I wanted to talk a bit about Family Yoga and why I believe it’s so special, so nurturing and such an important practice for families. To start, and this may be the first post of many, I wanted to share a bit about our personal journey as a family and what led us to where we are now.

Two days after my second son Ben was born, we bought a house with an old broken down bird sanctuary on the property. We knew it was the one, not necessarily due to the home itself, but the opportunities that presented themselves on the lot. The energetic space, the tall trees, the lush surroundings, the liveliness and the earthiness of the garden areas, it was just too special to pass by. And this broken down, spider-fulled, creaky-freaky, dilapidated Birdhouse…it just claimed us. It became my spirit animal, so to speak.

Three years, six of them consumed with frantic construction of the Birdhouse, and several roller-coasters later, we find ourselves focused on family more than ever as our first son Matty was recently diagnosed with ADHD. As kindergarten has turned into a bit of an uphill climb, we are fighting on the daily to keep his spirits up, his confidence high and his heart full. It’s kind of rough out there when you don’t fall into the proverbial straight line…

Matty had a fast, traumatic birth and a tough start in life, was born 6 weeks early, with a fierce and passionate spirit. He is now healthy and thriving, with a very loving disposition, but struggles in many ways with inattention, impulse control and focus and will most likely always have these struggles as his beautiful brain fires in a different way than many others out there.

As hard and exhausting as it is to manage the day-to-day with a child who never stops moving, thinking, asking, demanding, doing and dreaming, the best way to get through, as we have learned the hard way (and the sideways way, up and down and backwards ways), is to keep CALM and then to CONNECT.

Putting this all together…

It was one of my biggest dreams to create the most perfectly imperfect yoga class at my studio for kids like Matty, kids who hear “no” a lot, kids who get the emotional smack down often, as they don’t necessarily fit into a little box with a bow and make their teachers’ lives easy; a class for kids who need to move to listen, who need to talk to process, who love to connect with others and be accepted for exactly who they are.

I thought it would be amazing if kids, not just kids like Matty, but ALL kids, could enjoy a mental break in an environment where freedom, giggles, creativity and movement are cultivated and appreciated. Where it is okay to sit out and okay to explore in a different way than others. Where it is okay to speak up about feelings, create sweet connections with friends, hold hands, make circles and tickle toes.

A class where kids won’t get kicked out, removed, scolded or reprimanded.

A class dedicated to love.

Somewhere along this journey, Family Yoga was born. Even though it’s only been a couple of years since the Birdhouse opened, it’s been a long and amazing road, filled with twists, turns, hills, bumps and bursts of sweet success and satisfaction topped moments of ambiguity. It took a long while for me to wrestle with all of my creative ideas after the Birdhouse launched, to figure out if I wanted to partner up, discern how much I could give in terms of class times and frequency, how to manage my persistent injuries, what to do with classes when my kids are sick, basically just figuring out how to balance it all…Isn’t this the quintessential struggle of a mama?

Family Yoga was a dormant, but persistent idea in my mind for almost a year before it blossomed, but it all aligned so perfectly with how I believe things in our universe work. Sometimes we need to let go and surrender in order to let everything less important fall away to reveal and activate our best and most sparkly ideas.

What I love so much about the yoga at the Birdhouse, and therefore the Family Yoga class , is that sessions are based on the philosophy that a yoga class may perhaps be best when not designed for the masses, but when carefully crafted on a personal level. I have learned the importance of this over the past 15 of practicing yoga, after sustaining multiple injuries while pushing myself too hard for too long in classes that weren’t right for me. I love that this space allows for this freedom and creativity…there are so many possibilities for openness, peace and clarity ahead!

In closing, but too sweet not to share, it’s been incredibly heartwarming to watch these busy families bond and connect on their mats each week, to watch dads and daughters laugh over handstands and toddlers, in all their mushy smooshy-ness, do their adorable downward dogs, tickle each others toes and strive to balance. It’s simply beautiful.

With regular practice, I believe this type of class can make a measurable difference in the lives of those who take it. My hope is that we can work to instill a feeling of peace while creating an internal space where strength and resilience can reside. A special place to return to when the outside world gets rough.

More on Family Yoga at the Birdhouse: Family Yoga at the Birdhouse is customized to each family based on a simple set of questions, a first session assessment and ongoing, open communication. Classes are 60 minutes long and can be broken down into different mini sessions to accommodate different types of yoga, massage and energy work for different needs and ages. There are no rules, other than being kind and safe. Classes are held in a completely private space, allowing for an authentic, meaningful, un-distracted practice. Classes are $18 per person bi-weekly and $15 per person weekly. There is no charge for children under 2. Please email me to get on the waitlist, lisa@birdhouseyoga.com.