getting yoga

Jared took a break from writing, found me like this, and couldn't resist snapping a picture.
Please ignore the messiness behind me. Just trying to keep it real around here. :-)

My new workout dvds came yesterday, and I did the yoga one last night. I loved it! I feel like this was the first time doing yoga that I actually "got it". I've taken a few classes here and there and done other home workouts. I've never too had much trouble with the poses, found the stretching good and enjoyed it alright, but I never felt that in-tune with my body thing that yoga is supposed to provide. I never have felt like I got the breathing rhythm down either.

I'm not sure if it was the instructor on this dvd or just being more in-tune with my body now that I'm pregnant, but I really felt like I was getting it last night. The way she described breathing made way more sense to me, and I loved how she says to follow your own breath instead of always saying exactly when you should be breathing in and out.

I also loved that this was made for pregnancy because the instructor really focused on how certain positions will help during labor or will help relieve pregnancy strains. I feel like what I'm learning is a great resource that I will be able to use during labor. I was definitely able to relax and get inside myself, which is very important during labor. One of my favorite parts was a humming exercise. I can totally see myself humming during labor to stay focused.

I also appreciated that the students on the video were totally normal looking girls. They were quite large and pregnant and not tiny little things with just basketball bellies. It shows that you can do this stuff right up to the end.

I'd definitely recommend this workout to anyone who is pregnant. It's called Yoga for Pregnancy, Labor & Birth (the link will take you to Amazon where I got it).