My girl C2 was an asthmatic as a baby and toddler. Actually, all my 4 kids were, but C2 bore the brunt of it. I remember the many asthma incidents we had experienced with her. She was frequently placed on steroids by her pedia which I now think was a bit too much. The nebulizer was always part of our luggage when we traveled and I remember spending a small fortune monthly on asthma medicines. On one boat trip, she had an asthma attack and I realized too late that the trigger was the boat’s pillows made of kapok. From then on, we added nonallergenic pillows to our baggage list.

I encouraged her to take up yoga as her P.E. class and was glad she did last year. I even got her a Scooby-Doo Gaiam yoga mat for her birthday to further motivate her.

 

Well, the semester came to an end and so did her yoga classes. 

This summer, I broached the idea of her joining me for classes at Vinyasa Yoga Center. After all, I had already paid in advance for classes and she could share these with me. She agreed and last week, we went for our first class with Pio. It was my first time back with Pio in a LONG time.

The Slow Flow class began with breathing exercises and a short meditation, after which we went through the sun salutations. I was glad that Pio called out modified poses for those less flexible so that C2 could cope. After class, we had a short bonding time at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. I asked C2 how she found the class and was glad she was positive about it. In her school’s P.E. class, there were so many of them that it was hard for the teacher to pay close attention to many of them. As we were only 6-7 that night, he was able to come to her several times to adjust her stance.

The youth these days see themselves as almost invulnerable to sickness and tend to abuse their bodies with lack of sleep, alcohol, smoking and other unhealthy habits. If only they realized that the body does not forget and when they are past their prime, all this unhealthy living will catch up with them. I know. I have been there. And honestly, I feel that my body is in a much better shape and condition now than it was when I was in my 30’s.

Last week, C2 came up to me. To my great surprise and delight, she asked me to continue her yoga classes even after school starts. Yehey! Happy day for this yogini mom!!! And my wish is that yoga will be a great equalizer for C2 and bring her to a higher level of health.