little yogi

when i was pregnant, i took a prenatal yoga class. it helped me prepare for suki's birth, and it also made me feel much more connected to my body and to my baby. when suki was an infant, our friend lisa let us borrow a book called itsy bitsy yoga. we practiced every night as part of her bedtime routine and during the day before naps. as soon as she started crawling, she became too squiggly and we stopped practicing yoga with her for a while. it was around this time that she started to not sleep as well, and i believe there is a connection.

a few months ago, suki started taking dance lessons from a woman in town named marlee. she was learning simple things like reaching her hands up high over her head and touching her toes. i could see she was excited to learn and explore the different things her body can do. after her dance class ended, we got a few new illustrated picture books about yoga and started practicing with them at home. she loved it; yoga was even one of her first words. she pronounces it [yo - ya]. suki recently started taking a yoga class with other toddlers, and it has been fun to watch her learn. sometimes during the class it seems like she is not participating 100%, but when we are at home she surprises me with the things she has remembered from class. in addition to this practice being good for developing minds, bodies and souls, it is also great for parents. for example, she has taken a three hour nap after every class!