We enjoy yoga now ♡

Maya has been surprising us by doing new cool things almost everyday.

I went back to Baby & Mama yoga after a few weeks break.  And it was a pleasant surprise.
She always needed constant attention and could not lied down on her own for more than a few minutes.  So I ended up holding her most of the time and not being able to do any yoga, or having the teacher or baby-holder volunteers (pregnant moms from the prenatal yoga class) hold her while I get some good stretches. Which wasn't exactly relaxing after all.
But yesterday, I got to follow entire class only except while I fed her.  She was chilling in front of me, working on her abs (trying to reach her toes mainly), playing with her toy, looking around other moms doing yoga poses and following the teacher passing by with her eyes.  It was so nice to be able to do something for myself with having her around as supposed to asking somebody to take care of her.  Although I should learn to feel ok to ask people for that kind of help.

By the way, I always wanted to write about this amazing yoga teacher, Jane Austin.
I never liked yoga until I went to her Prenatal Yoga class at my early maternity.  I resisted my friend, Sachi's recommendation to take her classes and she bought me 3 class pass so that I tried. And I cannot thank her enough for doing that.  I really really really liked it.  I liked the class and I liked Jane.
In the first three minutes of the first class, it already totally changed my maternity life.

"Let's take a moment to focus on the babe inside you."  

"Let go everything else and focus on this moment."

Growing up and being adult in Japan, focusing on myself was not acceptable.  "Nothing" is the ideal state of yourself so that you can live with others without conflict.  You should not focus on what you are, how you feel, what you want.  You should focus on what others want and what you can offer to them.
It was the first time in my life I felt ok to focus inside me.  I could do it so naturally by following her voice.  Because it was for the baby, not myself, I didn't have to feel guilty.  
Without this experience, I could had had very different pregnancy.  I am so thankful to Jane who gave me this new perspective so that I could pay attention to and love Maya even long time before she came outside.

Now I should enjoy the Baby & Mama yoga classes more often until Maya starts crawling (or she starts not cooperating for some other reason).  My shoulder, back, mental and everything feels better after Jane's class.

It was funny finding how quickly Maya learns new things and me still not being able to remember the same English words for body parts Jane uses over and over again.....

What was shin again?