How Oh Sh*t Brought Me to You

Here is my story on how pregnancy, yoga and the oh-sh** moments brought me to you…

Becoming a mom knocked me off my socks. I absolutely thought that being pregnant would entail me glowing and full of love, being the spiritual person I was. Instead, our pregnancy was somewhat of a surprise, and my first trimester was the most depressed I’ve ever been.

Let me get something straight – I’ve always known I’d bring a baby girl into the world. I’ve worked as a nanny for most of my teenage and adult life. Babies love me and I love them. I FELT it was my time.

But when it happened, I was in shock. Surely I didn’t have things in order for this.

What happened next was the deepest spiritual journey and awakening I could ever imagine.

I felt all the feelings and slowly by slowly, was able to lean in. I began teaching prenatal yoga at Your Yoga. I started focusing on all I DID have in abundance. I asked my baby for help in manifesting a house to bring her home to. I understood a deeper level of commitment to my partner (and spiritual practice) than ever before. It felt scary to allow myself to depend on someone else so much, and also completely needed and liberating.

Teaching prenatal yoga every week became the highlight of my pregnancy: connecting with other moms, feeling understood, expressing raw vulnerability, and always leaving uplifted.

After I had my daughter (in March of 2016), I started also offering baby yoga in addition to prenatal. A year after that I began offering postpartum yoga, focusing on moms and their healing journeys. I taught what I learned, what I knew, and what I’ve come to learn others moms need as well.

The moms I met in these classes became my community, and I watched in awe as other moms started finding their own mom community through classes as well.

I began desiring a space truly dedicated to families, where moms could talk about their births and breastfeed.

Where parents could walk in and feel like the space was catered to them and their kids, instead of having to fit into a sometimes kid unfriendly world.

Crystal, the owner of Your Yoga, introduced me to Becca in the beginning of 2019. Becca was aiming to open a family yoga studio. She specializes in working with toddlers and teens. Which was perfect because I had recently decided I wanted to prioritize working with moms and parents, as opposed to focusing on kids. She had a vision of a 2 room studio, where parents could practice yoga at the same time as their children, but separately. Brilliant.

Honestly, everything just kept moving forward from there. I had an open, curious, and excited feeling about it in my gut. And that feeling is still there to this day.

We opened doors in September 2019 and it has been the most beautiful happening of watching families come together.

Of seeing moms I haven’t seen in years, because their kids had outgrown my class offerings.

I love the work I do to this day more than ever (now 10+ years of teaching yoga, 4+ prenatal, 17+ years practicing). Seeing a mom feel relieved and supported during a prenatal class, watching a freshly postpartum couple come to baby yoga in their excitement, tiredness and healing, and seeing the excitement of a child doing their first yoga class is pretty unbeatable in my eyes.

The support we’ve been shown from the community has been heart bursting. We are of course working through the new challenges of being business owners, but doing it with Becca and with all of you is what gets me up and happily going every day.

I know how hard it can be as a mother. And how rewarding.

My life’s mission has become to provide a space and a class where parents can come exactly as they are, and leave feeling a little (or a LOT) more refreshed and grounded, believing in themselves and knowing where to turn for support.

Our Yoga is that for me and for so many others. It is our own grand family, continually growing and expanding and being here for one another. And I couldn’t be more thankful.

Thanks for being here with me. And see you soon!
Jess

Please share with us your story about pregnancy, postpartum, expectations and desires as a parent or yoga practitioner by replying to this email or posting to instagram @ouryogafamily #ouryogafamily #ouryogastories #weareouryoga.