Yoga-ga Retreat

Just five months into life, and Louis has already ticked off one of his Mom's enduring new year's resolutions. No, not giving up chocolate. I figure you can't give up something you haven't taken up yet. Our budding yogini has been on a yoga retreat. Organised by his guru, Carol, the retreat was specifically for babies under six months old. But because Louis knew how much I'd always wanted to go on the ultimate escape, he kindly let me come along too. 

Carol, pictured above in the last photo, couldn't have picked a better day for the retreat. Louis was feeling particularly frazzled after a tricky night when he'd had vocally to tell his Mom on several occasions that yes he really did need to eat again and no his chubby little belly wasn't still full from his last feed. It turned out that his fellow yogini, Alex, had had a similarly tough night with his Mom, Lisa, so Louis was in good company. 

The retreat was out in Great Falls, a national park near here. It got off to a slightly worrying start when the lady who owned the studio put on a special kids yoga DVD featuring several very indoctrinated looking children dressed in white chanting 'I am happy' over and over again (Gma Penny would not have been impressed), but quickly picked up once the baby cobra session got under way. Louis regained his inner tranquility very quickly and was soon gurgling 'oms' with his four fellow yoginis (Alex, Lila, Tommy and Esther). As the oldest baby there, Louis began the class by showing off his upward dog to the rest of the gang. Later, he even let his Mom do a little yoga - you can see him helping her out with her Warrior I, above. 

All this yoga seems to be doing scary things to the development of LJ's motor skills. Much to his Mom's horror, he has already mastered the knack of 'creeping' - a precursor to crawling she fears, which involves him spinning round and backing up on any surface he gets placed. Life as she knows it could soon be over.