Pregnancy and Patience!
Often times I’m in Lisa’s class (one of my favorite yoga teacher’s and dear friend) and she will put us in ankle to knee pose (where the shins are stacked evenly and parallel to the front of the mat) for what seems like forever. Ankle to knee has never been easy for me, I have tight external rotators and I’ve never had much of a turn out. I also do a lot of activities that use my piriformis, glutes and outer hips so they constantly tighten back up even after years of yoga and a consistent practice. I breathe in to my outer hips as deeply as I can and I think, “Ok almost out of this” and then Lisa will say, “Hold for 5 more breaths”. I want to scream; and yet instead I just have to be patient and sit a little longer and sure enough my hips finally start to release and let go.
These past couple of weeks have felt like one long ankle to knee pose. I’m 39 weeks pregnant, due July 30th, and it’s been very difficult not to count the days until my little guy arrives. The heat has been pretty brutal in NYC and I’m anxious as can be. Everyone’s asking me when I’m going to pop and everyone has an opinion on when I will go in to labor. It’s impossible to know, he will just come when he’s ready and all I can do is be patient and sink in to these final days of my pregnancy.
If there’s one thing Yoga has taught me, it’s patience. I used to be a very impatient little girl, I loved to be the first in line, the first one to wake up in the morning, the first one to finish my homework, etc. I think part of what drew me to New York City, was the pace and the fact that many people here share my desire to go, go, go. Most New Yorker’s don’t have patience for slow walking tourists, or long Starbucks lines. I thrived on the speed of the city; and yet often found myself feeling drained at the end of the day.
In yoga class and in pregnancy, it’s impossible to rush. One of the reasons I love Lisa’s class so very much is that she takes her time and really allows us to feel and be in every posture. I have absolutely loved every part of being pregnant, even now, because it’s really caused me to slow down. I’ve still been teaching and moving the entire time; but I’ve also found more hours to sit and read, to rub my belly, to take baths, to lie in bed on a Saturday or Sunday morning with my husband and to take slow, peaceful walks.
I may actually miss being the one to sit on the subway and taking my time walking up stairs. I read a great blog recently on Fit Pregnancy about “Why counting down to your due date is a bad idea”. I completely agree that the best approach to take is to just enjoy the ride and to know that at some point I will reach the destination; but it’s really only the beginning. Having no control over when my son will come in to the world is great practice for me now, once he’s here I won’t have any control over when he eats, sleeps, cries, etc. I want him to be his precious little self and find his own voice without imposing my ideas or impatience on him.
If these past few weeks have been anxious and exciting, I can only imagine what I have in store once he arrives!
Kristin McGee is a celebrity yoga and Pilates instructor in New York City. She is currently teaching yoga with Peloton. She is the star of over 100 videos, seen in several magazines and tv shows and is a spokeswoman for many brands and causes she believes in. A proud mom to three, she sure keeps herself busy!