gratitude

The Developmental Derby by Carol Gray at MamaSpace Yoga

The Developmental Derby

By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 In 1975 I moved back to LA. My first husband and I had spent three years away while he fulfilled his military obligation. Army life was hard on me. We lived in officer’s housing on an Air Force base in an isolated desert location. My husband was a research engineer assigned to NASA. He never wore a uniform. I was a misfit among

What We Leave Behind by Carol Gray at MamaSpace Yoga

What We Leave Behind

By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 Our Physical Space We are packing. We are preparing to leave what, for the last five years, has been the MamaSpace Yoga studio. For four of those five years this beautiful brick building with the huge light-filled windows was our sanctuary. It was the sacred space where pregnant and postpartum people came to practice and find community. Our Video Filming Location For the

Insomnia -- The Movie by Carol Gray at MamaSpace Yoga

Insomnia — The Movie

By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 Last week’s post, Pregnancy Insomnia Help, included a five-step yoga sequence for sleep. This week’s post is a 14-minute video of that sequence. It was fun making it. I hope you enjoy it. It makes sense to watch it for the first time when you’re not actually trying to sleep. That way, you can figure out where you’re going to set yourself up

Pregnancy Insomnia Help by Carol Gray at MamaSpace Yoga

Pregnancy Insomnia Help

By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 Insomnia is common during pregnancy. It ‘s no joke. Some people say it’s just practice for after your baby is born and they wake you at night. Not funny. There are two main categories of pregnancy-related insomnia: trouble falling asleep and trouble getting back to sleep after awakening during the night. I Can’t Fall Asleep I assume you have already instituted the typical

Best Props For Prenatal Yoga Part 2 by Carol Gray at MamaSpace Yoga

The Best Props For Prenatal Yoga — Part 2

By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 As promised, I’m continuing my recommendations for the best prenatal yoga props. Well-chosen yoga props will improve your practice. They will help you discover things that you might not otherwise encounter on your mat. What a perfect time to introduce this intimate self-exploration! The path of fertility, pregnancy, labor, birth and parenting are guaranteed to take you beyond what you already know. All

Nadi Shodhana and The Fire Alarm at MamaSoace Yoga

Nadi Shodhana

By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 A True Story We were about halfway through a typical Thursday 9:30 AM prenatal yoga class when it happened. The fire alarm went off in the building. It was LOUD! I told my students to get up, walk toward the door, leave their yoga mats behind, put on their shoes, grab their belongings and walk down the stairs where we would meet outside.

Feeding the New Family by Kimberly Bepler art MamaSpace Yoga

Feeding The New Family

By Guest Blogger, Kimberly Bepler, IBCLC, CPD, CLE, CNPE Who has time to make nutritious food when you have a precious new baby? Real food takes time to prepare. Newborn families have little time to spare. As a postpartum doula I love creating food for hungry and tired parents. Over the years, I’ve developed a few winning approaches to help the families I serve get nourishing food into their bellies.

10 Ways to Prioritize Your Pregnancy/New Parenthood Relationship by Jacqueline Holden at MamaSpace Yoga

10 Ways to Prioritize Your Relationship During Pregnancy/New Parenthood

By Guest Blogger, Jacqueline Holden, MA, NCC, PMH-C The New Parent Checklist When preparing to welcome a new baby, parents often make long lists of things to buy and classes to take. Most prenatal checklists look the same: -find a provider -take a childbirth class -schedule maternity pictures -decorate the nursery -write a birth plan Preparing Your Relationship Unfortunately, what’s missing from most lists is anything about preparing your relationship

Dreaming in the Darkness of Night: Harvesting the Power of Solstice at MamaSpace Yoga

Dreaming in the Darkness of Night: Harvesting the Power of Solstice

By Guest Blogger, Julisa Golden The Shortest Day and Longest Night When the sun enters Capricorn today, it marks the completion of our descent into winter in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s a turning point as the days will start getting longer. It represents a time of hope and renewal with the promise of the sun’s return. Tradition The traditional holiday, also known as Yule or Yuletide, is where we draw

New Start at MamaSpace Yoga

New Start

By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 In yoga practice we often say that each breath is a new beginning, a do-over. As 2020 gets closer to the finish line, I know we all feel like we could use a good do-over, something really different, not anything like this year, especially the things we didn’t like. Enough already. We want something truly different. Yet the temptation is great to keep