WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- Yoga is nothing new and you've probably heard of the many ways practicing yoga can benefit you. While it's not too much of a stretch to find a yoga class in the Triad a new mom's schedule isn't very flexible - but at one yoga studio in Winston-Salem there's a class to solve that problem.
It's just like every other yoga class except this one is full of giggling, bouncing babies. Yoga therapist Angela Gallagher started class after she saw attendance drop off in her post-natal yoga class.
"What we found is that moms really didn’t want to come without their babies so I started asking everyone what songs did you like as a baby – what songs did your mom do with you?" Gallagher said. "So then I started making up and taking the songs and putting them with yoga poses and little workouts that I found and then it just developed over the years."
Marie Kent and her eight-month-old son, Winston, started coming when he was six months old.
"At first I just needed a way to get out of the house but it just developed into this routine that has created a really good bonding experience between the two of us," Kent said.
Bonding is just one of the many benefits of the class that meets twice a week. Experts say yoga can aid in a baby’s digestion, relieve colic, increase body awareness, reduce stress and, yes, be a great workout for mom.
"Holding a 10 to 20 bound baby, it definitely works you out," Kelly Sweet said.
Sweet and her son, Sheperd, have only been to a hand full of classes but she says she's already seeing the benefits of practicing yoga with her baby.
"He starts to anticipate what’s coming next and learning and I think that’s going to be interesting to see when he gets older," Sweet said.
You can try out the class at North Joy Yoga at 3068 Trenwest Dr #7 in Winston-Salem. It meets every Monday and Thursday at 10:30. Class typically lasts one hour.
After the yoga class Novant Health offers a free "new mommies" class for parents to come ask an expert their baby questions. From nursing to naptime, even weighing your baby, Novant Health offers their services at no cost.