Where Stillness Meets Snuggles

Namaste!

If you're reading this, there's a good chance you're carrying a lot right now. Maybe quite literally—on your hip, in your arms, in the sling across your chest. The world gets louder when there’s a little one in it. Days stretch long, sleep gets strange, and your center can feel a bit… off-axis.

I see you.

And I want to invite you to a soft place. A warm, welcoming mat where your baby is welcome exactly as they are—and so are you.

It’s called Baby & Me Yoga, and it’s one of my favorite offerings here at Prancing Pony Prana.

Picture this: you arrive with your little one—maybe still snoozy from the car ride, maybe already wiggling out of their onesie. You’re greeted with soft music, cozy light, and a space that expects movement, giggles, fusses, and feedings. You’re not late. You’re not underdressed. You’re not the “only one.” You’re here.

We start with breath. We stretch. Sometimes babies coo, sometimes they cry. Sometimes someone needs to nurse and someone else rolls right off the mat chasing a snack. It’s all part of it. This practice isn't about choreography or control. It's about connection.

It’s yoga, yes—but it’s also storytelling. Music. Gentle massage. Swaying, sighing, and lots of adjusting. Not to get it right, but to be real.

Baby & Me Yoga is about finding your footing while you’re holding someone else’s world in your arms. It’s a space to rebuild strength and stretch muscles that might feel forgotten. But even more than that, it’s a space to remember that your breath is still yours. That your body—though changed—is still sacred. That moving together with your baby is one of the most ancient, beautiful dances there is.

We build trust. We rebuild confidence. And we let joy sneak back in through the smallest cracks.

I've seen babies curl up and nap the whole time. I've seen toddlers try every pose (and invent some of their own). I’ve seen moms cry, moms laugh, moms finally take one long, quiet breath. Every class is different, because every parent-child duo brings their own rhythm—and we follow it.

Not long ago, we held a Baby & Me Yoga class at the East Greenbush Community Library, designed especially for caregivers and their little ones aged six weeks to pre-crawling. It was a cozy morning full of snuggles, slow breaths, and shared smiles.

Parents brought yoga mats, receiving blankets for their babies to rest on, and diaper bags stocked with the usual suspects—extra clothes, feeding supplies, and maybe a favorite toy or two. Some little ones chewed on dry snacks, others curled up and napped, and some just took in the gentle rhythm of it all with wide, wondering eyes.

No one expected silence or stillness. No one needed to "get it right." We moved gently, we laughed when babies squealed, and we honored whatever each child needed in the moment. That’s the heart of these classes: making space for real life, in all its wriggly, wobbly, wonderful forms.

I’ve been practicing yoga for over twenty years now, but my path has always pointed toward the young and the tender-hearted. With a background in education and more than a decade of classroom teaching behind me, I know how much power there is in presence. How just showing up for yourself and your child—in body, mind, and breath—can be a radical act of love.

So much of early parenthood is about output. Giving. Managing. Responding. This is a chance to receive a little, too.

And if you’ve been to one of our classes before—you know it’s not just about movement. It’s about making space for stillness.

For noticing.

For quietly saying, “This moment is enough.”

If you’re curious, if you’ve got questions, or if you just want to say “I’m thinking about it,” I’m always here. You can email me anytime at prancingponyllc@gmail.com, and I’ll get back to you when the kettle’s on and the house is finally quiet.

Or maybe I’ll just see you on the mat one of these days—your baby in a wrap, your breath finding its rhythm again, your heart stretching open in ways you didn’t know it could.

Namaste!

Jen