Bonding time at baby yoga

By Zenaida Serrano Espanol
Advertiser Staff Writer

Instructor Michele Wilson, foreground, leads yoga students Michelle Flores (holding her 3-month-old son, Antonio) and Joanna O'Neill (with her 8-month-old son, Casper) at Sun and Moon Yoga Studio in Kailua. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Susan Pina, left, and her son, Sean, are guided in yoga moves by instructor Allison Siddons, who teaches a "Baby and Me" class at Three Paths Fitness in Kailua. Courtesy of Sisi Maw Takaki

"I thought it would be really great to do something for him, to see other kids, because he doesn't get to see other kids that much," the Kailua stay-at-home mom said two weeks into her newfound exercise routine. "Plus, it's nice to meet other moms in the immediate area."

O'Neill, 37, is among a growing number of mothers finding benefits in mom-and-baby yoga classes. While the classes have been around, their popularity continues to grow, said Sisi Maw Takaki, president of Three Paths Fitness, a yoga, Pilates and dance studio in Kailua.

"I think health is something people are more and more aware about, especially pregnant women," said Takaki, a certified yoga instructor. "This is usually the first form of exercise that they do after they give birth, because they want to do it with the baby."

The classes, like typical yoga sessions, include breath work and movement, and often incorporate babies in the different yoga poses and stretches. The age requirement for babies depends on the studio.

The advantages — more for mom than baby — of the classes are multifold, said Paula Stockman, co-owner of Sun and Moon Yoga Studio in Kailua.

"It's a great time for the mom and baby to bond, to have fun together," she said.

It also helps mothers regain their strength and tone up, relieve stress and learn how to focus on their well-being, Stockman said. "To learn how to relax and take care of yourself in the presence of your baby is priceless," Stockman said.

Torres encourages mothers to use that time to cater to themselves. "It's a time of the day that you can stop and breathe ... even in the midst of crying babies and things, you're able to focus," Torres said.

Bonding takes place not only between mother and child, but between the students as well, said Michele Wilson, who teaches mom-and-baby yoga classes at Sun and Moon.

"I think it's wonderful for them to be able to come together with other women and find a community that's a support group, you know, because these women become friends," Wilson said.

Wilson's students include O'Neill and another stay-at-home Kailua mom, Michelle Flores. Flores, 38, has been practicing yoga for 10 years and didn't want to stop after the birth of her son, Antonio, now 3 months old.

"When they're this little, you just don't want to leave them, especially if you're nursing, so it's nice to be able to bring them," Flores said.

Compared to Wilson's typically quiet adult yoga sessions, one of her recent mom-and-baby classes was filled with sporadic squeals, giggles and hiccups from the two infants. Still, the atmosphere was fairly relaxing, with dim track lights and soft music playing in the background.

During the 75-minute class, O'Neill and Flores went from pose to pose — "table top" to "standing mountain" to "triangle" — often kissing their little ones on their heads during the transitions.

Antonio spent most of his time lying in his carrier or on the mat under Flores. Casper, on the other hand, kept his mom on her toes, crawling and reaching about.

"I'll definitely lose my baby weight if I do this with him," O'Neill said with a laugh while stretching in a standing pose and carrying Casper on her left hip. "I'm really sweating."

Reach Zenaida Serrano Espanol at zespanol@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8174.