I have been waiting so long for last night!! I went to the doctor yesterday for my four-week check-up (and all went well), and since I’m in my 14th week now, asked if I could start yoga. And he gave a resounding yes, and praised the fitness benefits.

I didn’t do yoga before. In fact, I’ve only been to maybe three yoga classes ever, and that was during college. And I was too immature for it because I’d snicker every time bodily noises escaped into the room.

But being that I’m more in tune with my overall health and wellness than I ever have been before, I couldn’t help but pay attention the pregnancy benefits of yoga. It facilitates a deeper connection with yourself and your body, cultivates a sense of calmness, learn how to properly breathe and channel attention away from pain, and it’s a low-impact method of exercise that can tone, relieve aches and pains, and strengthen muscles. Name a pregnant woman who couldn’t benefit from all of that!

I enlisted a well-versed yogi friend to research the yoga studios in Wichita and landed on one that she highly recommended.

So in preparation this week, I bought my yoga mat and read-up on what I needed to know as a yoga beginner. The no eating rule beforehand was proving to be a challenge and I finally had to give in to a cheese stick and apple. I was so hungry and I knew I wouldn’t make it through otherwise.

I loved the class! And I’m looking forward to many more over the next five or six months. The instructor is fun and enjoyable, keeping the class lighthearted. There were four other women and they made this newbie feel very comfortable. There was even a fellow Sooner in the bunch! We had a sort of open forum for pregnancy questions – everything from gas and heartburn to charlie horses and cravings. I was definitely the least far along, but it was kind of fun to see where I was headed. We had to come up with a mantra to repeat to ourselves as we inhaled and exhaled. Mine was “This is all worth it,” I think an appropriate reminder that the shots, puking, headaches, constipation, giant porn-star boobs and the like will all be a faint memory, and worth it, when we finally bring our little baby home.

I left feeling refreshed and excited. I can definitely see how this is going to help me get through the rest of this pregnancy, but also the labor and delivery.