Why I Created ‘Like A Mother’ - A Class For Moms
The year is 2021. I am 31 years old, teaching dance classes 3-4 times a week, taking dance classes as a student two times a week, strength training in the gym 3-4 times a week, working full time, and loving every minute of my active lifestyle and busy schedule.
I became pregnant with my daughter at the end of 2021 and the dreams I had of my active and inspirational pregnancy in the dance studio vanished. I had a lot of round ligament pain in the second trimester, I developed carpal tunnel and could barely hold a fork some days let alone a dumbbell, and with my incredibly swollen feet in my third trimester the only exercise I could handle was walking, and even then sometimes it hurt a lot to go for a walk and I’d find myself crying 10 minutes away from home.
My daughter was not a great sleeper until she was two years old and I think saying I was exhausted and emotional is an understatement. I did not prioritize getting back into the dance studio because I was at my capacity just trying to survive everyday on broken sleep, being woken up every 45-90 minutes for months on end. And to be honest, being in the studio didn't make me feel great. I was constantly comparing myself to pre-baby me and seeing all the things I couldn't do instead of all the things I could. When I did go back to exercising after having my daughter, I developed tendinitis in both knees and strained a hamstring that is still achey after exercise two years after I injured it. If you've ever been injured when you want to be active, you know how frustrating that is.
I missed dancing but I struggled to get back into the studio in a way that would allow me to start where I was at — post-partum, muscles much weaker than before, feeling disconnected from myself both physically and mentally, and not having the same time freedom as before to be at the studio for hours on end. I also felt the pressure (probably mostly from myself if I'm being honest) to be ‘Nikita’ when I went to a Hustle & Flow Dance class — the owner of this program should be in shape, should be an advanced level dancer, should be outgoing and friendly to everyone the entire time I'm there, should be fearless and confident in class, should be, should be, should be. So when I became pregnant with my second baby and was talking to my mentor about how I wanted to get back into the studio again after this baby arrived but didn't know how, she said, “If you could create the class you need in order to go back to dance safely and feel good in your body as you are now, what would it look like?”
So here it is, my list of what I wanted in a dance class designed for post-partum me:
Low impact, high intensity. I want to feel like I'm getting a good workout in, I want to get sweaty and feel strong, without peeing my pants doing jumping jacks
Restorative conditioning. I want to have a warm up and conditioning section of class that helps me to rebuild my core strength without feeling like I need to push myself to keep up with the baby-free bodies in class or the exercises and reps I could do pre-baby.
Connection to myself. I want a class that focuses on feeling good in my body instead of getting the choreography and counts perfectly for my Instagram video.
On time. I only have so much time away from home so I need class to start and end on time and feel like my time is well spent in the hour that I'm there.
When I made this list, she said, “Great. This is your next Hustle & Flow Dance class offering.” Because even though it feels like I am the only dancer post-partum who can’t just jump back into the intermediate level classes, I’m not. And even though it feels like I’m the only one who is stressed about getting back to my baby when the teacher goes overtime by 5 minutes, I’m not.
So after some thought and planning, here we are. I have completed my pre- and post-partum exercise training so that I am able to facilitate the class that I need and want for not only myself, but for others who also might need and want it. I'm excited to get back into the studio in a way that works for me, in the body and life I have now, and not compete with or try to be the 2021 version of me. And I'm excited to connect with other moms, at whatever stage of post-partum they may be (because let's be real, post-partum doesn't just last 6 weeks — it's a lifelong stage!) because one of the most important things I've learned in this journey of motherhood is that it doesn't just take a village to raise a child. It takes a village to raise a mother.
Like A Mother is a dance class designed for moms to rediscover themselves. Whether you're 6 weeks or 20 years post-partum, this is your space to reconnect with your body, rebuild your strength, and carve out time for YOU. Each class starts with a grounding meditation, eases into a post-natal-friendly low impact, high intensity warm-up, and ends with empowering choreography to get you feeling strong, sexy, and just plain cool. I’m excited to be offering this class in the Hustle & Flow Dance schedule soon and I hope to see you there.
Mama’s back. So let's dance, y'all.
