Wichita Wednesday :: “Namaste Play” at Yoga Central {Sponsored Post}

Wichita Moms Blog is partnering with Yoga Central for this sponsored post. We love keeping you informed about fun activities for you and your baby right here in Wichita. 

stretching out

When I heard about Yoga Central’s “Namaste Play” yoga practice for mommies AND babies, visions of baby leotards and leg warmers came to mind…

and then I realized I have a boy.

Sweatpants. Again.

*Sigh*

eli with instructor

Picking my outfit was a little more challenging. Then it hit me. Everyone else in class would ALSO be grabbing whatever they could find that wasn’t covered in spit-up. They would all be self-conscious of their post-baby bodies too. We were all in this together.

Of course, my little one opted to boycott his morning nap that day, just to remind me who’s really the boss. This meant we were going to have to be flexible.

Flexible.

Ironic, huh?

Ask any mom and she’ll tell you that the secret to motherhood is flexibility. Well, it turns out, the key to a successful mommy-and-me yoga practice is the same. Yes, that bendy stretchy kind of flexibility, but it’s more than that.

downward dog pink 2

I’ve done yoga videos. Scratch that, I have TRIED to do yoga videos. The problem with those videos is that I have no way to know if I’m doing my practice correctly, and no one is there to help. I usually find myself at some point sarcastically talking to the screen “Yeah, sure, just as soon as my child gets off my face and removes his finger from my eye socket.”

I need more, say it with me now, FLEXIBILTY.

That’s exactly what I found during my time at “Namaste Play”. I was intimidated at first because many of the babies had been doing yoga here since they were in their moms’ bellies! Thankfully, drop-in style classes made me feel confident that I could try it out without feeling like I was locked into a class for weeks simply because I had already paid for it. It also meant that if Eli had a challenging morning or got sick, skipping a class wouldn’t be the end of the world.

Flexibility.

downward dog grey

Our instructor, Tonya, set the tone of the class from the beginning. She saw that we had a bunch of alert ready-to-play babies. She customized each position and activity to match the needs of those in the room.

Flexibility.

Having the oldest baby in the class, I also had the privilege of having the most vocal and mobile baby. Let’s be real: I was the mom with the baby wandering the room, stealing kids’ toys, and then letting out random screeches to celebrate the theft. The first time he squealed I thought, “Oh no, I’ve ruined the zen-ness of the room.” Our instructor just smiled and happily squealed right back at him. The other moms turned, not with the judgy eyes I half expected, but with smiles.

Flexibility.

downward dog pink

Later in class, some of the smaller babies started making little noises themselves.

It wasn’t distracting at all.

Instead, my heart melted a little. I miss those tiny newborn noises that have faded away through the months.

yoga mamas and babies

That’s when I realized that, again, we were all in the same boat. There’s no better place to be a mom with a vocal baby than in a room full of moms with other vocal babies.

No apologizing necessary. No guilt. No judgment.

Just flexibility.

Tonya reminded us that our babies were free to explore and visit each other. She even played with my rambunctious son while I moved through some poses, leaving me free to focus on my breathing and not just my baby.

Flexibility.

When Eli started crawling away from me mid downward-dog, the woman next to me didn’t give me a sideways glance for not keeping my child under control. Instead, she pointed him out to her adorable grand-daughter, “Look Kate, crawling!” He wasn’t a nuisance, he was a mentor! Flexibility.

grandma and kate

I learned a valuable lesson about the power of flexibility sitting on a yoga mat in Eastborough. It wasn’t the kind of flexibility I expected (which is good, because I can’t even touch my toes), but it was exactly the kind of flexibility I needed.

 Yoga Central offers a variety of yoga classes for all levels, including classes for Wichita moms like Namaste Play (“Mommy and Me”) and Prenatal Yoga. Email [email protected] for questions and like them on Facebook to stay updated on class offerings. 

Allison Brown
Allison grew up in the Wichita area with her husband. After graduating from K-State, they moved to Kansas City for five years. She left her job as a child development and parenting teacher to stay at home with their son, Eli. Their family moved back home to Derby where Eli is growing up close to family. As an added bonus, they also bask in the freedom that is the deepest bench of free babysitters imaginable. Attempting to find their "new normal" in an old and familiar hometown keeps them busy. She loves bargain hunting, making everything into an event (preferably with a theme), taking "an obscene amount" of photos of her son, and sugar.

2 COMMENTS

  1. I went and checked out this class with my baby and loved it! Thanks for the recommendation. If you haven’t been yet you should also check out the baby classes at My Gym. We go to little bundles but they have options for each age range.

    • We are so happy to hear you enjoyed the Namaste Play class! And thank you for the My Gym recommendation as well! We love mommy and me classes!

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