Yoga offers R&R for mothers, children

NORFOLK, Va. - Peace is a part of the process at The Space Above Yoga Center. Every woman who comes, never wants to leave. They're only part of the target demographic. The other half - the most interesting half - is likely the most fun.

"I call it Zizu Yoga and Zizu is the Sanskrit word for infant," instructor Kim Austin-Peterman told WAVY.com.

It's yoga from a different perspective.

"He seems to really enjoy it because it's intensely focused on him," mother Hellen Cittadino said of her son.

It's also focused on the bond between mother and child.

"I learned some stuff that I could do at home with him and I felt like it was calming for him," Jenifer Alonzo added.

Alonzo has attended the class since she was pregnant. "It was a disaster if I had to miss [the class] and [so] I made them change my baby shower so I could come to yoga."

She remembers the day her son was born, calling it a "cake" 4 hour labor and delivery.

Not everything in the class is that simple. After all, babies will be babies. "Nursing, spitting up, pooping, burping, it's all allowed," Austin-Peterman said, "it's all okay, you can not expect babies not to be themselves for any amount of time."

What one can expect is for the infants to get just as much out of the class as their mothers. "He really enjoys anything that involves movement," Cittadino noted.

In addition to TV cameras, the little ones enjoy the air time. "Anything where he's - where I'm throwing him through the air or he's flying through the air, that's calming for him," Cittadino said of the suspended swing. Mothers lean through a secure strap from a wall while exercising with their infants.

It's one of Austin-Peterman's favorite parts. Not only is she the instructor, she's a mother too. "I love doing what I'm doing, but I get to snuggle up to some sweet cute things at the same time, how can you not love that?" she asked, adding, "for me it is really fulfilling, I know this is where I'm supposed to be."

For 60 minutes every Tuesday, every student knows the environment is simply soothing.

It's hard to imagine a downside, but there is just one."You have to stop coming once they're mobile, so I've been very discouraging of his crawling," Cittadino joked.

But until that time, The Space Above is the perfect place to harness a bit of harmony.

For more information on Zizu Yoga for Infants or other yoga classes click on the following link: The Space Above Yoga Center