Blossom: Carter

Carter Arvid
January 30th at 2:36am
6lbs, 15 oz
19.5 inches

Mama Sarah says: All went really well!! I had a wonderful labor at home for over 16 hours and delivered at ANW hospital with my wonderful husband, my favorite doctor (who just happened to be on call and carried out every last detail of our birth plan), our doula and a fabulous nursing staff. I couldn't have asked for anything more!

But I feel that my calm, focused, "drug-free" labor had a lot to do with all the wisdom and strength I gained through the blooma staff, and all those wonderful yoga classes!!! I can't say thank you enough. I'm so happy that Sarah opened Blooma and that there is such a wonderful place in our community with endless and well-rounded resources for moms, prenatally and postnatally.

We are truly enjoying our new roles as parents and getting to know this sweet little guy...even with the sleep deprivation! I'm really looking forward to coming back in the next couple weeks. I went for a run/walk around Lake Harriet today and it felt fantastic so I'm hoping to get back to Yoga soon!

Thanks for everything!!

February 2009 newsletter

Check out the February 2009 newsletter online! Get the details on class package discounts in February, more affordable yoga for kids and tots, a new offer for new students, and tons of workshops, including Intuitive Healing, Personal Renewal, VBAC options, Partner Yoga, Amazing Marriage 101, and more!

Make sure you're on our mailing list to get Blooma's monthly newsletter and occasional updates about class changes and special events.

NEW PRICING for kids and tots yoga!

We've got great Tot Yoga classes for the little ones every week, and Kids Yoga will be back in March (Mondays from 4:30-5:15) ... better yet, we've got great new prices for the kiddos!

We've cut the drop-in rate classes for kids and tots to $15, and we're now offering a special class pass just for the little ones that lowers the per-class-price to just $10!

• The 6-class kids/tots pass: Come to six classes within 8 weeks for $60
• Kids/Tots Drop-in Price: $15

Tot Yoga is a class for li'l walkers and their grown-ups.
Kid Yoga is a kids-only class. Come give it a try!

You can sign up online!

New Personal Renewal Group forming at Blooma!

What: A supportive, nurturing, empowering group for mothers created specifically to explore and learn

1. how to “reconnect” with who you are
2. strategies for making self-care a priority so you can live, love, and parent optimally, and
3. how to experience greater life balance.

Each monthly session includes discussion, exercises, reflection time, and much more. Develop community and meaningful connection with other women. These groups are based on the exciting new book The Mother's Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate, and Re-Balance Your Life by Renee Trudeau.

Fee: $150, includes the price of the book. Sign up soon space is limited.
When: Meets once a month for six months, 5pm-7pm.
New in February:
1st Sunday of the month, beginning Feb. 1, 2009

Register.

Help us out!

Blooma gets a lot of love and support from its volunteers, who in turn get lots of love and gratitude--meaning great yoga classes for cheap!--from Blooma. We have a few openings for volunteers right now; if you're interested in giving some time to Blooma, please let us know!

• Volunteer in the child care room
  
• Did we mention that we need help in the child care room?
• Shifts are 1.5 to 2 hours long
• 20% discount on retail
• For every 3 shifts worked, you can purchase a discounted 5-class pass for just $15
• PS: We need you in the child care room! :-)
  

Contact Julie at [[ Blooma.Julie @ gmail.com ]] if you're interested!

Workshops & Events: February 2009

This Month at Blooma
February 2009

* Personal Renewal Group for Moms
Meet one Sunday a month for 6 months. $150
5pm-7pm, beginning Feb 1., Feb. 22, or Feb. 25

* VBAC Chat: Choosing a Care Provider
Sun., Feb 1, 6-9pm; free

* Enlightened Baby baby care classes
Tuesdays: Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24
12:15pm-1:45pm
$18 or class pass

* Amazing Marriage 101
Fri., Feb. 6 6:30-8pm
$25/person
$40/couple

* VBAC Chat: Support and Options for Birthing Beyond C-Section
Sat., Feb. 7, 5-7pm; free

* Partner Yoga
Sat. Feb. 14, 2-3:30pm, $30

* Movie Night: Business of Being Born
Sun., Feb. 22; 6pm-8pm
$5 suggested donation

Feb. 1 Workshop: Awaken Your Spiritual Potential

Guru Swami Enoch Dasa Giri from Chicago's Temple of Kriya Yoga, has been invited to Blooma by his student Lisa Bergly, to share in an afternoon of ancient yoga teachings and storytelling.

This Workshop is open to ALL Blooma students, teachers, staff, volunteers, and friends! Lisa teaches the Swami Mommy series at Blooma--a parent favorite!--and is the creator of the Yoga Bonding sequence used in Blooma's BYOB classes.

Join Swami Dasa and Lisa to learn more about how you can expand your spiritual potential and lift your vibration toward greater self awareness through Kriya yoga. Swami Dasa will share engaging "once upon a yogi time" stories to help us relate to actions and karma in our own lives.

Once we "see" something and gain clarity of something, we have awakened a potential within us. This will be a fun environment and casual learning of some very inspirational lessons that you will be able to share with family and friends along your spiritual path.

Join us!
Sunday, Feb. 1st
1:30-4:30pm
$20 suggested donation
Please let us know you're coming by registering for this special event!

Big Blooma love and thanks to Lisa for sharing her guru with us!

New, for New Students!

We're now offering a New Student One-Month Unlimited Pass for $99!

There are so many wonderful classes and teachers at Blooma, and we'd like our new students to have a chance to sample a bit of everything we offer! The one-month unlimited pass is designed to let you take as many classes as you like, in 30 days, so you can get familiar with the teachers and the offerings at Blooma. New students may purchase this pass one time only. Please try a class at Blooma, then purchase your unlimited pass before attending a second class and before purchasing any other class pass.

Thank you for honoring the terms on which we offer this exceptional pass! We hope you're delighted with Blooma and our amazing community of families!

Check out our Blooma class schedule. Call with any questions: 952 848 1111.

Be Still My Heart: Class Package Discount!

For the month of February 2009, we're offering discounts on our class packages, with love!

• 8-class package: now just $120
  regularly $135, save $15.00!
  
  
• 12-class package: now just $165
  regularly $190, save $25.00!

Purchase your discounted class package online (click the Online Store tab on the far right). Or, call the studio at 952.848.1111. Purchase your discounted class packages anytime during the month of February.

Blooma Blossom: Claire Elizabeth

claire elizabeth
january 24, 2009
7 lbs 8 oz
21.5 inches

Mama Andrea says: "We had a beautiful baby girl on saturday morning. Claire Elizabeth has beautiful dark hair and the cutest little dimple on her left cheek!

My labor was about 18 hours long. It was harder than I ever could have imagined. And I'm sure I could not have done it without all the yoga training. I swear all those push-ups gave me the strength to use the squatting bar and hold myself up for what felt like hours! My biceps were unbelievably sore still. I also made a lot of noise getting through the contractions--I favored the very loud, very low "oh" sound we had practiced in class--a huge help. I always wondered when we did that in class if i would be able to let loose and be vocal during the actual labor. That ended up not being a problem at all. In fact, I think I might have frightened my friends with my primal animalness :-) I also made sure I used all the laboring positions we'd practiced--although I didn't do any three-minute goddesses!

I really can't tell you enough how integral my prenatal yoga practice was to having the kind of birth experience I wanted. I can't even imagine how things would have gone differently without all those months of physical and mental preparation. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to come to Blooma every week and prepare myself for the biggest event of my life in such a supportive, positive space.

Hopefully Claire and I will be in together for our next yoga class soon!

thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Workshop: Amazing Marriage 101 on Feb. 6, 2009

Prioritize your love life this month! Amazing Marriage 101 is a 90-minute workshop for anyone who's in a committed relationship. It's especially helpful for couples who are parenting young children -- a rewarding task, of course, but also one that really takes it toll on a relationship. The research confirms that marital satisfaction takes a hit when the kids are little. It’s a tough time for family balance and often our marriages can end up on the back burner. Join us:

• hear the best in marriage research
• gain insight from stories taken from real-life marriage counseling sessions
• learn the normal developmental stages of marriage
  
• find out what it takes to have an amazing marriage

• Friday, February 6, 6:30-8pm
  
• $25/person or $40/couple
• Register (click, then scroll down)

"The feedback that couples have given me is that this has been a lot more fun and a lot more helpful than they expected ... it has given them more hope and faith in their relationship," says facilitator Maureen Campion, psychologist, marriage counselor and director of Parenting Oasis, who will share her passion for marriage and some practical advice about building a relationship for a lifetime. "Even the guys like it!"

Even if you can't attend, sign up for Maureen's weekly newsletter "Notes from a Marriage Geek".

Movie Night: Feb. 22, 2009

Make Sunday, Feb. 22 a movie night at Blooma! We'll be showing "The Business of Being Born." Join us at 6pm to watch the flick among friends in Blooma's cozy studio. We'll provide light refreshments and some comfy pillows, yoga mats, birthing balls, and chairs for those who want them. Suggested donation: $5.

A word about the documentary, from the filmmakers:

"Birth is a miracle, a rite of passage, a natural part of life. But birth is also big business. Compelled to explore the subject after the delivery of her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to question the way American women have babies.

The film interlaces intimate birth stories with surprising historical, political and scientific insights and shocking statistics about the current maternity care system. When director Epstein discovers she is pregnant during the making of the film, the journey becomes even more personal.

[The film asks]: Should most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every delivery be treated as a potentially catastrophic medical emergency?"

Workshop: Even Cowgirls Get the Bliss

Join us for a workshop on Intuitive Healing. We are vibration. We are energy. It is simply our nature. Within that reality is an opening for all of us to access the Universal healing Source. Many creative practices assist us to experience and deepen our trust in the healing process for ourselves, our community, and our world. In this workshop we will focus on deepening our ability to intuitively use touch, movement, sound, words and intention as tools for healing. The afternoon will include exercises to sharpen our senses, time for discussions on the nature of healing, guided meditation, movement & dance, and the practices of both receiving and giving intuitive bodywork. Leave with a keener presence with our amazing, sensual, energetic existence! Everyone is welcome. You already know all of this, but we often forget. So come, let us remember together. Please wear clothing for comfort of movement. The nature of God is a circle of which the center is everywhere and the circumference is nowhere ~Empedocles Saturday, Feb. 28 2-4:30pm Fee: $40 Register.

Blooma Blossom: Lilly

Lilly

January 20, 2009

Mama Jill says: I went in for an ultrasound on January 14th as the doctor was tracking a low-lying placenta. I was relieved to hear that I was out of the woods for that, but unfortunately vasa previa was found. I was told not to come to yoga and a c-section was scheduled for a C-section on the 20th. Everything went really well and we have a beautiful baby girl named Lilly. I am very grateful that they found the previa and there was no emergency that would have been very likely with a vaginal birth. I am just mourning (sometimes that word feels just right and sometimes when Lilly is gazing into my eyes it seems like a silly exageration) not getting to experience the last 3 weeks of pregnancy and not getting a chance to labor. I do want to thank you for all of the wonderful yoga classes. They really helped to make the pregnancy an even more magical time than I had imagined. I also wanted to thank you for the couples child birth prep class. Even though we didn't get a chance to use a lot of the great information that you gave us, it was a very good bonding experience for Erik and I. I loved that Erik got a chance to taste a little bit of what I was experiencing in yoga and the techniques that you taught made him feel more confident about supporting me through labor. I am really looking forward to being healed enough to come in for postnatal and BYOB yoga. Keep up all of your wonderful work.

A little song, a little dance: Blooma mamas and babies

Sweet slideshow of some Blooma mamas and their babies. These are the same mamas who adorn the walls of the Blooma yoga studio, one year later with their beautiful babies. Be inspired!

Blooma Blossom: Laila

Laila Leora
January 15, 2009
11:40 p.m.
7 lbs. 14 oz.
19 3/4 inches

Mama Stephanie says: Our baby girl arrived the day after last Wednesday's yoga class. I was more relaxed after I got home than I'd been in a week (despite the flat tire I discovered after leaving Blooma on that cold, cold night). I woke up at 4a.m. thinking that my water had broken. It hadn't. But after more bloody show than I thought possible, and contractions that were getting closer together, we consulted with our midwife and decided to head for the hospital before our son woke up for the day. After all, I was already 4-5 cm dilated and 75-80% effaced. My contractions stopped completely after being at the hospital for an hour or so, and we went home feeling frustrated. I took a long bath, and the contractions started again at about 3 in the afternoon, consistently 10 minutes apart and uncomfortable but not getting stronger. At 8:50, more bloody show and ruptured membranes, leading immediately to contractions 5 minutes apart and getting stronger. As soon as we got Gabriel into bed at 9:00, I called the hospital to tell them we were coming back in. We arrived around 9:30-9:40. I was 6cm when they first checked me, in active labor, and we called our doula, Emme, to join us. My labor progressed quickly, and when the contractions were 3 minutes apart I was allowed to get into the birth tub. After maybe 3 contractions I was seized out of nowhere by the most powerful urge to push, and in 10 minutes our daughter -- her first name, Laila, means 'night' in Hebrew; her middle name, Leora, means 'light is mine' -- was born! It was such a different labor and delivery than my first. In the past weeks I've been trying so hard to let go of any expectations that I had about how things were going to turn out. I think your yoga classes helped me do that. See you when I'm cleared for BYOB!

Notes from a Marriage Geek

	January 15th, 2009
I taught Amazing Marriage 101 tonight at Blooma and it was wonderful. By far the largest class I have had, even on a brutally cold night like tonight. It feels so great to see so many couples open to creating their marriage from the beginning. As we create connection and build strength in our attachment, sometimes it can feel like we are fumbling in the dark. What is it supposed to look like, what are we supposed to be creating? I pulled this list from Susan Johnson's book Hold Me Tight. As you read it some of them will resonate strongly. Some you will know you have and some you will feel the longing for. Some you know you give your partner and some you know you struggle to provide. I need to feel, to sense that: I am special to you and that you really value our relationship. I need that reassurance that I am number one with you and that nothing is more important to you than us. I am wanted by you, as a partner and a lover, that making me happy is important to you. I am loved and accepted, with my failings and imperfections. I can't be perfect for you. I am needed. You want me close. I am safe because you care about my feelings, hurts, and needs. I can count on you to be there for me, to not leave me alone when I need you the most. I will be heard and respected. Please don't minimize me or leap inot thinking the worst of me. Give me a chance to learn how to be with you. I can count on you to hear me and to put everything else aside. I can ask you to hold me and to understand that just asking is very hard for me. This week-Acknowledge your primary, human need for connection. Pick the one that speaks most to you and just talk about it. And if you are feeling really brave, ask your partner which one they need from you. Check out the next couple of classes I put on the schedule. It is a long, cold winter and Valentine's Day is coming. Let's create a little connection! Maureen p.s. I would love some questions from readers... I sit down every Thursday night and write what is in my heart... but would love some new ideas. parentingoasis@gmail.com Parenting Oasis is offering the following marriage courses- My most popular class- Amazing Marriage 101 will be offered February 6th at Blooma blooma.com or https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/home.asp Fighting for Connection Monday February 2nd 6:30-8 Marriage is a powerful, primary attachment relationship which often leads to conflict when what we hunger for is intimacy. For those who have already attended Amazing Marriage 101, this evening we take a look at healthy ways of confronting marriage issues and changing patterns to increase connection within relationships. $40/couple Email to register parentingoasis@gmail.com or call 612-205-7050 Scholarships available. Parenting in Partnership Tuesday February 10th 6:30-8 What does “being on the same page” or “backing each other up” or even “consistency” mean when parents have different personalities, different values and different styles of parenting? Most couples begin to establish their roles and expectations in their parenting partnership by the time the baby is 5 months old. What’s your plan? What are your concerns? Come hear some ideas about starting off right, parenting together for a lifetime. $40/couple Email to register parentingoasis@gmail.com or call 612-205-7050 Scholarships available. Visit my website if you are looking for couples therapy- www.mnvalleypsychologists.com www.marriagefriendlytherapists.com has lots of other amazing therapists around the country other than me as well. For more marriage resources visit Smartmarriage.com	So... what's this? Each week, the hardest work I do is marriage counseling. By the time many couples come into my office, they have little hope and have hurt each other enormously. I witness their struggles and their pain and I offer them my help in healing and creating a new way of relating. But I know marriage counseling isn't for everyone. Many people just need some information. Marriage doesn't come with a manual but it should. So I decided that I would put some of my best information into this newsletter. So if you are not interested in receiving a weekly note about building amazing marriages, please click unsubscribe. I promise to send one email a week- just a few things that I think might help you in your commitment to creating an amazing marriage and a healthy family. I promise not to send you a bunch of other junk or to sell this list. (Not that there are people lining up to give me money but even if they do- I promise.) I also would ask you to consider forwarding this to all the people you love, whose marriages you support especially your partner. Forward this message to a friend Maureen Campion, MS LP is a private practice psychologist investing in supporting new families through group, individual and marital therapy as well as marriage education. With over 15 years experience, she is well aware of the struggles and stressors facing parents and created The Parenting Oasis as a unique setting to address those needs. She has three children of her own and loves working with parents. Email Maureen at parentingoasis@gmail.com or call 612-205-7050 The Parenting Oasis is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit human service agency dedicated to strengthening, educating and supporting parents in the Twin Cities, from conception through the toddler years by providing community space, educational programs, and resources. The Parenting Oasis was founded in 2005 with the intention of creating a community center for new parents. Open since October, the center offers quality social and educational opportunities where families could share the joys and challenges of raising little ones, and creating healthy family; openly share ideas and experiences, while their children play and learn in a nurturing environment.
Forward this message to a friend | http://www.parentingoasis.com/

Rock the Cradle

Check out this AMAZING event for families on Sunday, January 25! MPR's Rock the Cradle has storytime, music, disco, arts & crafts, and --thanks to Blooma-- yoga for kids and their families. Join us in the Family Yoga Zone:

• 11:15, 12:00, 2:00 2:30 - Family Yoga (adult and children ages 2+)
• 12:30, 1:15, 3:15 - Baby Yoga (for newborns and infants)

Sunday, Jan. 25
11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
The Children's Theatre Company/Minneapolis Institute of Arts
2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis

Blooma Blossom: Alexandra Rae

Alexandra Rae
January 13, 2009
8:20am
6 pounds, 14 ounces
20 inches

Mama Jessica says: We were 38 weeks and 1 day. I did not develop pre-eclampsia again and had a wonderful VBAC at Fairview Riverside! Thanks to Blooma for keeping me relaxed and keeping my blood pressure under control throughout pregnancy!

Blooma Blossom: Zoe

Zoe Mae
Monday, January 12, 2009
7.4 pounds, 20 inches

Papa Phil says: What an absolute little blessing she is. Zoe graced our presence on Monday morning. Healthy and happy, Zoe has brought all of us great joy, especially her big sister, Lucia, and big brother, Vincent!! Monica and Zoe are both doing well!!

Weather Cancellation

Thanks to the crummy weather, Childbirth Collective is canceled tonight, Jan. 12, at Blooma. See you next week!

Blooma Blossom: Elias

Elias

January 10, 2009
2:53pm
8lbs 10z
21 inches

Mama Candance says: "A special thank you to the instructors at Blooma, who I strongly believe helped me to have a quick and smooth labor and delivery both in terms of my physical and mental coping strategies."

Get connected!

Blossom: Evelyn Jean

Evelyn Jean
January 8, 2009
4 lbs. 11 oz.
18 1/2 in.

Mama says: Thanks so much for being Blooma. I believe it's because of all the things I was involved with at Blooma that helped me have the successful VBAC that I was hoping for. I miss my weekly times there, and can't wait to start some postnatal or baby and me classes soon!!

Blooma Blossom: Annika

Annika Margaret
Saturday, January 3, 2009
1:02pm
8 pounds, 14 ounces
21 inches long

Mama Megan says: We are all doing great and so far Lydia is being a great big sister!

Blooma Blossom: Brady

Brady Jon
Friday, January 2
8 pounds, 11 ounces
22 inches

Mama Erica says: Just wanted to let everyone at Blooma know that Brady Jon was born via successful VBAC!

The scoop: I went into labor about 10:00 p.m. on New Years' Day (just as most my family gathering of 45 people for Christmas was leaving!) I'm so glad I had a Doula (Megan Titcomb, who I would highly recommend) or we would have left for the hospital WAY too soon. She came over about 2 a.m. when my contractions were 3 minutes apart and about 40 seconds long, and Megan suggested we stay home until they got longer and stronger. Good thing, because my labor kind of fizzled out as my remaining houseguests (8 adults and 7 kids) got up and started moving around. Megan went home, and we took naps as the rest of my houseguests left. In the evening my parents took Kate with them to dinner, and with just my husband and I here labor picked up quickly (funny how my brain/body waited until everyone was gone, I remember you saying it happens that way for people). At 7:30 we left for the hospital and at 9:17 Brady was born, before I even was done being admitted! I pushed for 20 minutes, which was a blessing and a curse. Nice to go fast, but more painful and more tearing/bruising for me. But, I feel WAY better than after the C-section with Kate. So glad I went for the VBAC. And I had NO pain medication. Thought I'd be a quiet laborer, but when I got to pushing I made noises louder than I knew I could make! (Think I scared the hubby!) Really happy that I did it, but it was definitely very intense! Overall I think it was about as perfect of a birth experience that
I could have hoped for!

Say hi to everyone and thanks to all of you for great Yoga, Chiropractic, Massage and Acupuncture! I'm convinced it made a huge difference in my labor and my continuing recovery.

Blossom: Elise Marie

Elise Marie
January 1, 2009 (first baby of the year at St. Joe's)
7:14 AM
9 pounds 4 ounces
20 inches

Mama Rose says: 11 days overdue and with a required induction date scheduled for the following week, we aggressively tried natural induction methods to get things started. Went to yoga in the morning and acupuncture in the afternoon. By that evening, I was in labor. It was a long one (Tuesday evening to Thursday morning) and at times quite "challenging", but it was filled with a lot of music, laughter, and love – just as we wanted it to be and as it should have been. Rose and Florian can't sing the Blooma and St. Joe's praises enough and are thankful to have had such a caring and supportive community to lean on during the pregnancy and now during this "4th trimester." Thanks for everything!