A pregnant yogi?

I'm feeling a little off today. I'm pretty sure it's because I started my day with a night of not-so-great sleep. Toby decided last night that it was his turn to help me prepare for sleepless nights by being up and around the apartment at all hours of the night.

So I've started something new the past couple of weeks…prenatal yoga. Since we've been in Basel, I've been meaning to find somewhere to do yoga, but just hadn't gotten around to it. I was also feeling like I needed to add something else to my three hours of walking a day. Not that walking is not good, but just needed something different. The challenge with this one was to find somewhere that did prenatal yoga, in English, in Basel.

I did find a place right in the center of Basel. It overlooks Marktplatz, which is where city hall is located. They offer the class in English and Spanish, which I find amusing, considering that we live in a German-speaking city. I really like the class, although I actually think that I could possibly still go to regular classes since I've been doing yoga for quite a few years now. But then I would be the annoying attendee who has to have a modification for every pose, and I'm just not into that.

The class has been somewhat of a new experience. The place that I go to yoga is very "yoga-y", if you know what I mean. Crystals in the corners, incense burning, calm music playing, chanting…this place has all the stereotypical characteristics you might think of.

Often during class I have to physically stop myself from laughing. Not in a disrespectful way, but sometimes trying to "connect to my motherhood" and "surround my child with love" just gets me. I mean don't get me wrong, I think the intention is great, but I guess I feel that I'm connected enough right now carrying the Lentil around with me everywhere I go and for everything I do.

The other thing that gets me, and I feel the need to come home and report to BK about, is that nearly everyone in the class looks like they're about to pop. I think there is one other regular attendee that is fewer weeks than I am, but the majority of women are late into their pregnancy, as in between 35 and 40 weeks. Yikes!

My brain just can't take me there yet. I know at some point I will have a big belly sticking out, but right now it's just still kind of weird to me. I am to the point now where I can still wear my yoga pants, but by the end of the class they tend to have slipped down under my belly that's starting to poke out. The instructor often tells us the various positions that are good for labor, but I can't help thinking:

1. Ew.
2. No thanks, I plan to be in a hospital bed, not squatting on the floor. 
3. BK would totally freak out if he saw this right now.

I feel certain this class will provide plenty of amusing stories over the next five-ish months, but I do enjoy it and think it's good for the Lentil and I. I'm going on my first hospital tour this week, so things are getting more real for us every day. I'll let you know what they say it would be like to deliver in a private hospital in Switzerland. We'll see…should be interesting.