My Week in Yoga: Working Out Some Big Questions via Less Time on the Mat

Last week was a quiet one when it came to me and my mat... I managed across one week less than I would have done on a single (weekend) day pre-pregnancy. 

I'm still trying to unpick how much of that is because my body is asking me not to push it, and how much it is because honestly, I don't find my practice nearly as interesting as I used to. The diversity, the limitless possibilities, the true unbridled ability to go anywhere my body and my mind wanted to go. Only a fraction of that is still available to me on a relative basis. I know it is a mix of the both for sure.

Of course, I would much rather practice this pregnant version of yoga than no yoga at all - seriously, I am extremely grateful that my experience of pregnancy has allowed me to continue to the extent that I have. But still.  I'm not sure how much it matters what the answer is truth be told. But this is just me sharing the current intellectual struggle.

Because while yoga can be assumed to be a predominately physical practice, those with a longer-term relationship with it will know that it is so much more. We can often get into these big psychological questions about who we are and why we do the things we do through the physicality of it, and that is why it is so special. 

Anyway, if I do come up with an answer, I will let you know!

Monday:  

Evening practice with the sun going down... This turned out to be a peak pose flow to Bird of Paradise which has most definitely NOT been a feature of my practice in the past few months.

Mainly because I am being cautious about overstretching my pelvic joints. I have been fortunate enough not to experience any pelvic pain in this pregnancy, but I have absolutely felt new movement around my pelvic joints. Which is never a good idea to lean into. So yes, extreme hip and hamstring flexibility poses have been mostly off menu.

However this evening I was feeling particularly open - thanks most likely to the wonderful weather we’ve been having in London in May - so tried out some of the preparatory postures. Things like bound side angle, pyramid pose and wide legged forward folds. All of those felt good, and stable, so off I went. And BoP appeared!

35 minutes very well spent indeed.

Tuesday: 

No yoga today. I’m sure there was a reason but I can’t remember it writing this a few days later. Thanks pregnancy brain!

Wednesday: 

Nothing fancy, and mostly stroking cats but hey, 20min on my mat before going to bed was what I needed today.

Thursday: 

Today was a busy day at work ahead of the bank holiday weekend and my sneaky adding of an extra “life admin day” to boot. This added to an evening of our first birth/baby classes (NCT for my British lot) meant no time for yoga today.

Friday: 

My life admin day. I had so many plans for this day of course and achieved approximately 30% of them. It’s always the way isn’t it?!  Unfortunately yoga was in the 70%. 

Saturday:

40min of sunny late morning flow and fun time. Sun saluations, some very wobbly balancing postures and very gentle backbends.  The bump is really starting to affect my practice now and these two sections of my flow are very good evidence of that...Taking repeated attempt to find balance in tree pose, feeling too much of a stretch in my belly to want to do anything even approaching full wheel pose... but as I head into my 8th month that is probably to be expected.

Sunday:

Another short practice today. Just 20 minutes late in the evening. I mentioned this across on my Instagram when I posted the flow, but it is worth saying again here: sometimes the wonderful supportive accountability crew I have across on the 'gram, are the only reason I make it onto my mat.

It’s not noble or inspirational. It’s probably not very “yogic”. But it’s the truth.

I had so many reasons to not make it onto my mat, but I knew that none of them were because I needed the rest. So I promised myself, one downward dog. Just one. And if that was enough, then so be it.

And guess what? That first downward dog was lovely. So I stayed for another 20 minutes. Nothing crazy, but my body, my mind and my soul appreciated every moment of it.

I am not less because I need help to get onto my mat some days. And neither are you

• Self-Practice: 1hr  55min
• Classes:   0
• TOTAL:  1hr  55min