Spirals of Joy - Parent and Baby Bonding through Yoga

The majority of parents/carers can easily recall a moment of pure happiness and joy that occurred when they had a positive interaction with their baby.  Simply the response of a smile or a full on belly laugh, or a wonderful hug or even a kiss from their little one.  This moment came from a shared experience of love and happiness, each feeding off the other regardless of which person began the moment. 

For many parents/carers this moment was one of many such moments occurring as the feelings of contentment, love and happiness continue and develop as the special positive bond between parent and baby grows.

Mum/Parent and Baby Yoga can help parents and carers to find these moments of joy and happiness. The process of the growth and expansion of these moments and the bond between parent and baby is known as 'The Expanding Spiral of Joy'.

 

For some parents/carers finding these moments is very difficult.  Anxiety, external pressure, feelings of depression and/or guilt can be felt by new parents who are finding the responsibilities of parenthood and the early weeks and months of being a parent very difficult to deal with.  For these parents/carers learning the simple movements, songs and connections of Mum/Parent and Baby Yoga can be an effective way of 'unlocking' the positivity that is needed to begin on the spiral of joy.

Mum/Parent and Baby Yoga encourages positive touch, from which a baby will respond with positivity.  This promotes communication between parent and baby – as the baby responds to the movement and touch of baby yoga then the parent sees the pleasure and reflects this back to the baby who is highly receptive and responsive to the parents emotions.  This in turn is reflected back to the parent in a wider and wider spiral of positivity, happiness and ultimately a loving bond.  As baby yoga is explored and movements are developed this enhances the experiences of parent and baby creating positive communication, trust, fun and well being which will nurture both baby and parent/carer.

The reverse of the spiral of joy is that which a parent may experience if they are finding parenthood very stressful.  Every parent may experience an element of this, some may unfortunately experience this for more than just a short period and find themselves in a downward spiral which may lead to exhaustion, loss of communication between baby and parent and thus a loss of nurturing, positivity and love.  Parents can use baby yoga to ease short-term stress and tiredness and re-join the spiral of joy, or they may use baby yoga to reverse the downward spiral and turn their relationship with themselves and their baby around to one of positivity and love over time.

In my classes I have witnessed parents and babies find a moment of pure joy and love, often this is a real belly laugh from the baby mirrored by the delighted parent and then shared between them for a few moments.  I also see a version of the Spiral of Joy in our active relaxation - babies respond to slow walking, slow movement, massage and soft holds where tensions in shoulders and arms are released. As they feel the relaxation of the parent, babies mirror by relaxing themselves and sometimes this leads them to drift into sleep. A peaceful and resting baby leads to a peaceful and more rested parent. What could be more joyful than that…