welcome to tranquil space!

welcome to fall and to our second newsletter in 2005, this time in a new format which, we hope, will make it more attractive and more accessible.

we always encourage you, as our "tranquil parents," to share your stories and ideas with us, be it for the newsletter or for other purposes (workshops, etc., or simply to let us know). we hope you enjoy the reflections by carol and susan in this issue.

a reminder to please contact us to include a picture of your baby or toddler on our yoga babies page! send a picture with your and your baby's name to babies@tranquilspace.com.

may your fall be filled with the warmth of your baby and the excitement of sharing the cooler season with your family!

during a recent baby and me yoga class, i was reminded that when babies are very young, change is frequent and certain. being the parent of a toddler, i know moods can change at the drop of a hat. as parents, just as we think we have figured out our child's behavioral patterns, they change, and we find ourselves confused, frustrated, and more. we try to figure out what to do, and sometimes we just don't know. some of us are more adaptable to change than others. i, for example, get attached to schedules and routines, especially when they are working well. recently, my work schedule changed and everything from child care to piano lessons, family budget, and my personal yoga practice needed to change. this was so unwelcome, but after weeping and feeling doomed for a day i had the opportunity space to reflect, write, and talk to friends. i did yogic breathing and meditated. i needed to let myself cry, feel angry, and even defeated (a "new" feeling i've become aware of). acknowledging my feelings and sitting with the pain this change had caused, i was able to accept it a little more — and it bothered me less.

not long ago, my daughter sophia was crying in the car because we had left her "bunny" blanket at home. i said many things: "it's ok," "bunny's happy at home," "we can't be late to the doctor," "we'll see bunny when we get back." then i ignored her because i just didn't know what to do! she quieted down when i remembered to acknowledge her feelings. i said something like, "you're sad because we left bunny. you're very sad." she almost immediately stopped crying. acknowledging her feelings did not feel natural to me. but she heard me. she was heard. that really matters. with all of the energy we have going toward caring for our children and preparing for our child's birth, let's remember to acknowledge our feelings and our children's feeling first — before we try to figure out what to do.

pre-natal pose: anahatasana
this pose will help you stay open in the heart area as you may notice your breasts getting heavier, causing a collapse in the upper chest area. start out in table pose (on all fours, knees under hips, hands under shoulders). keeping the knees where they are, begin to walk the hands out in front of you, melting the heart center towards the floor. some may drop chin or forehead onto the floor, others may want to keep their head lifted. regardless of which variation you take, make sure to keep the lower back long and to create the opening in the middle and upper back. draw the triceps (muscles on outside of your upper arm) in to the face to broaden the shoulder and chest area. notice how this pose creates an openness and lightness in the heart center and chest area, and see if you can integrate this alignment into your everyday posture.

post-natal pose: chest-opening supported backbend
this pose will counteract an upper-back slump: lying back over a prop that extends along your spine will elongate back, chest, and arm muscles. if you're stiff, roll up a blanket and put it under your spine. if you are more open, use two blocks in line. lie down on your back so one end of the prop is near your lower rib and the other is under your head. open your arms to the side and rest them on the floor to increase the stretch. bend your elbows to 90 degrees (cactus arms). if you notice a rounding in your upper back, do this a few minutes every day.

a new feature on yoga journal online: yogajournal.com/parenting
find advice on yoga poses for new moms, post pregnancy ashtanga, baby asanas, coping with infertility and more!
need some reading inspiration? yoga mamas, a novel by katherine stewart, chronicles the lives of five women who meet at a prenatal yoga class — an easy and diverting read
trying to find a babysitter in dc? sittercity.com can help!
"what's cooking?" don't know what to cook for your baby or toddler? find some guidance on www.babybistrobrands.com, especially the 'baby bistro box' and 'toddler bistro box' which provide an abundance on information on what your little ones need to eat and how to best give it to them.

item of interest: baby tranquiliTees!

moorenkos cafe in silver spring, mondays 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. suggested donation: $5.00 per child. guitar player "mister don" engages children and parents in song, musical instruments, marching!
mlk library reading corner: wednesdays 10:30 a.m. in the children's room. 9th and g streets, nw.

susan mettler

when we moved to dc in april i had exactly one friend here, no job, and eight-month-old boy/girl twins. i needed community. i'd done yoga for years, so i researched yoga studios here, and it was simply luck that we moved very close to the best yoga studio in the city. i took some yoga 1 & 2 classes, and was very impressed with the quality of instruction. siobahn, peg, and lisa are talented instructors who possess warmth, a deep knowledge of yoga, a lack of pretension, and the ability to use language well, which in my opinion makes a good yoga instructor.

then i heard about the baby and me class. i was skeptical, but it sounded like exactly what i needed. carol is the greatest teacher — calm, kind, experienced, and fun, and she somehow manages to teach an excellent class with a bunch of babies crawling around the studio! this amazed me. i had expected it to be very light on yoga, but somehow carol can teach a real class while everyone is watching the babies. i started to feel like it might be ok when i was asked to join kirsty, kim, and alejandra for tea after class. ok, i insinuated myself on them, but they were so so nice about it. tranquil space is a community, but it's subtle. it doesn't hit you over the head, but it's there if you want it.

other things that have afforded me some semblance of survival: rose park, teaism, francis pool, (and call me shallow, but one should never underestimate the emotionally restorative powers of a really good pedicure).

alexander robert wiseman joined prenatal graduate lainie and partner will on october 26th. alex came just after midnight (not without some hesitation), weighing 8 pounds, 7 ounces. baby and proud parents are all doing fine.

"more than any other time in parenting, the first year with an infant is about living the yogic rhythm of ease and response, being fully available for what is needed each moment with no personal agenda, while being willing to give up expectations of how things ought to be. it is a precious and oh so impermanent time. more than ever, continue to practice, but also, really live the practice, moment by glorious moment." — sarah powers

the mission of tranquil space is to provide a nurturing environment that encourages the unfolding of a creative yoga practice that is carried off the yoga mat into one's daily life.

the vision of tranquil space is to use yoga as a catalyst to live life fully and consciously.