Prenatal Yoga & the Art of Just Breathing

Last night I took my first official "Prenatal Yoga" class.  It was remarkable only in the sense that it was not exercise at all.  

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Like, basically you just have to be able to breath to do it.

Like, I don't even need to wear a sports bra to the next class but I'm going to because regular bras now hit the upper part of my humongous stomach in such a way as to cause serious irritation so I relish all excuses to ditch the under wire.

It's official.  Pregnancy progression is inversely related to bringing sexy back.

The class was great though.  I highly recommend it if you are Pre, Natal, and want a calm hour to yourself.  It's at Heartsong Yoga on Oleander and it's offered as a 4 week program every month.

 

Despite it's calming nature, however, I could not stop giggling to myself thinking how great it would be, after the entire class introduces themselves, for the teacher to say, instead of "Who here has never done yoga before?"

"OK, Who here is a virgin?"

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 You know...because everyone is busting at the maternity spandex with fetuses.

I'm totally going to use that in my next life as a new age prenatal yogi.

My Dream Exercise

If it only it were this simple:

 

 

 

The only thing that concern me about this exercise is not it's effectiveness.  They proof is in the pudding.  And in the camel toe.

 

It's that Johanna appears to be running loose in an insane asylum.  Somebody stop that prancing diva!

 

Suddenly I'm in the mood to prance...

Butterfly Life

I used to go to an all women's gym in Chapel Hill.  I loved it.  Even now, I hate working out in front of guys so much that I take supplemental classes elsewhere just so I don't to bench press in front of a bunch of muscle bound 25 year old dudes.  Shit is embarrassing, yo.

I am woman, hear me roar cower with fear.

 

I loved that place in Chapel Hill.  It was called Ladies Fitness Center and it helped me maintain my freshman 15-20 for 4 whole years of college.  So I can get way down with a girls only gym.

 

Just not when it is named this:

 

 

 

Butterfly Life....

 

Sorry, I just threw up in my mouth a little.  Now I'm back.

 

I guess this is some sort of metaphor?  Like, once you were a pudgy caterpillar and now, for the competitive rate of $50 per month and a 6 year contract, you are a slightly less pudgy butterfly?

 

This is going to sound mean, but if are the type of person that enrolls in a gym called Butterfly Life in the middle of strip mall, you are also likely to be the type of person that will beeline left or right to go to Five Guys or Harris Teeter, respectively, which neighbor this establishment, instead of actually going to Butterfly Life.

 

I do not see this having a bright future.  I'd rather go to Gold's.

Work Out for Me

Have you ever tried the Pure Barre/Barre Fit/VBarre/etc. style classes?  They are NO joke!

 

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For some reason I thought this type of class was going to be some first and second position, maybe a few lunges, some twisting toward the bar, and a light little excercise. 

 

WRONG!!

 

I went to my first class last week and I was dripping with sweat by the end.  Which was unfortunate only because I assumed it would just be some light stretching with no sweat involved, so I had to go back to work immediately afterward lookin' a hot mess.  This was made even more hilarious/gross by the fact that I did it with two of my coworkers during our lunch break.  So we all 3 had to go back to work like some sweaty trio of unshowered, shaky employees.  Oh did I forget to mention how much you shake during the class.  I could barely walk up the steps back to work an hour later.

 

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But I mean all of this in a good way.  It was an incredible toning workout and I want to go back again and again.  There are several places in Wilmington that offer the class.  But the only one I've tried and the one that has the best prices in town according to my research is Open Studio on Military Cutoff.

 

I went back for a Yoga Fusion class today and it was equally as awesome!  I just love it when you are expecting to get a good workout and instead you end up getting a GREAT workout.  I am so happy I did it during my lunch break and it made be feel amazing for the rest of the day.

 

While I'm not one to typically shell out a bunch of money for speciality exercise classes, these Barre style classes are totally worth it in my opinion.  LivingSocial.com currently has an offer for 5 VBarre classes at Lithe Core Pilates Studio for $47, so I bought that too!  I'm ultimately going to end up buying a package at Open Studio because I absolutely love that place, but as long as the LivingSocial deals keep popping up, I'm going to keep grabbing them.

 

Go try it today.  Your body, your butt, and your boyfriend will thank you :)