they are universal anxieties. and seeing all of the types of support a woman has available made me feel supported as a woman who is nearing a pregnancy.
additionally, as katie (our instructor) was talking about the need for pregnant women to slow down, i was able to HEAR what katie was saying. while many people have told me that it is OKAY to not do so many things, either when sick, injured, or during a future pregnancy, i haven't really HEARD what they have been saying to me. i know that billy has been anxious about an impending pregnancy because he is afraid i will still run 1.5 hours and then do 1.5 hours of yoga each day without exception. he's nervous i won't be able to slow down for a pregnancy or a child.
but after this weekend, i noticed myself saying, "yeah, that would be ok. i don't need to do crazy backbends and inversions and twists and one-armed balances for a few months. i have the rest of my life to do that." and i was pleasantly surprised. i shared these new feelings with billy, and he told me that it was as if a 10 pound weight had been lifted off of him.
after this workshop, i feel more confident in myself as a practitioner and teacher of yoga... and as a wife and woman. i'm glowing with possibility.
growth!!!!
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