My favourite thing about being pregnant is that it’s temporary. (It’s Leslie here, btw).
Ha! That tells you a lot about how it’s going! No, my real favourite thing about it is growing a family with the best person to ever become a dad (in my opinion). But seriously, I’m really ready to get the pregnancy part over with.
I was saying to a student the other day that I’d spent a good 38 years conditioning my body to do a handful of specific things (like hiking, yoga postures, rock climbing, and sittin’ around), none of which were being pregnant or giving birth. How radical it is to have to adapt to such a new and different demand at this point in life!
This need for radical adaptation feels like a Type 2 Gift (kind of like Type 2 Fun, the kind you enjoy after the fact). I might not entirely love this experience (does anyone love indigestion, restless legs, or a squished bladder?), but even if I never got a cute baby out of it, the upheaval offers valuable lessons that I can appreciate.
It’s humbling to go through physical (and mental and emotional) changes that you can’t control. We all have to do that as we age, and many of us have to do it in response to injury, illness and all sorts of other stuff we can’t predict or plan. I never planned on a pregnancy at “advanced maternal age,” yet here I am, compression leggings and Tums in hand. My yoga practice (and all the other activities I normally love) are dialed down (or are paused completely), and I’m reflecting daily on all the folks in our community, parents or not, who have navigated radical changes to their bodies and lives. Much respect and love to each of you.
Pregnancy has me asking myself old questions in a new light. When should I grip tighter and fight for something even though it’s hard? When should I let go, and surrender to forces stronger than me? How can I be present with all that each moment offers me, pleasant and unpleasant? What choice do any of us have but to try to adapt to the ebb and flow of our capacities? I’m lucky to feel supported enough to think of it this way. Making a mental note to remember this big talk when I’m in the middle of labour!😉
My last classes will be next week, starting August 26th. On my way out, thank you to:
-the students in my classes tuning in to my words and their own bodies more keenly than ever as I’ve demonstrated less and less
-the YTT grads teaming up with me to do those demonstrations when they can
-the teachers taking over my classes: Wendy, Emma, Alissa and Leena
-the admin team taking over my management work, including the return of Nicole DeNoble behind the scenes (she last joined us during Emma’s leave with baby Iris)
I’ll see you on the other side of the rollercoaster of labour and birth. Wish me luck!
Yours in embracing the unfathomable adventure of life,
Leslie
The Branches 