Spiritual Parenthood 2 - JUNGLE BABY, JUNGLE MUM

...travel with babies it is about the courage to depart on the journey, not about the destination...

Off to the jungle my love - I will show you what YOGA & NATURE are about!

A little baby angel arrived to this world, mum is recovering by the minute and the breastfeeding is ticking along wonderfully. So what´s next?!

Time to present the baby to this world or more likely YOUR particular VERSION of it. As we integrate the little ones into our lifestyle, we expose them to multitude of experiences. They are taking in all that is happening around them with wide eyes...the sounds, the colours, the smells, the touch, the voices and the people that belong to them. The experience of my trip only proves that a travel done right is a fantastic stimulation to the babies imagination and overall mental and physical development.

When it comes to me - a great part of my life is driven by YOGA and intimate contact with NATURE. And if there ever was a time when a yoga teacher me needed a yoga retreat, it was now to get my yoga practice back on track.

So that´s how I found myself flying across the world to celebrate my son Mika´s 2 month birthday at a yoga retreat set in the middle of the south Thailand jungle. Danny Paradise - an exceptional and very open-minded yogi, was exactly the teacher who would see the beauty of bringing a little baby along.
 Find out more about Danny and his planned retreats on his website:(http://www.dannyparadise.com/)

For accompanying jungle sounds go to:
  http://www.jungleyoga.com/  

The trip itself was very smooth. We left our home in Mallorca on 18 hour flight headed for Phuket Island and then from there another 2.5h by car to the entry gate of Khao Sok National Park http://www.khaosok.com/. The humming of any engine is a sweetest lulluby to most babies´ears so you really don´t have to worry about the transport bit. For your own sake try to go for the easiest options available though.

Floating bungalows - anyone up
 for a swim?

Our destination - the Praiwan Rafthouse - a floating bungalow complex - proudly boasts to be "conveniently located in the middle of NOWHERE". And truly after an hour trip by boat across the lake we leave the civilization behind. Who needs the phone, internet, 24/7 electricity and hot water when you have an ancient rain forrest singing behind the house and turqoise lake water lapping at your doorstep.

Baby wearing in a sling - vital for any travel,
but also really handy for the city mums.

I have to admit that my fellow yogis seemed at first a little perplexed to notice a mini head sticking out of my sling. The whole notion to introduce a baby to a space normally dedicated to adult solemn introspection was completely out of everybody´s world.

Mika joining the yoga class in
his baby basket.

 But also for me - how to attend yoga class now with a little baby whose attention span is simply unpredictable? Instead of preparing with warm-up stretches or perhaps a quiet meditation, now it would be last-minute breastfeeding and nappy changing. Into the basket and off to yoga school. The in-class yoga practice is all of sudden double that hard - not just keeping my own focus - but now it is all about holding the space for a restless mini human. I have to admit it was one of the most challenging things I have ever done in my life, but I have managed to attend with Mika by my side most of all the classes, lectures and pranayama practices.

Yogis at "work" in the floating yoga hall - learning about
ashtanga yoga has been inspiring - can´t wait to share it
with you in our GAIA yoga hall
(Mika and me watching from the back)

Mika managed to get many happy smiles out of everybody,
even Danny - our teacher got tricked!
http://www.dannyparadise.com/

The joined effect of everybody´s slow  breath and tranquil energy has been amazing. Together we have helped Mika sleep, feed, hum or peep quietly out of his basket throughout the classes. Within few days we all knew that something wonderful is happening in the yoga hall. The baby was like a measuring tape of our concentration and profundity of our practice, not just mine - his mum´s but everybody else´s around.
Of course, there were better days and worse days, few times I had to leave early or skip some parts of the class. I have been seen balancing in half-lotus with extra forward bend stretch to put back in Mika´s dummy as well as doing the breath exercises with baby attached to my breast. I have practiced all the yogic qualities at once - the selfless love, the patience and the meditative observation.
With a baby by my side my practice finally progresses again - INSTEAD OF clearly defined "DOING THE YOGA" for an hour on a yoga mat - with the mum-baby schedule I have no choice but finally learn to LIVE IT ALL THE TIME and the yoga mat moments while baby´s asleep are just extra bonus!

It was wonderful experience - and the Ashtanga yoga immersion was just a part of it. I loved to watch how everybody gradually softened up towards the baby´s innocent spirit. Everybody got to hold the baby and we all thought of as our mini guru.

Ready to board - after the yoga class
there was plenty time left for Mika
to explore the lake on kayak and go for
jungle walks.

Also some of the participating girls were in that important age when you really have to do your thinking about the "baby question". And there I was providing an altogether new perspective.

It has been good to see that a baby itself doesn´t stop us from doing things, it is in our mind where we decide to change and give up on things that define who we are. As a mother or father it is still you, just now with that wonderful opportunity to show a new human being what moves YOUR WORLD.

Ready for some bungallow chill out time
in the hammock?

VERY IMPORTANT before you even contemplate a bigger trip like this:

- baby needs be really healthy and doing well right since the day 1
- you yourself are 100% healed after the birth
- breastfeeding must be well establish (bottle feeding is much more complicated away from home)
- do a good travel insurance for both of you
- check for all vitals at your destination - accessible medical care, nappies etc.
- start with a trial short and easy trip including a flight to see how is baby adopting to the changes in environments and if all good - BON VOYAGE!


TRAVEL RESOURCES - here are some interesting website and of course, do not hesitate to ask question in our comment window!

Flight practicalities:
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm
Official guidelines on the contents of your carry-on luggage and getting through the security check safely...

If stressful moments arrive on the trip, solve it asap!
"Until Love Flows" - Interview with Jirina Prekop
Reinforcing the family relationships by embrace - fastholding therapy for couples, (in Spain taught as "terapia de contención" or "abrazo de vinculación"). My new discovery, originaly from Czech Republic.

Jirina Prekop still teaching about
family bonding at 83.

She also strongly encourages baby wearing even until age of 3 to help overcome the problematic rebellious behaviour.


BREASTFEEDING is a MUST for any hassle free travel.
All you need to know about natural and conscious way to pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding is in the books by Ina May Gaskin. Our GAIA favourite is Spiritual Midwifery - if you only should only read ONE book, that´s it.

http://www.inamay.com/books

INSPIRING STORIES and more resources on travel with babies
http://havebabywilltravel.com/
Have Baby Will Travel’s mission is to inspire, motivate, and help families travel with their babies, toddlers, and young children…